Quantitative Research Techniques + Statistics – Peregrine | 69 Questions | 2026/2027 Comprehensive Examination with Complete Solutions
QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH TECHNIQUES +
STATISTICS
Peregrine Academic Services | 69 Questions | With Complete Solutions | 2026/2027 Edition
Cognitive Mix: 25% Recall | 45%
Total Questions: 69 Sections: 7
Application | 30% Analysis
Style: 65% Scenario-based | 35% Direct Format: Multiple Choice (A–D), one Standard: Peregrine Quantitative
Knowledge correct answer Research & Statistics Competency
This comprehensive examination is aligned with the Peregrine Academic Services Quantitative Research & Statistics Competency
Standards (2026/2027 Edition), graduate research methodology curricula, and evidence-based practice guidelines. Each item
presents four options with one correct response, marked [CORRECT], followed by a concise rationale grounded in current
statistical best practices.
Section 1: Research Design & Methodology 14 Questions
Q1: A researcher randomly assigns 60 undergraduate students to either a new interactive teaching
method or the traditional lecture format and measures their final exam scores. Which research design
best characterizes this study?
A. Quasi-experimental design with a nonequivalent control group
B. True experimental design with random assignment [CORRECT]
C. Correlational design with two cohorts
D. Cross-sectional observational design
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Random assignment to two conditions under researcher control satisfies the criteria for a true experiment.
Quasi-experimental designs (A) lack random assignment, correlational designs (C) do not manipulate an independent variable,
and cross-sectional designs (D) measure variables at one time point without intervention.
Q2: A public health investigator needs to draw a sample of 500 adults from a city's voter registration list
of 80,000 names using a random number table so that every adult has an equal probability of selection.
The correct procedure is:
A. Stratified random sampling by neighborhood
B. Convenience sampling at public clinics
C. Simple random sampling without replacement [CORRECT]
D. Snowball sampling through community leaders
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Simple random sampling gives each population member an exactly equal, known probability of selection, matching
the researcher's requirement. Stratified (A) intentionally over-samples subgroups, convenience (B) uses whoever is available,
and snowball (D) targets hidden populations via referrals.
Peregrine Academic Services – Quantitative Research & Statistics Competency Exam Page 1
,Quantitative Research Techniques + Statistics – Peregrine | 69 Questions | 2026/2027 Comprehensive Examination with Complete Solutions
Q3: Dr. Patel collects self-reported exercise frequency and perceived stress scores from 1,200 working
adults during a single online survey administered in March 2026. The variable exercise is treated as a
predictor of stress. This study is best described as:
A. Longitudinal cohort design
B. Cross-sectional correlational design [CORRECT]
C. Randomized controlled trial
D. Single-subject reversal design
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Data are collected at one time point from a single sample to examine associations, which is the hallmark of a
cross-sectional correlational design. Longitudinal designs (A) track participants over time, RCTs (C) require random assignment
to interventions, and single-subject designs (D) study one individual intensively.
Q4: A school district will not allow random assignment of students to a new reading curriculum, but a
researcher wishes to compare two existing classrooms that already use different curricula while
statistically controlling for prior achievement. The most defensible design is:
A. True experiment with blocking on prior achievement
B. Quasi-experimental nonequivalent control group design with ANCOVA [CORRECT]
C. Single-case ABAB design
D. Randomized block design
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: When random assignment is not possible and pre-existing groups are compared, a nonequivalent control group
design with ANCOVA is the strongest quasi-experimental option for reducing selection bias. True experiments (A, D) require
randomization, and ABAB (C) is for single-subject research.
Q5: In a study of the effect of a workplace wellness program on absenteeism, employees in sites with
on-site gyms show lower absenteeism than sites without gyms. The presence of an on-site gym, which the
researcher did not manipulate or measure, is best classified as a:
A. Mediating variable
B. Confounding variable [CORRECT]
C. Moderating variable
D. Suppressor variable
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: A confounding variable is an extraneous factor correlated with both the independent and dependent variable that
distorts the observed relationship, exactly matching the gym-site scenario. A mediator (A) explains the causal pathway, a
moderator (C) changes the strength of the relationship, and a suppressor (D) suppresses irrelevant variance.
Peregrine Academic Services – Quantitative Research & Statistics Competency Exam Page 2
, Quantitative Research Techniques + Statistics – Peregrine | 69 Questions | 2026/2027 Comprehensive Examination with Complete Solutions
Q6: A researcher wants her sample of 400 nurses to mirror the national nursing workforce, which is 88%
female and 12% male. To preserve this gender ratio in her sample, the most appropriate probability
sampling method is:
A. Simple random sampling
B. Stratified random sampling with proportional allocation [CORRECT]
C. Cluster sampling by hospital
D. Purposive sampling of male nurses
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Stratified random sampling with proportional allocation guarantees that subgroup proportions in the sample match
the known population proportions. Simple random (A) may yield disproportionate subgroups by chance, cluster (C) samples
intact groups, and purposive (D) is non-probability.
Q7: In a double-blind randomized controlled trial of a new antidepressant versus placebo, neither the
prescribing clinicians, the raters of symptom severity, nor the patients know group assignment until the
trial concludes and the code is broken. The primary scientific purpose of double-blinding is to:
A. Eliminate sampling error
B. Reduce observer and participant expectancy bias [CORRECT]
C. Increase statistical power
D. Guarantee external validity
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Double-blinding minimizes both observer bias (raters guessing treatment) and participant expectancy effects (the
placebo effect), protecting internal validity. Sampling error (A) is a function of sample size, power (C) is determined by design
and effect size, and external validity (D) depends on population generalizability.
Q8: A graduate student defines patient anxiety as the score on the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI)
administered preoperatively. Specifying exactly how a construct is measured or manipulated in a study is
called:
A. Conceptual definition
B. Operational definition [CORRECT]
C. Construct validity
D. Discriminant validity
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: An operational definition specifies the concrete procedures and instruments used to measure a variable, exactly as
the STAI score operationalizes anxiety. Conceptual definitions (A) describe the abstract meaning, while construct and
discriminant validity (C, D) are forms of measurement validity rather than definitions.
Peregrine Academic Services – Quantitative Research & Statistics Competency Exam Page 3
QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH TECHNIQUES +
STATISTICS
Peregrine Academic Services | 69 Questions | With Complete Solutions | 2026/2027 Edition
Cognitive Mix: 25% Recall | 45%
Total Questions: 69 Sections: 7
Application | 30% Analysis
Style: 65% Scenario-based | 35% Direct Format: Multiple Choice (A–D), one Standard: Peregrine Quantitative
Knowledge correct answer Research & Statistics Competency
This comprehensive examination is aligned with the Peregrine Academic Services Quantitative Research & Statistics Competency
Standards (2026/2027 Edition), graduate research methodology curricula, and evidence-based practice guidelines. Each item
presents four options with one correct response, marked [CORRECT], followed by a concise rationale grounded in current
statistical best practices.
Section 1: Research Design & Methodology 14 Questions
Q1: A researcher randomly assigns 60 undergraduate students to either a new interactive teaching
method or the traditional lecture format and measures their final exam scores. Which research design
best characterizes this study?
A. Quasi-experimental design with a nonequivalent control group
B. True experimental design with random assignment [CORRECT]
C. Correlational design with two cohorts
D. Cross-sectional observational design
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Random assignment to two conditions under researcher control satisfies the criteria for a true experiment.
Quasi-experimental designs (A) lack random assignment, correlational designs (C) do not manipulate an independent variable,
and cross-sectional designs (D) measure variables at one time point without intervention.
Q2: A public health investigator needs to draw a sample of 500 adults from a city's voter registration list
of 80,000 names using a random number table so that every adult has an equal probability of selection.
The correct procedure is:
A. Stratified random sampling by neighborhood
B. Convenience sampling at public clinics
C. Simple random sampling without replacement [CORRECT]
D. Snowball sampling through community leaders
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Simple random sampling gives each population member an exactly equal, known probability of selection, matching
the researcher's requirement. Stratified (A) intentionally over-samples subgroups, convenience (B) uses whoever is available,
and snowball (D) targets hidden populations via referrals.
Peregrine Academic Services – Quantitative Research & Statistics Competency Exam Page 1
,Quantitative Research Techniques + Statistics – Peregrine | 69 Questions | 2026/2027 Comprehensive Examination with Complete Solutions
Q3: Dr. Patel collects self-reported exercise frequency and perceived stress scores from 1,200 working
adults during a single online survey administered in March 2026. The variable exercise is treated as a
predictor of stress. This study is best described as:
A. Longitudinal cohort design
B. Cross-sectional correlational design [CORRECT]
C. Randomized controlled trial
D. Single-subject reversal design
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Data are collected at one time point from a single sample to examine associations, which is the hallmark of a
cross-sectional correlational design. Longitudinal designs (A) track participants over time, RCTs (C) require random assignment
to interventions, and single-subject designs (D) study one individual intensively.
Q4: A school district will not allow random assignment of students to a new reading curriculum, but a
researcher wishes to compare two existing classrooms that already use different curricula while
statistically controlling for prior achievement. The most defensible design is:
A. True experiment with blocking on prior achievement
B. Quasi-experimental nonequivalent control group design with ANCOVA [CORRECT]
C. Single-case ABAB design
D. Randomized block design
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: When random assignment is not possible and pre-existing groups are compared, a nonequivalent control group
design with ANCOVA is the strongest quasi-experimental option for reducing selection bias. True experiments (A, D) require
randomization, and ABAB (C) is for single-subject research.
Q5: In a study of the effect of a workplace wellness program on absenteeism, employees in sites with
on-site gyms show lower absenteeism than sites without gyms. The presence of an on-site gym, which the
researcher did not manipulate or measure, is best classified as a:
A. Mediating variable
B. Confounding variable [CORRECT]
C. Moderating variable
D. Suppressor variable
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: A confounding variable is an extraneous factor correlated with both the independent and dependent variable that
distorts the observed relationship, exactly matching the gym-site scenario. A mediator (A) explains the causal pathway, a
moderator (C) changes the strength of the relationship, and a suppressor (D) suppresses irrelevant variance.
Peregrine Academic Services – Quantitative Research & Statistics Competency Exam Page 2
, Quantitative Research Techniques + Statistics – Peregrine | 69 Questions | 2026/2027 Comprehensive Examination with Complete Solutions
Q6: A researcher wants her sample of 400 nurses to mirror the national nursing workforce, which is 88%
female and 12% male. To preserve this gender ratio in her sample, the most appropriate probability
sampling method is:
A. Simple random sampling
B. Stratified random sampling with proportional allocation [CORRECT]
C. Cluster sampling by hospital
D. Purposive sampling of male nurses
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Stratified random sampling with proportional allocation guarantees that subgroup proportions in the sample match
the known population proportions. Simple random (A) may yield disproportionate subgroups by chance, cluster (C) samples
intact groups, and purposive (D) is non-probability.
Q7: In a double-blind randomized controlled trial of a new antidepressant versus placebo, neither the
prescribing clinicians, the raters of symptom severity, nor the patients know group assignment until the
trial concludes and the code is broken. The primary scientific purpose of double-blinding is to:
A. Eliminate sampling error
B. Reduce observer and participant expectancy bias [CORRECT]
C. Increase statistical power
D. Guarantee external validity
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Double-blinding minimizes both observer bias (raters guessing treatment) and participant expectancy effects (the
placebo effect), protecting internal validity. Sampling error (A) is a function of sample size, power (C) is determined by design
and effect size, and external validity (D) depends on population generalizability.
Q8: A graduate student defines patient anxiety as the score on the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI)
administered preoperatively. Specifying exactly how a construct is measured or manipulated in a study is
called:
A. Conceptual definition
B. Operational definition [CORRECT]
C. Construct validity
D. Discriminant validity
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: An operational definition specifies the concrete procedures and instruments used to measure a variable, exactly as
the STAI score operationalizes anxiety. Conceptual definitions (A) describe the abstract meaning, while construct and
discriminant validity (C, D) are forms of measurement validity rather than definitions.
Peregrine Academic Services – Quantitative Research & Statistics Competency Exam Page 3
