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CAISS (Certified Abbreviated Injury
Scale Specialist) Certification Exam
Questions With Verified Solutions And
Rationales
1. The Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) severity score for a "critical" injury is:
A. 3
B. 4
C. 5
D. 6
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: The AIS severity scale is: 1 = Minor, 2 = Moderate, 3 = Serious, 4 =
Severe, 5 = Critical, 6 = Maximal (currently untreatable). Critical injuries (AIS 5)
have a high probability of death but are potentially survivable with optimal care .
2. An AIS score of 6 indicates:
A. Minor injury
B. Moderate injury
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C. Critical injury
D. Maximal injury (currently untreatable)
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: AIS 6 represents a maximal injury that is currently untreatable and
invariably fatal (e.g., massive liver disruption, high cervical cord transection). This
differs from AIS 5 (critical), which is survivable with optimal care .
3. The AIS code is a 7-digit number. The first digit represents:
A. Severity
B. Body region
C. Type of anatomic structure
D. Specific anatomic structure
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The 7-digit AIS code format is: Digit 1 = Body region (1=Head, 2=Face,
3=Neck, 4=Thorax, 5=Abdomen, 6=Spine, 7=Upper Extremity, 8=Lower Extremity,
9=External). Severity is the last two digits, not the first .
4. When a patient has multiple injuries to the same body region, the AIS coding
rule for ISS calculation is to:
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A. Code all injuries separately
B. Code only the most severe injury in that region
C. Code the average severity of all injuries
D. Code only the first injury documented
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: For ISS calculation, only the most severe injury in each body region is
used. However, for trauma registry completeness, all injuries should be coded .
5. A patient has bilateral pulmonary contusions. How should this be coded for AIS
purposes?
A. Code as a single injury with bilateral specification
B. Code as two separate injuries in the same region
C. Code only the more severe side
D. Apply a bilateral modifier that increases severity by 1 level
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: AIS allows coding of bilateral injuries as a single code with laterality
specified. The severity reflects the combined effect of the bilateral injury .
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6. Which statement about the AIS dictionary is correct?
A. It is updated every 10 years
B. The most recent version is AIS 2015
C. AIS 2025 represents the current standard for 2026 certification
D. Codes are never revised between versions
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: AIS 2025 is the current standard for 2026 CAISS certification. The AIS
dictionary is periodically updated, not strictly every 10 years .
7. The "single most severe injury" rule applies to:
A. All injuries in the entire body
B. Injuries within each body region for ISS calculation
C. Only head injuries
D. Only extremity injuries
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The rule applies to injuries within each body region for ISS calculation.
Only the highest AIS score in each of the three most severely injured regions is
used .
CAISS (Certified Abbreviated Injury
Scale Specialist) Certification Exam
Questions With Verified Solutions And
Rationales
1. The Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) severity score for a "critical" injury is:
A. 3
B. 4
C. 5
D. 6
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: The AIS severity scale is: 1 = Minor, 2 = Moderate, 3 = Serious, 4 =
Severe, 5 = Critical, 6 = Maximal (currently untreatable). Critical injuries (AIS 5)
have a high probability of death but are potentially survivable with optimal care .
2. An AIS score of 6 indicates:
A. Minor injury
B. Moderate injury
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C. Critical injury
D. Maximal injury (currently untreatable)
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: AIS 6 represents a maximal injury that is currently untreatable and
invariably fatal (e.g., massive liver disruption, high cervical cord transection). This
differs from AIS 5 (critical), which is survivable with optimal care .
3. The AIS code is a 7-digit number. The first digit represents:
A. Severity
B. Body region
C. Type of anatomic structure
D. Specific anatomic structure
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The 7-digit AIS code format is: Digit 1 = Body region (1=Head, 2=Face,
3=Neck, 4=Thorax, 5=Abdomen, 6=Spine, 7=Upper Extremity, 8=Lower Extremity,
9=External). Severity is the last two digits, not the first .
4. When a patient has multiple injuries to the same body region, the AIS coding
rule for ISS calculation is to:
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A. Code all injuries separately
B. Code only the most severe injury in that region
C. Code the average severity of all injuries
D. Code only the first injury documented
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: For ISS calculation, only the most severe injury in each body region is
used. However, for trauma registry completeness, all injuries should be coded .
5. A patient has bilateral pulmonary contusions. How should this be coded for AIS
purposes?
A. Code as a single injury with bilateral specification
B. Code as two separate injuries in the same region
C. Code only the more severe side
D. Apply a bilateral modifier that increases severity by 1 level
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: AIS allows coding of bilateral injuries as a single code with laterality
specified. The severity reflects the combined effect of the bilateral injury .
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6. Which statement about the AIS dictionary is correct?
A. It is updated every 10 years
B. The most recent version is AIS 2015
C. AIS 2025 represents the current standard for 2026 certification
D. Codes are never revised between versions
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: AIS 2025 is the current standard for 2026 CAISS certification. The AIS
dictionary is periodically updated, not strictly every 10 years .
7. The "single most severe injury" rule applies to:
A. All injuries in the entire body
B. Injuries within each body region for ISS calculation
C. Only head injuries
D. Only extremity injuries
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The rule applies to injuries within each body region for ISS calculation.
Only the highest AIS score in each of the three most severely injured regions is
used .
