ARDMS SPI EXAM QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS | 2026 UPDATE | 100%
CORRECT.
Example of nonspecular reflector - ANS red blood cells
What happens to spatial pulse length when frequency increases? - ANS decreases
Axial resolution is dependent on? - ANS wavelength
Lateral resolution is dependent on? - ANS beam diameter
Where does the beam of an unfocused transducer diverge? - ANS Fraunhofer zone
Reverberation artifacts are a result of - ANS two or more strong reflecting surfaces
True/False: Grating lobes are essential for the proper operation of a linear phased array. -
ANS False
True/False: Electronically steered scanners always produce higher resolution images than do
mechanically steered scanners. - ANS False
True/False: An annular array scanner uses mechanical beam steering. - ANS True
@COPYRIGHT ALL RIGHTS RESERVED PAGE 1 OF 57
,True/False: A linear sequenced array cannot be dynamically focused. - ANS False
registration or B-mode alignment - ANS Which AIUM test object function utilizes all the
groups of wires in the AIUM 100 mm test object?
axial resolution - ANS Which AIUM test object function utilizes the A group of wires in the
AIUM 100 mm test object?
lateral resolution - ANS Which AIUM test object function utilizes the B group of wires in the
AIUM 100 mm test object?
dead zone - ANS Which AIUM test object function utilizes the D group of wires in the AIUM
100 mm test object?
depth calibration - ANS Which AIUM test object function utilizes the C or E groups of wires in
the AIUM 100 mm test object?
What happens to axial resolution when spatial pulse length is decreased? - ANS improves
How much will a 3.5 MHz pulse be attenuated after passing through 2 cm of soft tissue? -
ANS 3.5 dB
Propagation speed errors result in - ANS improper axial position
Enhancement is caused by - ANS weakly attenuating structures
The Doppler shift frequency is - ANS directly proportional to the velocity of the reflector
@COPYRIGHT ALL RIGHTS RESERVED PAGE 2 OF 57
,The number of frames per second necessary for a real-time image to be flicker free is -
ANS more than 15
True/False: The SPTA intensity will always be larger than the SATA intensity. - ANS True
The intensity of the ultrasound beam is usually greater at the focal zone because of - ANS the
smaller beam diameter
If the amplitude is doubled, the intensity is - ANS quadrupled
The attenuation for soft tissue is - ANS increased with tissue thickness
The acoustic impedance of the matching layer - ANS can be chosen to improve transmission
into the body
True/False: In a pulse-echo system, the quality factor should be made as large as possible. -
ANS False
True/False: The beam diameter is constant in the near zone. - ANS False
The operating frequency is dependent on - ANS thickness of the crystal
The period of an ultrasound wave is - ANS the time of one wavelength
The dynamic range of a system is - ANS the ratio of smallest to largest power level that the
system can handle
True/False: The intensity of an ultrasonic beam can be measured with radiation force balance. -
ANS True
@COPYRIGHT ALL RIGHTS RESERVED PAGE 3 OF 57
, Increasing the pulse repetition period - ANS increases the maximum depth that can be
imaged
Ultrasound bioeffects - ANS are not confirmed below 100 mW/cm² SPTA
True/False: No refraction can occur at an interface if the media impedances are equal. -
ANS False
True/False: Smaller transducers always produce smaller beam diameters. - ANS False
True/False: The ultrasound beam profile can be measured with a hydrophone. - ANS True
True/False: The pulsed-Doppler system yields better depth resolution than the continuous wave
(CW) system. - ANS True
True/False: The gray-scale display was made possible when digital scan converters replaced
analog scan converters. - ANS False
True/False: Videotape recorders operating at 30 frames per second cannot be used with
mechanical real-time units because the fram rate is too slow. - ANS False
True/False: Linear phased array scanners need no form of mechanical focusing because focusing
is performed electronically. - ANS False
True/False: The fram rate of real-time scanners depends on the number of lines used to form
the image. - ANS True
True/False: It is not possible to steer an annular phased array electronically. - ANS True
True/False: The near zone length should be kept as short as possible. - ANS False
@COPYRIGHT ALL RIGHTS RESERVED PAGE 4 OF 57
ANSWERS | 2026 UPDATE | 100%
CORRECT.
Example of nonspecular reflector - ANS red blood cells
What happens to spatial pulse length when frequency increases? - ANS decreases
Axial resolution is dependent on? - ANS wavelength
Lateral resolution is dependent on? - ANS beam diameter
Where does the beam of an unfocused transducer diverge? - ANS Fraunhofer zone
Reverberation artifacts are a result of - ANS two or more strong reflecting surfaces
True/False: Grating lobes are essential for the proper operation of a linear phased array. -
ANS False
True/False: Electronically steered scanners always produce higher resolution images than do
mechanically steered scanners. - ANS False
True/False: An annular array scanner uses mechanical beam steering. - ANS True
@COPYRIGHT ALL RIGHTS RESERVED PAGE 1 OF 57
,True/False: A linear sequenced array cannot be dynamically focused. - ANS False
registration or B-mode alignment - ANS Which AIUM test object function utilizes all the
groups of wires in the AIUM 100 mm test object?
axial resolution - ANS Which AIUM test object function utilizes the A group of wires in the
AIUM 100 mm test object?
lateral resolution - ANS Which AIUM test object function utilizes the B group of wires in the
AIUM 100 mm test object?
dead zone - ANS Which AIUM test object function utilizes the D group of wires in the AIUM
100 mm test object?
depth calibration - ANS Which AIUM test object function utilizes the C or E groups of wires in
the AIUM 100 mm test object?
What happens to axial resolution when spatial pulse length is decreased? - ANS improves
How much will a 3.5 MHz pulse be attenuated after passing through 2 cm of soft tissue? -
ANS 3.5 dB
Propagation speed errors result in - ANS improper axial position
Enhancement is caused by - ANS weakly attenuating structures
The Doppler shift frequency is - ANS directly proportional to the velocity of the reflector
@COPYRIGHT ALL RIGHTS RESERVED PAGE 2 OF 57
,The number of frames per second necessary for a real-time image to be flicker free is -
ANS more than 15
True/False: The SPTA intensity will always be larger than the SATA intensity. - ANS True
The intensity of the ultrasound beam is usually greater at the focal zone because of - ANS the
smaller beam diameter
If the amplitude is doubled, the intensity is - ANS quadrupled
The attenuation for soft tissue is - ANS increased with tissue thickness
The acoustic impedance of the matching layer - ANS can be chosen to improve transmission
into the body
True/False: In a pulse-echo system, the quality factor should be made as large as possible. -
ANS False
True/False: The beam diameter is constant in the near zone. - ANS False
The operating frequency is dependent on - ANS thickness of the crystal
The period of an ultrasound wave is - ANS the time of one wavelength
The dynamic range of a system is - ANS the ratio of smallest to largest power level that the
system can handle
True/False: The intensity of an ultrasonic beam can be measured with radiation force balance. -
ANS True
@COPYRIGHT ALL RIGHTS RESERVED PAGE 3 OF 57
, Increasing the pulse repetition period - ANS increases the maximum depth that can be
imaged
Ultrasound bioeffects - ANS are not confirmed below 100 mW/cm² SPTA
True/False: No refraction can occur at an interface if the media impedances are equal. -
ANS False
True/False: Smaller transducers always produce smaller beam diameters. - ANS False
True/False: The ultrasound beam profile can be measured with a hydrophone. - ANS True
True/False: The pulsed-Doppler system yields better depth resolution than the continuous wave
(CW) system. - ANS True
True/False: The gray-scale display was made possible when digital scan converters replaced
analog scan converters. - ANS False
True/False: Videotape recorders operating at 30 frames per second cannot be used with
mechanical real-time units because the fram rate is too slow. - ANS False
True/False: Linear phased array scanners need no form of mechanical focusing because focusing
is performed electronically. - ANS False
True/False: The fram rate of real-time scanners depends on the number of lines used to form
the image. - ANS True
True/False: It is not possible to steer an annular phased array electronically. - ANS True
True/False: The near zone length should be kept as short as possible. - ANS False
@COPYRIGHT ALL RIGHTS RESERVED PAGE 4 OF 57
