Epidemiology: Testing

Question 1

(Specificity/Sensitivity) has a greater effect on the predictive value of a test for infrequent diseases.

Answer 1

Specificity

Question 2

A negative highly sensitive test is valuable for ruling (out/in) the possibility of disease.

Answer 2

Out

Question 3

Individuals who test positive, but in reality are disease free, are considered to be (false/true) positives.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

When the distribution curve for a test is narrow, it indicates good (reliability/validity) .

Answer 4

Reliability

Question 5

Variability in an individual over time is known as (intra/inter) subject variation.

Answer 5

Intra

Question 6

False (positive/negative) tests are associated with higher costs because they need to be repeated for confirmation.

Answer 6

Positive

Question 7

The (sensitivity/specificity) of a test refers to the ability to correctly identify individuals who have the disease.

Answer 7

Sensitivity

Question 8

The (negative/positive) predictive value is defined as the proportion of individuals with a positive screening test who actually have the disease.

Answer 8

Positive

Question 9

A highly (sensitive/specific) test is used for confirmation after a positive screening test.

Answer 9

Specific

Question 10

The (negative/positive) predictive value is defined as the proportion of individuals with a negative screening test who do not have the disease.

Answer 10

Negative

Question 11

The statistic measures the extent by which two observers agree on a test result exceeding that of chance alone.

Answer 11

Kappa

Question 12

High sensitivity tests are used for diseases that have (high/low) prevalence.

Answer 12

Low

Question 13

Positive predictive value varies (directly/inversely) with pretest probability.

Answer 13

Directly

Question 14

Positive predictive value varies (directly/inversely) with pretest probability.

Answer 14

Sequential

Question 15

If the specificity of a test increases, the positive predictive value (increases/decreases) .

Answer 15

Increases

Question 16

If the specificity of a test increases, the positive predictive value (increases/decreases) .

Answer 16

Inversely

Question 17

If the specificity of a test increases, the positive predictive value (increases/decreases) .

Answer 17

Higher

Question 18

If the specificity of a test increases, the positive predictive value (increases/decreases) .

Answer 18

True

Question 19

The (sensitivity/specificity) of a test refers to the ability to correctly identify individuals who do not have the disease.

Answer 19

Specificity

Question 20

Predictive value increases when diseases with (low/high) prevalence begin to become even more prevalent.

Answer 20

Low

Question 21

An increase in sensitivity leads to a (high/low) false-negative rate.

Answer 21

Low

Question 22

The goal of (one/two) -stage screening is to reduce the issue of false positives.

Answer 22

Two-stage

Question 23

When a cluster of test results is not centered around the true value, the test is not (valid/reliable) .

Answer 23

Valid

Question 24

If the sensitivity of a test increases, the (negative/positive) predictive value increases.

Answer 24

Negative

Question 25

The subjective nature of reading test results by different clinicians is known as (intra/inter) observer variation.

Answer 25

Inter

Question 26

(Sequential/Simultaneous) screening involves the use of a less invasive test before a more invasive one.

Answer 26

Sequential

Question 27

The (reliability/validity) of a test is a measure of its reproducibility.

Answer 27

Reliability

Question 28

In (sequential/simultaneous) testing, there is a gain in net sensitivity because a positive on any test is considered positive.

Answer 28

Simultaneous

Question 29

If a test is adjusted so that sensitivity is increased, specificity will subsequently be (increased/decreased) .

Answer 29

Decreased

Question 30

An example of (intra/inter) observer variation is when a single clinician deciphers the same test differently at multiple time points throughout the day.

Answer 30

Intra

Question 31

The (reliability/validity) of a test refers to its ability to distinguish between those who have a disease and those who do not.

Answer 31

Validity