VTNE Practice Test

VTNE Diagnostic Imaging Practice Questions

Diagnostic Imaging makes up 3 of every 50 questions on a Tigertest VTNE practice test. Here are 10 of the 12 questions on it, each with the answer and the reason.

Updated 2026-11-10 by the Tigertest team. Based on the AAVSB VTNE content outline approved March 2023. The real exam passes on a scaled score of 425; 70% here is a practice target.

1. 1. On a radiography unit, kVp controls which property of the beam?

   • A.Focal spot size and sharpness
   • B.Beam energy and contrast
   • C.X-ray quantity (density)
   • D.Exposure time and motion blur

   Answer: B. Kilovoltage sets how penetrating the x-rays are and therefore the scale of contrast; higher kVp gives a longer gray scale. mAs sets the number of x-rays produced and so the overall density.

2. 2. Which change roughly doubles radiographic density (film blackness)?

   • A.Halving the mAs
   • B.Doubling the focal-film distance
   • C.Raising the kVp by 5%
   • D.Doubling the mAs

   Answer: D. Density is proportional to mAs, so doubling it doubles the exposure. Raising kVp about 15% also doubles density, and doubling the distance cuts the exposure to one quarter.

3. 3. A grid is generally used when the body part being radiographed is thicker than:

   • A.10 cm
   • B.20 cm
   • C.5 cm
   • D.15 cm

   Answer: A. Thicker parts generate enough scatter to fog the image, and a grid absorbs scatter before it reaches the detector. Because the grid also absorbs useful rays, mAs is increased by the grid factor.

4. 4. A personnel dosimeter is worn:

   • A.In a pocket under the apron
   • B.Clipped to the x-ray table
   • C.Outside the apron at the collar
   • D.Under the apron at the waist

   Answer: C. Worn at collar level outside the lead, the badge records the dose to the unshielded head, neck and thyroid. It stays with the person, is never left in the x-ray room, and is not worn for personal medical imaging.

5. 5. If the distance from the x-ray source is doubled, the radiation exposure becomes:

   • A.One eighth
   • B.About the same
   • C.One quarter
   • D.Half as much

   Answer: C. By the inverse square law, intensity falls with the square of the distance, so doubling the distance leaves one quarter of the exposure. Distance is the cheapest form of protection.

6. 6. Even when wearing lead gloves, a restrainer's hands must never:

   • A.Enter the primary beam
   • B.Hold a positioning sandbag
   • C.Rest on the table
   • D.Touch the cassette

   Answer: A. Lead gloves and aprons attenuate scatter only; the primary beam passes through them. Sedation, sandbags, tape and positioning aids keep every part of the restrainer outside the collimated field.

7. 7. In a ventrodorsal (VD) view, the x-ray beam:

   • A.Enters the right and exits the left side
   • B.Enters dorsally and exits ventrally
   • C.Enters the left and exits the right side
   • D.Enters ventrally and exits dorsally

   Answer: D. Views are named by where the beam enters and then exits, so a VD view has the patient on its back with the beam entering the abdomen or chest. A DV view is the reverse, with the patient in sternal recumbency.

8. 8. A thoracic radiograph should be exposed:

   • A.While the patient pants
   • B.At peak inspiration
   • C.At end expiration
   • D.Midway through expiration

   Answer: B. Air-filled lungs give the best contrast against vessels and heart, so the exposure is timed at full inspiration. Abdominal views are taken at end expiration, when the diaphragm is relaxed and the organs are less crowded.

9. 9. A radiograph of a long bone such as the radius should include:

   • A.Both limbs on one view for comparison
   • B.The joints above and below the bone
   • C.Only the fracture site itself
   • D.Mid-shaft to the nearest joint

   Answer: B. Including the joint at each end shows rotation, luxation and fractures that extend toward the joint. Two orthogonal views are taken, and comparison views of the other limb are a separate study.

10. 10. If gastrointestinal perforation is suspected, which contrast agent is used instead of barium?

    • A.Barium diluted to half strength
    • B.A gadolinium-based agent
    • C.Room air as negative contrast
    • D.An iodinated water-soluble agent

    Answer: D. Barium that leaks into the peritoneum causes granulomatous peritonitis, so a water-soluble iodinated agent is used when perforation is possible. Gadolinium is an MRI contrast agent, and air does not outline a leak.