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The CRES exam has 165 questions and runs 3 hours.
These 10 free CRES questions are organized by exam domain, so you can see how each part of the Certified Radiology Equipment Specialist blueprint is tested. Reveal the answer and explanation under each question.
During an equipment demonstration with an anthropomorphic chest phantom, the cardiac silhouette appears larger in an AP projection than in a PA projection. Source-to-detector distance and display scaling are unchanged, and the phantom is against the detector in each position. Which anatomical relationship accounts for this difference?
Correct answer: D - The heart is relatively anterior, placing it farther from the detector in the AP projection.
An acquisition console draws 800 VA at a power factor of 0.90 during its maximum sustained workload. Startup compatibility and required battery runtime have been verified for four proposed UPS units. Which output rating meets both the apparent-power and real-power requirements of this load?
Correct answer: B - 1,000 VA / 900 W
After a PACS upgrade, a modality still completes DICOM C-ECHO successfully using the same endpoint and AE titles used for image transmission. Image transfer fails before any pixel data are sent. The association log reports that no presentation context was accepted for the proposed image objects. Which comparison should the specialist make first?
Correct answer: A - The storage SOP classes and proposed transfer syntaxes supported by both implementations.
The ultrasound schedule is populated in the radiology information system, but one replacement scanner shows an empty modality worklist. Its DICOM C-FIND request completes without an error. A query with the Scheduled Station AE Title matching key left empty returns the expected orders; the scanner normally sends US_OLD, while those orders specify US_NEW. What should be corrected?
Correct answer: D - The scanner worklist filter, to match the Scheduled Station AE Title US_NEW.
An approved image-send test succeeds when a scanner is configured with the PACS server IP address but fails when the PACS hostname is used. The destination port, AE titles, and image object are unchanged. The hostname resolves on the scanner to an address retired during a recent server migration. Which service should IT investigate?
Correct answer: C - Domain Name System records and the scanner name-resolution cache.
A digital chest radiograph has a deviation index of +2.6 using the standardized exposure-index convention. The correct examination and target exposure index were selected, and image segmentation is appropriate. The radiologist accepts the image; no relevant anatomy is clipped or saturated. A technologist asks whether another exposure is needed to obtain a value closer to zero. Which response is appropriate?
Correct answer: D - Retain the accepted image and review technique; the index reflects detector exposure, not measured patient dose.
In a conventional Anger gamma camera, each scintillation event produces signals in several photomultiplier tubes. The camera must determine both where the event occurred and whether its energy lies inside the selected photopeak window. Which signal supplies the energy estimate used for that acceptance decision?
Correct answer: B - The sum of photomultiplier pulse amplitudes for the event.
A radiographic room passes output and automatic exposure control (AEC) tests with a uniform phantom. Reports of unusually long pelvic exposures occur only when a hip prosthesis overlies the selected AEC chamber. Other examinations have normal exposure times. What correction is supported by these findings?
Correct answer: C - Use the approved implant technique or an appropriate chamber not obscured by the prosthesis.
A linear ultrasound probe produces a narrow dropout band in a uniform tissue-mimicking phantom. The band persists after the probe is cleaned and recoupled, remains at the same lateral image position when the probe is moved, and appears on either compatible probe port. An identical known-good probe produces a uniform image on both ports using the same settings. The evidence localizes the fault to:
Correct answer: A - The original probe assembly, including its cable and connector.
A patient becomes unresponsive and pulseless during MRI. The table can be withdrawn, there is no entrapment, and the emergency team is arriving with a conventional crash cart. The facility has a designated magnetically safe resuscitation area immediately outside the scanner room. Which plan addresses the emergency without creating an additional MR hazard?
Correct answer: C - Move the patient to the designated resuscitation area while the team implements the emergency response.
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