Screening vs Diagnostic Tests MCQ Quiz | Epidemiology

Welcome to the Epidemiology quiz on Screening versus Diagnostic Tests, specifically designed for MBBS students. This essential topic forms the bedrock of clinical practice and public health decision-making. This quiz contains 25 multiple-choice questions that will challenge your understanding of key concepts such as sensitivity, specificity, predictive values, biases, and the principles behind effective screening programs. Test your knowledge, identify areas for improvement, and solidify your grasp of these fundamental principles. After you submit your answers, you’ll receive your score and a detailed review of each question. You can also download a PDF of all questions with the correct answers for your future reference and study. Good luck!

1. What is the primary purpose of a screening test in public health?

2. A screening test’s ability to correctly identify individuals who do NOT have the disease is known as:

3. A test’s ability to correctly identify individuals who HAVE the disease is its:

4. Which factor has the most significant influence on the Positive Predictive Value (PPV) of a screening test?

5. If a screening test is applied to a low-prevalence population, what is the most likely effect on its predictive values?

6. A diagnostic test is primarily used for:

7. Lead-time bias in the context of screening refers to:

8. Which of the following is NOT one of the Wilson-Jungner criteria for a suitable screening program?

9. Raising the cut-off point for a positive result on a continuous variable screening test (e.g., blood glucose level) will most likely:

10. A screening test with very high sensitivity is most useful when:

11. Which of the following values is calculated using the formula: True Positives / (True Positives + False Positives)?

12. Length-time bias is a phenomenon where:

13. A screening program that involves applying several screening tests simultaneously to a large group of people is known as:

14. What is the overall effect of using two tests in series (serial testing)?

15. In contrast to serial testing, what is the effect of using two tests in parallel (parallel testing)?

16. The “gold standard” in the context of medical testing refers to:

17. Negative Predictive Value (NPV) is defined as:

18. A Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve plots which two parameters against each other?

19. On an ROC curve, a theoretically perfect test would be represented by a point at which coordinate?

20. Screening for a disease only in individuals with known risk factors (e.g., family history) is an example of:

21. A Likelihood Ratio for a positive test (LR+) of 10 means:

22. The reliability of a screening test refers to its:

23. In a population of 1000, 200 people have a disease. A screening test correctly identifies 150 of these cases. What is the sensitivity of the test?

24. Using data from the previous question (1000 people, 200 diseased, 150 TP): The test also incorrectly identifies 80 people without the disease as positive. What is the specificity?

25. Which of the following is a typical characteristic of a good screening test compared to a diagnostic test?