Medical Assistant Practice Exam

Medical Terminology and Anatomy 

1 The term, "Afferent Nerve," means:

a. Carrying an impulse to the brain

b. Carrying an impulse away from the brain

c. Carrying impulses to the motor neurons of the appendicular muscles

d. None of the above

Incorrect. Please choose another answer.

Afferent nerves carry sensory signals to the brain. Efferent nerves carry motor signals from the brain.

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2 The medical term, "basophilia," refers to:

a. an attachment of the epithelial cells of the skin to a basement membrane

b. An overabundance of a particular white blood cell in the peripheral blood

c. An underrepresentation of basophils on a blood smear.

d. None of the above

Incorrect. Please choose another answer.

Basophilia is an increased number of basophils in the peripheral blood. Basophilia is found in certain blood disorders such as leukemia and also in some types of allergic reactions.

Law, Ethics and Professionalism 

3 The Common Law source of laws is:

a. Derived from Customs and Judicial Decisions

b. Derived from the US. Constitution

c. Derived from State/Federal Legislation

d. None of the above

Incorrect. Please choose another answer.

Common sources of law are found in the history of a civilization and center around that culture's customs and previous judicial decisions.

4 A woman is being accused of failure to pay her medical bills. Which of the following classifications of law is she violating?

a. Criminal Law

b. Civil Law

c. Felony

d. Family Law

Incorrect. Please choose another answer.

Failure to pay for services rendered falls under Civil Law as this is a difference of opinion between two parties.

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Psychology and Communication 

5 Elizabeth Kubler Ross is known for developing the Stages of Grief. Which of the following is true of these stages?

a. All patients will go through all five stages of grief.

b. Each patient will go through the stages of grief in the same order, but not necessarily in the same amount of time.

c. Each patient who goes through the grieving process will experience some or all of the Stages of Grief in varying amounts of time.

d. The Stages of Grief are an antiquated method of psychology and are not recognized in current practice.

Incorrect. Please choose another answer.

The Stages of Grief are different for each person experiencing loss. The time spent in each stage and the order of the stages can differ greatly between those coping with loss.

6 Who proposed the Hierarchy of Needs?

a. Maslow

b. Freud

c. Erikson

d. Skinner

Incorrect. Please choose another answer.

Abraham Maslow is credited with defining the Hierarchy of Need. The Hierarchy of Needs are ranked in order to include Physiologic Needs, Safety and Security, Love and Belonging, Esteem and Recognition, and finally Self Actualiztion. In order to progress from one level to the next, subjects must satisfy the current need.

Bookkeeping, Credits and Collections 

7 Which of the following pieces of information would be considered patient demographics?

a. Patient's Age

b. Patient's date of last X-ray

c. Patient's current blood pressure

d. Patient's last date of Rx refill

Incorrect. Please choose another answer.

Demographic information is data that can identify a patient. Names, addresses, telephone numbers and ages are all considered demographic information.

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8 The "Write it Once" system is used in some offices as an alternative to:

a. Computerized scheduling systems

b. Hospital referral services

c. Computerized bookkeeping

d. Medical resource allocation

Incorrect. Please choose another answer.

Write it Once systems are sometimes referred to as Pegboard systems where financial information is written once but recorded in three different places.

Billing, Coding and Insurance 

9 Coding systems are:

a. used to place verbal descriptions of medical conditions or procedures into alpha-numeric codes.

b. a method of monitoring disease processes.

c. used to allow for easier statistical tracking of medical conditions or procedural uses.

d. All of the above.

Incorrect. Please choose another answer.

Coding systems are a way for medical conditions and procedures to be listed as a number. This allows for easier tracking of statistics related to this information. It also allows for easier communication between physicians and health care insurance plans.

10 Volume II of the ICD-10 coding book:

a. is the three part alphabetical index.

b. contains procedural codes for specific diagnostic tests.

c. contains three sections with Section 3 being the index to Diseases.

d. None of the above.

Incorrect. Please choose another answer.

Volume II of the ICD-10 coding book is the three part alphabetical index, which should be used first when searching for the correct diagnostic code to be used for a disease state. Volume I is then used to confirm that the code chosen is correct.

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Medical Records and Office Supplies 

11 Who owns a patient's medical record?

a. The patient

b. The physician

c. The Legal Counsel of the Office

d. No one owns a medical record.

Incorrect. Please choose another answer.

Physicians own their patients' medical records, but patients have the right to have copies of their records.

12 Who owns a patient's x-rays?

a. The patient

b. The doctor

c. The facility that performed the procedure.

d. None of the above.

Incorrect. Please choose another answer.

X-rays, while considered part of a patient's medical record, are owned by the facility that performs the procedure.

Oral and Written Communication 

13 Your doctor has given you a patient memo that he has written. You notice that his grammar and punctuation need corrected. Which of the following proofreader's marks signifies that a period is to be introduced into a sentence?

a. Equals sign

b. Circle with a dot in the middle

c. Ellipsis

d. Empty circle

Incorrect. Please choose another answer.

To show that a period needs to be added to a document that is being proofread, place a small circle with a dot in it in the spot where the period is to be added.

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14 As a rule of social acceptance, what is the maximum number of times a telephone should be allowed to ring in most cases?

a. Three

b. Five

c. Seven

d. Ten

Incorrect. Please choose another answer.

The commonly accepted number of rings that a caller will tolerate is three or less. If a medical assistant cannot take a call, she should answer the phone and politely ask the caller to hold.

Scheduling and Office Management 

15 Of the following choices, which should NOT be considered when performing payroll functions?

a. Number of exemptions

b. Deductions

c. Hours worked

d. Number of patients roomed per day

Incorrect. Please choose another answer.

Payroll is the process of calculating how much is owed an employee based on the employee's salary and number of hours worked. Deductions that are made based on taxes are also calculated from an employee's gross pay.

16 Which of the following tasks is NOT the responsibility of the office manager?

a. Maintain adequate supply of inventory

b. Perform employee evaluations

c. Ensure adequate staffing

d. determine the appropriate number of tax exemptions that should be made by an employee

Incorrect. Please choose another answer.

Office managers have the responsibility to keep the office running smoothly by handling employee issues, monitoring inventory, ensuring customer service excellence, and adequate staffing. Choosing the amount of tax exemptions that each employee should take is the responsibility of the employee.

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Exam Room Techniques, Patient Preparation and Infection Control 

17 Which of the following vital signs can be expected in a child that is afebrile?

a. Rectal Temp of 100.9 degrees F.

b. Oral Temp of 38 degrees C.

c. Axillary Temp of 98.6 degrees F.

d. All of the above are incorrect.

Incorrect. Please choose another answer.

Afebrile means to be without fever. An axillary temperature is taken in the arm pit and is normal at 98.6 degrees F.

18 Intermittent fevers are:

a. fevers which come and go.

b. fevers which rise and fall but are always considered above the patient's average temperature.

c. fevers which fluctuate more than three degrees in never return to normal.

d. None of the above.

Incorrect. Please choose another answer.

Intermittent fevers are fevers that come and go. They alternate between periods of being febrile then afebrile. Continuous fevers rise and fall slightly over a period of 24 hours. Remittent fevers fluctuate considerably; more than 3 degrees and do not return to normal body temperature.

Office Laboratory Procedures 

19 Which of the following anticoagulants would be found in a light blue vacutainer tube?

a. EDTA

b. Sodium Oxalate

c. Lithium Heparin

d. Sodium Citrate

Incorrect. Please choose another answer.

Sodium citrate is found in the light blue collection tubes. This tube is used most often for tests that assess coagulation times.

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20 A medical assistant is asked to draw blood in the antecubital (AC) space. Which of the following veins are found in the AC?

a. Cephalic

b. Median cubital

c. Basilic

d. All of the above.

Incorrect. Please choose another answer.

All three of these veins are located in the antecubital space, which is the space opposite the elbow on the arm.

Emergency Procedures and First Aid 

21 A patient is describing a contusion of his arm over the telephone to you. What description would closely describe a contusion?

a. Blood collecting under the skin without a break in the skin.

b. A clean cut that has broken the integrity of the skin.

c. A jagged cut that has broken the integrity of the skin.

d. A puncture which has pierced the top layers of the skin.

Incorrect. Please choose another answer.

A contusion is bruising of the affected area, also known as an ecchymosis.

22 The elderly and very young:

a. have increased susceptibility to infectious pathogens.

b. are more sensitive to heat and cold.

c. have a higher risk of falls.

d. All of the above.

Incorrect. Please choose another answer.

The young and elderly have increased risks for medical emergencies including heat injury, infections, and falls.

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Pharmacology 

23 Category A drugs include those that: (Choose the BEST answer.)

a. can be safely taken during all three trimesters of pregnancy according to results from adequate and controlled animal and human studies.

b. have been proven to be dangerous when taken during all three trimesters of pregnancy according to results from adequate and controlled animal and human studies.

c. have a high potential for abuse.

d. have a low potential for abuse.

Incorrect. Please choose another answer.

Pregnancy category ratings place drugs in one of five categories depending on the potential risk to the fetus from the drugs. Category A is the safest category for drugs.

24 How many drug schedules are there under the Controlled Substances Act?

a. 1

b. 3

c. 5

d. 10

Incorrect. Please choose another answer.

There are 5 druge schedules under the federal Controlled Substances Act. Drug schedules place controlled substances in categories based on the potential for abuse. Category I drugs have the most potential for abuse while Category V have the lowest.

Pathophysiology 

25 Patients with irritable bowel syndrome will experience which of the following symptoms?

a. Diarrhea

b. Flatulence

c. Constipation

d. Patients can experience a variety of symptoms that can include all of the above.

Incorrect. Please choose another answer.

Patients with IBS can experience a multitude and variety of symptoms, but the most commonly reported are diarrhea, constipation, and flatulence.

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26 Diabetic patients are monitored by using which of the following tests?

a. KUB

b. Troponin

c. Fe++

d. HbA1C

Incorrect. Please choose another answer.

Hemoglobin A1C is a test used to monitor the average blood glucose level in a patient over a 2-3 month period.