ACVPM Epidemiology and Biostats EXAM
STUDY GUIDE 2026/2027 COMPLETE
QUESTIONS WITH CORRECT DETAILED
ANSWERS || ALREADY GRADED A+
<RECENT VERSION>
1. Define epidemiology - ANSWER ✅largely concerned with disease
prevention and therefore with the succession of events which result in the
exposure of specific types of individual to specific types of environment.
Epidemiologists ID exposures and evaluate associations with health,
welfare, productivity and other outcomes of interest
2. what is the major difference between epidemiologists and laboratory
scientists? - ANSWER ✅epidemiologists study health and disease outcomes
in the real world (under field conditions)
3. what is the primary study design of epidemiology - ANSWER
✅observational
4. define inductive reasoning - ANSWER ✅process of making generalized
inferences about causation based on repeated observations
5. define deductive reasoning - ANSWER ✅process of inferring general law
of nature exists and has application in specific or local instance where a
hypothesis about a law of nature starts and observations are made to
challenge the law
,6. define what a cause is in epidemiology - ANSWER ✅a cause is any factor
that produces a change in the severity or frequency of the outcome
7. define the component-cause model - ANSWER ✅based on concepts of
necessary and sufficient causes developed by Rothman in 1976. Necessary
cause is one without which the disease CANNOT occur (the factor will
ALWAYS be present if the dz occurs). Sufficient cause always producers
the disease (if the factor is present, DZ will follow). Component-cause is one
of a NUMBER of factors that in COMBINATION constitute a sufficient
cause. Factors may be present simultaneously or in sequence.
8. define causal complements in the component-cause model - ANSWER
✅additional components beyond the selected one that form sufficient causes
for the exposure factor
9. define sentinel versus indicator species - ANSWER ✅sentinel typically
reflects an infectious disease relevant to human health (think chickens for
WNV) and indicator reflects a factor that will impact the health of
ecosystem (think toxins or another factor that can impact ecosystem chains)
10.case definition is based on what metrics? - ANSWER ✅1) disease signs,
symptoms, epidemiology 2) animal performance
11.what are the 3 ways of reporting disease occurrence in a population -
ANSWER ✅host traits, time, place
12.in what situations is the attack rate mostly used - ANSWER ✅outbreak
investigations
,13.what is an epidemic curve - ANSWER ✅disease frequency data when a
disease is first recognized in a population plotted across time
14.what are the 3 forms of disease occurrence across time - ANSWER
✅sporadic (rare occurrence and without regulatory), endemic (occurrence
with predictable regularity with minor fluctuations in frequency pattern over
time - hyperendemic is used when high proportion of animals are affected),
epidemic (outbreak is another name for it, disease frequency in excess of
expected frequency)
15.how do you determine a point (common) source from propagating epidemic?
- ANSWER ✅point - epidemic curve is skewed to the right, propagating -
curve skewed to the left
16.what is a pandemic - ANSWER ✅large-scale epidemic over a wide
geographic region affecting a substantial population proportion
17.what differentiates sporadic from epidemic disease - ANSWER ✅function
of transmission efficiency
18.A group of investigators conducted a study to examine the correlation
between dietary fat intake and breast cancer by country and produced the
following graph (https://www.prepacvpm.org/wordpress/wp-
content/uploads/asgarosforum/5610/dietaryfat_breastcancer.jpg). What
would you conclude when looking at this graph?
a) Increased intake of dietary fat causes breast cancer
b) Increased intake of dietary fat is associated with an increase in the rate
of breast cancer
c) Increased intake of dietary fat might be associated with an increase in
the rate of breast cancer, but we cannot say for certain due to the
possibility of ecological fallacy
, d) Decreased intake of dietary fat is associated with a low incidence of
breast cancer. - ANSWER ✅c) Increased intake of dietary fat might
be associated with an increase in the rate of breast cancer, but we
cannot say for certain due to the possibility of ecological fallacy
19.An investigator wants to study the effect of a dog's body condition score on
the likelihood of experiencing orthopedic disease such as CCL tears or
osteoarthritis. Which statistical test / method should the investigator use to
test her hypothesis that a higher BCS is associated with a higher likelihood
of experiencing orthopedic disease?
a. A chi-square test
b. A t-test
c. Linear regression
d. Logistic regression
e. Ordinal logistic regression
f. Poisson regression - ANSWER ✅d. Logistic regression
20.What if the investigator from the previous question wanted to examine the
effect of BCS on the number of orthopedic injuries a dog experiences?
a. A chi-square test
b. A t-test
c. Linear regression
d. Logistic regression
e. Ordinal logistic regression
f. Poisson regression - ANSWER ✅f. Poisson regression
21.Talbot and colleagues carried out a study of sudden unexpected death in
women. Refer to the following table
(https://www.prepacvpm.org/wordpress/wp-
content/uploads/asgarosforum/5610/ASHD_smoking.png) and answer the
questions below.
STUDY GUIDE 2026/2027 COMPLETE
QUESTIONS WITH CORRECT DETAILED
ANSWERS || ALREADY GRADED A+
<RECENT VERSION>
1. Define epidemiology - ANSWER ✅largely concerned with disease
prevention and therefore with the succession of events which result in the
exposure of specific types of individual to specific types of environment.
Epidemiologists ID exposures and evaluate associations with health,
welfare, productivity and other outcomes of interest
2. what is the major difference between epidemiologists and laboratory
scientists? - ANSWER ✅epidemiologists study health and disease outcomes
in the real world (under field conditions)
3. what is the primary study design of epidemiology - ANSWER
✅observational
4. define inductive reasoning - ANSWER ✅process of making generalized
inferences about causation based on repeated observations
5. define deductive reasoning - ANSWER ✅process of inferring general law
of nature exists and has application in specific or local instance where a
hypothesis about a law of nature starts and observations are made to
challenge the law
,6. define what a cause is in epidemiology - ANSWER ✅a cause is any factor
that produces a change in the severity or frequency of the outcome
7. define the component-cause model - ANSWER ✅based on concepts of
necessary and sufficient causes developed by Rothman in 1976. Necessary
cause is one without which the disease CANNOT occur (the factor will
ALWAYS be present if the dz occurs). Sufficient cause always producers
the disease (if the factor is present, DZ will follow). Component-cause is one
of a NUMBER of factors that in COMBINATION constitute a sufficient
cause. Factors may be present simultaneously or in sequence.
8. define causal complements in the component-cause model - ANSWER
✅additional components beyond the selected one that form sufficient causes
for the exposure factor
9. define sentinel versus indicator species - ANSWER ✅sentinel typically
reflects an infectious disease relevant to human health (think chickens for
WNV) and indicator reflects a factor that will impact the health of
ecosystem (think toxins or another factor that can impact ecosystem chains)
10.case definition is based on what metrics? - ANSWER ✅1) disease signs,
symptoms, epidemiology 2) animal performance
11.what are the 3 ways of reporting disease occurrence in a population -
ANSWER ✅host traits, time, place
12.in what situations is the attack rate mostly used - ANSWER ✅outbreak
investigations
,13.what is an epidemic curve - ANSWER ✅disease frequency data when a
disease is first recognized in a population plotted across time
14.what are the 3 forms of disease occurrence across time - ANSWER
✅sporadic (rare occurrence and without regulatory), endemic (occurrence
with predictable regularity with minor fluctuations in frequency pattern over
time - hyperendemic is used when high proportion of animals are affected),
epidemic (outbreak is another name for it, disease frequency in excess of
expected frequency)
15.how do you determine a point (common) source from propagating epidemic?
- ANSWER ✅point - epidemic curve is skewed to the right, propagating -
curve skewed to the left
16.what is a pandemic - ANSWER ✅large-scale epidemic over a wide
geographic region affecting a substantial population proportion
17.what differentiates sporadic from epidemic disease - ANSWER ✅function
of transmission efficiency
18.A group of investigators conducted a study to examine the correlation
between dietary fat intake and breast cancer by country and produced the
following graph (https://www.prepacvpm.org/wordpress/wp-
content/uploads/asgarosforum/5610/dietaryfat_breastcancer.jpg). What
would you conclude when looking at this graph?
a) Increased intake of dietary fat causes breast cancer
b) Increased intake of dietary fat is associated with an increase in the rate
of breast cancer
c) Increased intake of dietary fat might be associated with an increase in
the rate of breast cancer, but we cannot say for certain due to the
possibility of ecological fallacy
, d) Decreased intake of dietary fat is associated with a low incidence of
breast cancer. - ANSWER ✅c) Increased intake of dietary fat might
be associated with an increase in the rate of breast cancer, but we
cannot say for certain due to the possibility of ecological fallacy
19.An investigator wants to study the effect of a dog's body condition score on
the likelihood of experiencing orthopedic disease such as CCL tears or
osteoarthritis. Which statistical test / method should the investigator use to
test her hypothesis that a higher BCS is associated with a higher likelihood
of experiencing orthopedic disease?
a. A chi-square test
b. A t-test
c. Linear regression
d. Logistic regression
e. Ordinal logistic regression
f. Poisson regression - ANSWER ✅d. Logistic regression
20.What if the investigator from the previous question wanted to examine the
effect of BCS on the number of orthopedic injuries a dog experiences?
a. A chi-square test
b. A t-test
c. Linear regression
d. Logistic regression
e. Ordinal logistic regression
f. Poisson regression - ANSWER ✅f. Poisson regression
21.Talbot and colleagues carried out a study of sudden unexpected death in
women. Refer to the following table
(https://www.prepacvpm.org/wordpress/wp-
content/uploads/asgarosforum/5610/ASHD_smoking.png) and answer the
questions below.
