1
COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY (CT) TECHNOLOGIST
CERTIFICATION EXAM PRACTICE QUESTIONS AND
CORRECT ANSWERS WITH RATIONALES 2026 JUST
RELEASED INSTANT DOWNLOAD PDF
• Which of the following is considered a deterministic effect of
radiation?
A. Cancer induction
B. Skin erythema
C. Genetic mutation
D. Stochastic effect
Rationale: Deterministic effects have a threshold dose and severity
increases with dose.
• What is the primary cause of partial volume artifact in CT?
A. Motion
B. Beam hardening
C. Voxel contains multiple tissue types
D. Detector malfunction
Rationale: Partial volume artifact occurs when a voxel averages
tissues with different densities.
,2
• Which of the following is used to reduce patient motion
artifacts?
A. Increase kVp
B. Increase slice thickness
C. Faster scan times and immobilization
D. Use higher pitch
Rationale: Reducing scan time and stabilizing the patient minimize
motion artifacts.
• What is the approximate HU for air in CT imaging?
A. 0
B. 50
C. -1000
D. -100
Rationale: Air has very low attenuation, corresponding to -1000 HU.
• Which of the following is true regarding multislice CT
acquisition?
A. Only one slice is acquired per rotation
B. Multiple slices are acquired simultaneously
C. It increases motion artifact
D. It always increases scan time
Rationale: Multislice CT acquires several slices per rotation,
improving speed and coverage.
,3
• Which patient position is standard for most CT scans of the chest
and abdomen?
A. Prone
B. Supine
C. Lateral decubitus
D. Trendelenburg
Rationale: Supine position is standard for most CT exams because it is
comfortable and allows consistent organ positioning.
• What is the primary purpose of a scout (localizer) image in CT?
A. Diagnose fractures
B. Measure tissue attenuation
C. Plan scan range and parameters
D. Reduce motion artifacts
Rationale: Scout images are used to determine the start and end
points of the CT scan.
• Which CT imaging parameter primarily affects temporal
resolution?
A. Slice thickness
B. Gantry rotation time
C. Field of view
D. Matrix size
, 4
Rationale: Temporal resolution depends on how quickly the gantry
completes a rotation; faster rotations reduce motion artifacts.
• Which factor increases patient dose the most in CT?
A. Higher pitch
B. Longer scan length
C. Smaller FOV
D. Iterative reconstruction
Rationale: Longer scan lengths expose more tissue to radiation,
increasing the total dose.
• Which artifact appears as streaks or dark bands near dense
objects like metal implants?
A. Motion artifact
B. Beam hardening
C. Ring artifact
D. Partial volume artifact
Rationale: Beam hardening occurs when low-energy x-rays are
absorbed more than high-energy x-rays, creating streaks.
• What is the typical HU range for cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)?
A. -1000 to -500
B. 0-20
C. 5-15
D. 30-50
COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY (CT) TECHNOLOGIST
CERTIFICATION EXAM PRACTICE QUESTIONS AND
CORRECT ANSWERS WITH RATIONALES 2026 JUST
RELEASED INSTANT DOWNLOAD PDF
• Which of the following is considered a deterministic effect of
radiation?
A. Cancer induction
B. Skin erythema
C. Genetic mutation
D. Stochastic effect
Rationale: Deterministic effects have a threshold dose and severity
increases with dose.
• What is the primary cause of partial volume artifact in CT?
A. Motion
B. Beam hardening
C. Voxel contains multiple tissue types
D. Detector malfunction
Rationale: Partial volume artifact occurs when a voxel averages
tissues with different densities.
,2
• Which of the following is used to reduce patient motion
artifacts?
A. Increase kVp
B. Increase slice thickness
C. Faster scan times and immobilization
D. Use higher pitch
Rationale: Reducing scan time and stabilizing the patient minimize
motion artifacts.
• What is the approximate HU for air in CT imaging?
A. 0
B. 50
C. -1000
D. -100
Rationale: Air has very low attenuation, corresponding to -1000 HU.
• Which of the following is true regarding multislice CT
acquisition?
A. Only one slice is acquired per rotation
B. Multiple slices are acquired simultaneously
C. It increases motion artifact
D. It always increases scan time
Rationale: Multislice CT acquires several slices per rotation,
improving speed and coverage.
,3
• Which patient position is standard for most CT scans of the chest
and abdomen?
A. Prone
B. Supine
C. Lateral decubitus
D. Trendelenburg
Rationale: Supine position is standard for most CT exams because it is
comfortable and allows consistent organ positioning.
• What is the primary purpose of a scout (localizer) image in CT?
A. Diagnose fractures
B. Measure tissue attenuation
C. Plan scan range and parameters
D. Reduce motion artifacts
Rationale: Scout images are used to determine the start and end
points of the CT scan.
• Which CT imaging parameter primarily affects temporal
resolution?
A. Slice thickness
B. Gantry rotation time
C. Field of view
D. Matrix size
, 4
Rationale: Temporal resolution depends on how quickly the gantry
completes a rotation; faster rotations reduce motion artifacts.
• Which factor increases patient dose the most in CT?
A. Higher pitch
B. Longer scan length
C. Smaller FOV
D. Iterative reconstruction
Rationale: Longer scan lengths expose more tissue to radiation,
increasing the total dose.
• Which artifact appears as streaks or dark bands near dense
objects like metal implants?
A. Motion artifact
B. Beam hardening
C. Ring artifact
D. Partial volume artifact
Rationale: Beam hardening occurs when low-energy x-rays are
absorbed more than high-energy x-rays, creating streaks.
• What is the typical HU range for cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)?
A. -1000 to -500
B. 0-20
C. 5-15
D. 30-50
