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Quizzes > Health & Medicine

SPI Practice Test: Ultrasound Physics Knowledge Check

Quick, free SPI test questions with instant results and helpful feedback.

Editorial: Review CompletedCreated By: Manuz StudiesUpdated Aug 28, 2025
Difficulty: Moderate
2-5mins
Learning OutcomesCheat Sheet
Paper art illustration for SPI ultrasound physics quiz on dark blue background

Use this SPI practice test to check your ultrasound physics skills and see where to improve before the exam. Work through exam-style items on images, Doppler, artifacts, and safety, with instant scoring and tips to guide your review. If you're studying imaging across modalities, try our ct practice test and build fundamentals with a basic physics quiz; you can also sharpen anatomy views with a radiographic positioning quiz.

In soft tissue, which parameter is inversely proportional to frequency?
Pulse duration
Propagation speed
Acoustic impedance
Wavelength (Correct: wavelength = propagation speed / frequency; in soft tissue c ~1540 m/s)
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Which unit correctly describes the attenuation coefficient commonly used in diagnostic ultrasound for soft tissue?
J/kg-K
dB/cm-MHz (Correct: attenuation coefficient scales approximately 0.5 to 1 dB per cm per MHz in soft tissue)
W/cm^2
m/s
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Increasing transmit frequency will most directly improve which type of resolution, all else equal?
Temporal resolution
Contrast resolution
Axial resolution (Correct: shorter spatial pulse length from higher frequency improves axial resolution)
Elevational resolution
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Duty factor equals pulse duration divided by what?
Pulse repetition frequency
Spatial pulse length
Sampling volume length
Pulse repetition period (Correct: DF = PD / PRP)
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The acoustic impedance of a tissue is defined as the product of density and which other parameter?
Wavelength
Frequency
Attenuation coefficient
Propagation speed (Correct: Z = rho x c)
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Which transducer component primarily broadens bandwidth?
Lens
Cable shield
Matching layer
Backing (damping) material (Correct: reduces pulse length and increases bandwidth)
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Axial resolution is determined chiefly by which quantity?
Persistence
Spatial pulse length (Correct: axial res = SPL/2)
Beam width
Aperture size
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What happens to lateral resolution at the focal zone compared to the near and far fields?
It is worst at the focus
It is best at the focus (Correct: beam width is narrowest at focus)
It depends only on frequency, not focus
It is identical at all depths
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Which parameter most directly determines maximum imaging depth for a given PRF without range ambiguity?
Q-factor
Duty factor
Pulse repetition period (Correct: PRP must be long enough for echoes to return from max depth)
Transmit power
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Color Doppler frame rate is typically lower than 2D B-mode primarily because of what?
Lower dynamic range
Ensemble length requires multiple pulses per line (Correct: autocorrelation needs many pulses)
Higher speed of sound in blood
Less attenuation in color mode
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Which artifact arises when echoes are wrongly placed due to an assumed uniform sound speed of 1540 m/s that is violated?
Refraction shadowing
Speed error artifact (Correct: incorrect range or shape due to speed variation)
Side lobes
Range ambiguity
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Apodization in beamforming primarily reduces which undesirable energy?
Thermal index
Main lobe width
Attenuation coefficient
Side lobe levels (Correct: tapering aperture weights lowers sidelobes)
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What is the principal effect of increasing aperture size for a focused array, holding focal depth constant?
Narrower beam width at focus (Correct: larger aperture reduces diffraction)
Higher duty factor
Increased aliasing
Lower propagation speed
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Which technique transmits long coded pulses and compresses them on receive to improve SNR while preserving axial resolution?
Tissue equalization
Harmonic bandpass filtering
Spatial compounding
Coded excitation with pulse compression (Correct: uses matched filtering)
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Statement: Range ambiguity occurs when echoes from a prior pulse are received after the next pulse is sent. Explanation: PRF too high for the imaging depth.
True
False
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For a given center frequency, which change improves elevational resolution using a 1D array?
Increasing PRF
Reducing dynamic range
Increasing persistence
Using an acoustic lens or curved elements (Correct: narrows slice thickness)
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In CW Doppler, which limitation present in PW Doppler is inherently absent?
Angle dependence
Range ambiguity
Spectral broadening
Aliasing (Correct: CW samples continuously and does not alias)
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Which parameter of an ultrasound beam most directly determines intensity?
Pulse duration times PRF
Power divided by beam area (Correct: I = P/A)
Number of scan lines
Q-factor of the crystal
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When imaging very superficial structures, which quality control artifact limits the ability to see near-surface targets and is measured with a phantom?
Refraction shadow
Dead zone (Correct: ring-down of transducer and T/R switch recovery)
Speed error
Mirror image
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Statement: TI refers to the potential for nonthermal (mechanical) bioeffects. Explanation: TI estimates thermal risk; MI relates to mechanical effects.
True
False
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Study Outcomes

  1. Understand Ultrasound Wave Principles -

    Understand the fundamental properties of sound waves, including wavelength, frequency, and attenuation, to build a solid foundation for SPI test questions.

  2. Calculate Sound Speed in Soft Tissue -

    Calculate and interpret the speed of ultrasound in various soft tissues, enhancing your ability to answer spi practice questions accurately.

  3. Identify Frequency Limits -

    Identify the clinical frequency ranges and resolution limits used in diagnostic ultrasound, preparing you to tackle frequency-based spi exam practice test items.

  4. Analyze SPI Test Questions -

    Analyze sample spi exam practice test questions to recognize patterns, common pitfalls, and the best strategies for answering efficiently.

  5. Apply Exam Strategies -

    Apply proven test-taking techniques tailored to the ARDMS SPI section, helping you boost confidence and improve your overall score.

Cheat Sheet

  1. Frequency, Period, and Wavelength -

    Review how frequency (Hz), period (µs), and wavelength (mm) interrelate through c = λ·f, using 1540 m/s as the speed of sound in soft tissue. Remember that higher frequency improves resolution but reduces penetration - an essential trade-off in spi test questions. A quick mnemonic: "Fun Puppies Wag" (Frequency, Period, Wavelength).

  2. Acoustic Impedance and Reflection -

    Understand impedance (Z = ϝ·c) to predict reflection at tissue boundaries; differences in Z determine the reflection coefficient (R = [(Z2−Z1)/(Z2+Z1)]²). This concept often appears in spi practice questions when discussing echo amplitude and tissue interfaces. Think of impedance like "resistance" in materials, similar to Ohm's law in electricity.

  3. Pulse Repetition Frequency and Depth -

    Know that PRF (Hz) and pulse repetition period (PRP) govern maximum imaging depth: PRP = 1/PRF, and max depth = PRP·c/2. These formulas show up frequently on your spi exam practice test to calculate safe depth ranges. Use the phrase "My PRF Dictates Depth" to remember their relationship.

  4. Attenuation and Half-Value Layer -

    Master the concept of exponential attenuation: I = I0·e^(−αx), where α (dB/cm) increases with frequency. The half-value layer (HVL = 0.693/α) tells you how deep your beam penetrates. Visualize each HVL as "half a cake" gone with each layer of tissue.

  5. Doppler Shift and Aliasing -

    Apply the Doppler equation fD = (2·f0·v·cosθ)/c to calculate frequency shifts in moving blood. Remember the Nyquist limit (PRF/2) to avoid aliasing - common on a free spi practice test where you adjust baseline and scale. A quick tip: "Double Frequency, Velocity, Cosine" for the numerator.

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