ABRET Exam Prep UPDATED ACTUAL
Exam Questions and CORRECT Answers
Which is important to document to aid in interpretation?
a) low grade fever
b) uncooperative pt
c) pt was awake and alert during recording
d) HV was not performed due to asthma - CORRECT ANSWER -c
What additional electrodes could help decipher b/w artifact and cortical activity?
a) respiration transducer
b) sphenoidal
c) EMG
d) EOG - CORRECT ANSWER -d
What additional monitoring should be done in a middle age pt who repeatedly alerts from sleep
during EEG?
a) eye movement
b) movement
c) muscle tone
d) respiration - CORRECT ANSWER -d
Which of the following extra electrodes might best demonstrate the EEG activity associated with
focal motor twitching of the right corner of the mouth?
a) P5
b) FT9 (T1)
c) C1
d) C5 - CORRECT ANSWER -d
,An abbreviated 10-20 placement, respiration, ECG, and EOG
a) neonates
b) toddlers
c) ICU pts
d) Elderly pts - CORRECT ANSWER -a
Cortical EEG recording can be obscured in pts who are tense and anxious due to
a) multifocal spikes
b) delta slowing
c) generalized spike wave
d) myogenic artifact - CORRECT ANSWER -d
What type of monitoring would be useful in an EEG pt experiencing syncope?
a) movement transducer
b) respiration transducer
c) EOG
d) ECG - CORRECT ANSWER -d
BRAIN ABCESS
a) burst suppression
b) ECI
c) focal polymorphic delta activity
d) diffuse slowing - CORRECT ANSWER -c
Sphenoidal electrodes are used to record activity from the
a) brain stem
b) anterior temp lobes
c) basal ganglia
,d) mesial frontal lobes - CORRECT ANSWER -b
A slow wave focus is best seen w/
a) LF 0.3Hz, paper speed 60mm/sec
b) HF 70Hz, paper speed 60mm/sec
c) LF 5Hz, paper speed 15mm/sec
d) LF 0.3Hz, paper speed 15mm/sec - CORRECT ANSWER -d
The best reference electrode in an awake pt w/ excessive temporal myogenic activity would be
a) ear lobes
b) mastoids
c) neck
d) Cz - CORRECT ANSWER -d
14 & 6Hz positive spikes are best recorded w/
a) avg reference
b) contralateral ear reference
c) bipolar chain
d) both ears connected to reference - CORRECT ANSWER -b
Which montage would best display the amp of a left temp spike?
a) left temp to ipsi ear
b) left temp to contra ear
c) ant-post bipolar temp chain
d) transverse (coronal) bipolar chain - CORRECT ANSWER -b
BEST choice of reference to be used when recording in suspected temp lob epilepsy
a) A1+A2
, b) ipsi ear
c) Cz
d) nasopharyngeals - CORRECT ANSWER -c
Which settings will help enhance a low volt slow wave that's being masked by muscle activity?
a) sens 2; LF 5; HF 35
b) sens 10; LF 1; HF 5
c) sens 5; LF 0.3; HF 35
d) sens 7; LF 1; HF 70 - CORRECT ANSWER -c
Most appropriate setting change that should be made to enhance cortical slowing?
a) change LFF from 1Hz to 0.1Hz
b) change HFF from 70Hz to 15Hz
c) change LFF from 1Hz to 5Hz
d) change HFF from 70Hz to 25Hz - CORRECT ANSWER -a
When using avg reference, if a spike-and-wave focus appears at C3, the abnormality would be
best enhanced by
a) using 35Hz filter and time constant of 0.03sec
b) decreasing sensitivty
c) excluding C3 and surrounding electrodes from reference
d) switching to Cz referential montage - CORRECT ANSWER -c
Which setting could be used to reduce the effects of sweat artifact in a pt w/ asymmetrical low-
volt fast activity?
a) S=4mv/mm, LF=1Hz, HF=70Hz
b) S=5mv/mm, LF=5Hz, HF=70Hz
c) S=15mv/mm, LF=5Hz, HF=70Hz
Exam Questions and CORRECT Answers
Which is important to document to aid in interpretation?
a) low grade fever
b) uncooperative pt
c) pt was awake and alert during recording
d) HV was not performed due to asthma - CORRECT ANSWER -c
What additional electrodes could help decipher b/w artifact and cortical activity?
a) respiration transducer
b) sphenoidal
c) EMG
d) EOG - CORRECT ANSWER -d
What additional monitoring should be done in a middle age pt who repeatedly alerts from sleep
during EEG?
a) eye movement
b) movement
c) muscle tone
d) respiration - CORRECT ANSWER -d
Which of the following extra electrodes might best demonstrate the EEG activity associated with
focal motor twitching of the right corner of the mouth?
a) P5
b) FT9 (T1)
c) C1
d) C5 - CORRECT ANSWER -d
,An abbreviated 10-20 placement, respiration, ECG, and EOG
a) neonates
b) toddlers
c) ICU pts
d) Elderly pts - CORRECT ANSWER -a
Cortical EEG recording can be obscured in pts who are tense and anxious due to
a) multifocal spikes
b) delta slowing
c) generalized spike wave
d) myogenic artifact - CORRECT ANSWER -d
What type of monitoring would be useful in an EEG pt experiencing syncope?
a) movement transducer
b) respiration transducer
c) EOG
d) ECG - CORRECT ANSWER -d
BRAIN ABCESS
a) burst suppression
b) ECI
c) focal polymorphic delta activity
d) diffuse slowing - CORRECT ANSWER -c
Sphenoidal electrodes are used to record activity from the
a) brain stem
b) anterior temp lobes
c) basal ganglia
,d) mesial frontal lobes - CORRECT ANSWER -b
A slow wave focus is best seen w/
a) LF 0.3Hz, paper speed 60mm/sec
b) HF 70Hz, paper speed 60mm/sec
c) LF 5Hz, paper speed 15mm/sec
d) LF 0.3Hz, paper speed 15mm/sec - CORRECT ANSWER -d
The best reference electrode in an awake pt w/ excessive temporal myogenic activity would be
a) ear lobes
b) mastoids
c) neck
d) Cz - CORRECT ANSWER -d
14 & 6Hz positive spikes are best recorded w/
a) avg reference
b) contralateral ear reference
c) bipolar chain
d) both ears connected to reference - CORRECT ANSWER -b
Which montage would best display the amp of a left temp spike?
a) left temp to ipsi ear
b) left temp to contra ear
c) ant-post bipolar temp chain
d) transverse (coronal) bipolar chain - CORRECT ANSWER -b
BEST choice of reference to be used when recording in suspected temp lob epilepsy
a) A1+A2
, b) ipsi ear
c) Cz
d) nasopharyngeals - CORRECT ANSWER -c
Which settings will help enhance a low volt slow wave that's being masked by muscle activity?
a) sens 2; LF 5; HF 35
b) sens 10; LF 1; HF 5
c) sens 5; LF 0.3; HF 35
d) sens 7; LF 1; HF 70 - CORRECT ANSWER -c
Most appropriate setting change that should be made to enhance cortical slowing?
a) change LFF from 1Hz to 0.1Hz
b) change HFF from 70Hz to 15Hz
c) change LFF from 1Hz to 5Hz
d) change HFF from 70Hz to 25Hz - CORRECT ANSWER -a
When using avg reference, if a spike-and-wave focus appears at C3, the abnormality would be
best enhanced by
a) using 35Hz filter and time constant of 0.03sec
b) decreasing sensitivty
c) excluding C3 and surrounding electrodes from reference
d) switching to Cz referential montage - CORRECT ANSWER -c
Which setting could be used to reduce the effects of sweat artifact in a pt w/ asymmetrical low-
volt fast activity?
a) S=4mv/mm, LF=1Hz, HF=70Hz
b) S=5mv/mm, LF=5Hz, HF=70Hz
c) S=15mv/mm, LF=5Hz, HF=70Hz
