Maryland CT Technologist Certification
Exam Practice Questions And Correct
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Rationale 2026 Q&A| Instant Download
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1. A CT technologist is preparing to perform a non-contrast head CT on a
patient with suspected acute intracranial hemorrhage. Which of the
following technical parameters is most appropriate to optimize
detection of acute blood?
A. Low kVp with wide window width
B. High kVp with narrow window width
C. Moderate kVp with narrow window width
D. High kVp with wide window width
B. High kVp with narrow window width
A higher kVp improves penetration and reduces beam hardening,
, while a narrow window width increases contrast resolution, making
acute hemorrhage more conspicuous.
2. Which of the following best describes Hounsfield units (HU) in CT
imaging?
A. Measurement of radiation dose
B. Relative density of tissues compared to water
C. Speed of X-ray photons
D. Detector sensitivity scale
B. Relative density of tissues compared to water
Hounsfield units quantify tissue attenuation relative to water, with
water defined as 0 HU, air at approximately -1000 HU, and dense
bone at higher positive values.
3. What is the primary purpose of collimation in CT scanning?
A. Increase image brightness
B. Reduce patient motion
C. Control slice thickness and reduce scatter radiation
D. Enhance detector efficiency
C. Control slice thickness and reduce scatter radiation
Collimation shapes the X-ray beam to define slice thickness and
reduces scatter radiation, thereby improving image quality.
4. In spiral (helical) CT scanning, pitch is defined as:
A. Table movement per rotation divided by slice thickness
B. Number of detectors per rotation
, C. X-ray beam intensity per second
D. Image reconstruction speed
A. Table movement per rotation divided by slice thickness
Pitch represents how far the table moves during one gantry rotation
relative to the beam width, affecting image quality and radiation
dose.
5. Which artifact appears as streaks between dense objects such as
metal implants?
A. Motion artifact
B. Beam hardening artifact
C. Ring artifact
D. Partial volume artifact
B. Beam hardening artifact
Beam hardening occurs when lower-energy photons are absorbed,
leaving higher-energy photons, producing streak artifacts between
dense structures.
6. What is the most effective method to reduce motion artifacts during
CT scanning?
A. Increase slice thickness
B. Decrease mAs
C. Use faster gantry rotation time
D. Increase pitch
C. Use faster gantry rotation time
, Faster rotation reduces scan time, minimizing the likelihood of
patient motion affecting image quality.
7. Which tissue has the lowest Hounsfield unit value?
A. Fat
B. Muscle
C. Air
D. Bone
C. Air
Air has the lowest attenuation and is assigned approximately -1000
HU, making it the lowest on the CT scale.
8. What is the main advantage of multidetector CT (MDCT) over single-
slice CT?
A. Lower radiation dose
B. Faster image acquisition and thinner slices
C. Reduced need for contrast agents
D. Elimination of artifacts
B. Faster image acquisition and thinner slices
MDCT allows simultaneous acquisition of multiple slices, enabling
faster scanning and improved spatial resolution.
9. Which parameter primarily affects image noise in CT?
A. kVp
B. mAs
C. Pitch
Exam Practice Questions And Correct
Answers (Verified Answers) Plus
Rationale 2026 Q&A| Instant Download
1. A CT technologist is preparing to perform a non-contrast head CT on a
patient with suspected acute intracranial hemorrhage. Which of the
following technical parameters is most appropriate to optimize
detection of acute blood?
A. Low kVp with wide window width
B. High kVp with narrow window width
C. Moderate kVp with narrow window width
D. High kVp with wide window width
B. High kVp with narrow window width
A higher kVp improves penetration and reduces beam hardening,
, while a narrow window width increases contrast resolution, making
acute hemorrhage more conspicuous.
2. Which of the following best describes Hounsfield units (HU) in CT
imaging?
A. Measurement of radiation dose
B. Relative density of tissues compared to water
C. Speed of X-ray photons
D. Detector sensitivity scale
B. Relative density of tissues compared to water
Hounsfield units quantify tissue attenuation relative to water, with
water defined as 0 HU, air at approximately -1000 HU, and dense
bone at higher positive values.
3. What is the primary purpose of collimation in CT scanning?
A. Increase image brightness
B. Reduce patient motion
C. Control slice thickness and reduce scatter radiation
D. Enhance detector efficiency
C. Control slice thickness and reduce scatter radiation
Collimation shapes the X-ray beam to define slice thickness and
reduces scatter radiation, thereby improving image quality.
4. In spiral (helical) CT scanning, pitch is defined as:
A. Table movement per rotation divided by slice thickness
B. Number of detectors per rotation
, C. X-ray beam intensity per second
D. Image reconstruction speed
A. Table movement per rotation divided by slice thickness
Pitch represents how far the table moves during one gantry rotation
relative to the beam width, affecting image quality and radiation
dose.
5. Which artifact appears as streaks between dense objects such as
metal implants?
A. Motion artifact
B. Beam hardening artifact
C. Ring artifact
D. Partial volume artifact
B. Beam hardening artifact
Beam hardening occurs when lower-energy photons are absorbed,
leaving higher-energy photons, producing streak artifacts between
dense structures.
6. What is the most effective method to reduce motion artifacts during
CT scanning?
A. Increase slice thickness
B. Decrease mAs
C. Use faster gantry rotation time
D. Increase pitch
C. Use faster gantry rotation time
, Faster rotation reduces scan time, minimizing the likelihood of
patient motion affecting image quality.
7. Which tissue has the lowest Hounsfield unit value?
A. Fat
B. Muscle
C. Air
D. Bone
C. Air
Air has the lowest attenuation and is assigned approximately -1000
HU, making it the lowest on the CT scale.
8. What is the main advantage of multidetector CT (MDCT) over single-
slice CT?
A. Lower radiation dose
B. Faster image acquisition and thinner slices
C. Reduced need for contrast agents
D. Elimination of artifacts
B. Faster image acquisition and thinner slices
MDCT allows simultaneous acquisition of multiple slices, enabling
faster scanning and improved spatial resolution.
9. Which parameter primarily affects image noise in CT?
A. kVp
B. mAs
C. Pitch
