ARDMS Ultrasound Technician Exam Questions & Answers 2026–2027 PDF

ULTRASOUND TECHNICIAN – v v



ARDMS EXAM QUESTIONS AND CORRECT ANSWERS (VERIFIE
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D ANSWERS) PLUS RATIONALES 2026|2027 Q&A | INSTANT D
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OWNLOAD PDF v




1. Quick ARDMS Exam Overview
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 Purpose: Certifies sonographers for competence in diagnostic ultrasound.
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 Exam Options:
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o SPI (Sonography Principles & Instrumentation) –
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required core exam.
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o Specialty Exams: Abdomen, OB/GYN, Vascular, Cardiac, Breast, MSK,
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Pediatric, etc. v




 Format: Computer-based, multiple-choice.
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 Content Areas (SPI): v v




1. Physical principles of ultrasound (waves, Doppler, attenuation).
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2. Equipment operation & instrumentation.v v v




3. Image optimization & artifacts.
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4. Quality assurance, patient safety.
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2. Sample ARDMS- v




Style Practice Questions (SPI Focus) Physics & Principle
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s
1. Which parameter is determined only by the sound source, not the
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medium?
 A. Wavelength
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 B. Propagation speed
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 C. Frequency
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, D. Attenuation
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Answer: C. Frequency v v


Rationale: The ultrasound transducer sets the frequency, while wavelength a
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nd speed depend on the medium.
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2. What happens to propagation speed when sound travels from soft tissue i
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nto bone? v




 A. It decreases
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 B. It increases
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 C. It stays the same
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 D. It becomes zero
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Answer: B. It increases v v v


Rationale: Sound travels faster in denser materials; bone has a higher propagatio
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n speed than soft tissue.
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3. Which Doppler shift is produced when blood flow moves toward the t
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ransducer?
 A. No shift
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 B. Negative shift
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 C. Positive shift
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 D. Reversed frequency
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Answer: C. Positive shift v v v


Rationale: Flow toward the transducer produces a positive Doppler frequenc
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y shift.
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4. What is the main cause of acoustic shadowing in ultrasound imaging?
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 A. Refraction
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 B. Attenuation due to strong reflectors or absorbers
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, C. Reverberation
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 D. Speed error
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Answer: B. Attenuation due to strong reflectors or absorbers
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Rationale: Shadowing occurs when structures like bone or stones strongly att
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enuate the sound beam.
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5. In diagnostic ultrasound, the most common transducer material is:
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 A. Lead zirconate titanate (PZT)
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 B. Quartz crystal
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 C. Lithium niobate
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 D. Glass ceramic
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Answer: A. Lead zirconate titanate (PZT)
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Rationale: PZT is the standard piezoelectric material used in modern ultrasou
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nd transducers.
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6. What happens to wavelength when frequency increases?
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 A. Wavelength increases
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 B. Wavelength decreases
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 C. Wavelength stays the same
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 D. Wavelength becomes infinite
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Answer: B. Wavelength decreases
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Rationale: Wavelength and frequency are inversely related when propagatio
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n speed is constant.
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7. What is the most common cause of aliasing in Doppler ultrasound?
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 A. Low frequency transducer
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,  B. PRF (pulse repetition frequency) too low
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 C. Excessive attenuation
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 D. High propagation speed
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Answer: B. PRF (pulse repetition frequency) too low
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Rationale: Aliasing occurs when Doppler shift frequency exceeds half the PRF
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(Nyquist limit). v




8. Which ultrasound mode displays motion of structures over time?
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 A. B-mode
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 B. M-mode
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 C. Doppler mode
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 D. 3D mode
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Answer: B. M-mode v v


Rationale: M- v


mode records motion of structures along a single scan line over time.
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9. The beam width is primarily determined by:
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 A. Frequency
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 B. Focal depth
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 C. Transducer aperture and focusing
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 D. Pulse duration
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Answer: C. Transducer aperture and focusing
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Rationale: Beam width depends on aperture size and focusing; narrower bea
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ms improve lateral resolution.
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10. Which artifact appears as multiple equally spaced echoes caused by sound b
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ouncing between two strong reflectors?
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