Free RVS Practice Questions
Original questions with explanations
These original RVS practice questions are educational examples designed to exercise reasoning. They are not recalled exam items and do not imply access to live or confidential test content.
Question 1
An ankle systolic pressure is 90 mmHg and the higher brachial systolic pressure is 120 mmHg. What is the ankle-brachial index?
- A. 0.50
- B. 0.75
- C. 1.00
- D. 1.33
Answer and explanation
B. 0.75 ABI is ankle pressure divided by the higher brachial pressure: 90 ÷ 120 = 0.75.
Question 2
Which ultrasound finding is most concerning for acute lower-extremity deep venous thrombosis?
- A. Complete venous compression
- B. Failure of the vein to compress
- C. Respiratory phasicity
- D. Spontaneous venous flow
Answer and explanation
B. Failure of the vein to compress Failure of a vein to compress with appropriate transducer pressure is a central sonographic sign of venous thrombosis.
Question 3
What commonly happens to velocity at a hemodynamically significant arterial stenosis?
- A. It decreases to zero in every case
- B. It increases through the narrowed segment
- C. It becomes identical to venous velocity
- D. It is unaffected by lumen diameter
Answer and explanation
B. It increases through the narrowed segment Flow accelerates through a narrowed lumen, producing increased velocity and often disturbed flow distal to the stenosis.
Question 4
Why is a Doppler angle of 60 degrees or less commonly used for velocity measurement?
- A. To reduce angle-related error
- B. To remove all aliasing
- C. To increase penetration
- D. To eliminate the need for a sample volume
Answer and explanation
A. To reduce angle-related error Small alignment errors create increasingly large velocity errors at angles above 60 degrees.
Question 5
What does distal augmentation during a venous examination assess?
- A. The response of venous flow to distal compression
- B. Arterial plaque composition
- C. Cardiac ejection fraction
- D. Transducer frequency calibration
Answer and explanation
A. The response of venous flow to distal compression Compressing the limb distal to the sample should briefly increase venous flow when the intervening venous pathway is patent.
How to Review Your Results
For every missed item, name the tested concept, explain why the correct option is best, and identify the clue that rules out each distractor. Then review the corresponding official content domain.