New Question Types: Parts 1 and 2

Beginning with the 2017 written exams, new question types were added to the medical physics Part 1 and Part 2 exams. These questions add flexibility to assessing the knowledge of candidates seeking and maintaining certification. New question types will continue to appear incrementally, and they will be evaluated by psychometric analysis to validate appropriate performance and other important exam criteria. To ensure a fair and equitable exam process, adjustments and fine-tuning of exam parameters (e.g., time allotted for different question types) will be ongoing. The majority of all exam content will continue to be the multiple-choice question with a single best answer, with a small but growing fraction of each new question type being present in future exams. At the same time, the number of complex items will be reduced.

Explanation and Examples of New Questions Types

Case-based questions, which have replaced the complex question type, consist of two or more (typically three) sequentially related questions on a single topic. Each question in a case-based group is a single-answer, multiple-choice question and makes up a single scorable unit. The questions are linked in a one-way direction that does not allow going back to change an answer after moving to the next question. Often, the correct answer to the previous question will be part of the next question, giving an opportunity for testing knowledge with more granularity. Therefore, instead of the possibility of only zero or three scorable units for a complex question, candidates now have an opportunity to receive credit for zero, one, two, or three scorable units in a case-based group. Case-based questions will be clearly identified for the examinee, with instructions and warnings stating that after the first question is answered, each subsequent question must be completed, and that there are no opportunities to change a response once recorded. Example of a case-based question MRI resonance frequency and chemical shift concepts, (3 parts, single scorable unit per question): Part 1. An MR image is acquired with a gradient strength of 2.5 mT/m over a field of view of 25 cm during the Frequency Encode Gradient readout. What is the bandwidth of the echo?

1. 62.5 kHz
2. 48.8 kHz
3. 31.3 kHz
4. 26.6 kHz
5. 14.7 kHz

Answer: D 2.5 mT/m*0.25m = 0.625 mT BW = 0.625 mT/1000 mT/T * 42.58 MHz/T = 0.0266 MHz = 26.6 kHz Part 1 question blocked from viewing or changing answer Part 2. If the 26.6 kHz bandwidth echo is acquired with 128 samples in the frequency-encoding direction of the k-space matrix, what is the bandwidth across each pixel?

1. 208 Hz
2. 230 Hz
3. 381 Hz
4. 416 Hz
5. 652 Hz

Answer: A BW across each pixel is 26.6 kHz / 128 samples = 208 Hz Part 2 question blocked from viewing or changing answer Part 3. If fat and water are shifted in the MR image by exactly 1 pixel, what is the main magnetic field strength? (Assume the chemical shift of fat to water is 3 ppm.)

1. 1.0 T
2. 1.2 T
3. 1.4 T
4. 1.6 T
5. 1.8 T

Answer: D Chemical shift = 208 Hz, which is 3 ppm of the resonance frequency of the main magnet. Use this information to get the estimated field strength: 208 Hz / 3 × 10^-6 = 69.3 MHz Magnet strength = 69.3 MHz / 42.58 MHz/T = 1.62 T All subsequent interactions with these questions are blocked within the exam. Fill-in-the-blank question types require the candidate to answer a quantitative problem within a prescribed range of values that are deemed to be within acceptable limits for the calculation. This type of question is a single scorable unit. Example of a fill-in-the-blank question A PMMA phantom, 20 cm thick, is exposed to an x-ray beam with an effective linear attenuation coefficient of 0.19 cm^-1. The fraction of the beam attenuated is _______. (Enter a fractional number between 0 and 1, with three significant digits.) Answer: 1 – e^-(20*.19) = 0.978. Accepted values are 0.975 to 0.981. Point-and-click question types require the candidate to identify the region in an image, illustration, or figure that matches the requested information by using the computer mouse to point and click on the area. The last click recorded is the one submitted for evaluation, and when the click is within the predetermined acceptable area, one scorable unit is earned. Example of a point-and-click question In the image below, identify the region where slice thickness accuracy can be evaluated. Use the mouse pointer and click with the left mouse button. Answer: The red oval (image on right) indicates the acceptable area for the candidate to identify to earn 1 scorable unit.