Practice Test Geeks(ABFM) American Board of Forensic Medicine Certification Practice Test
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Research Methods & Evidence-Based Practice Flashcards

7 cards from real ABFM practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.

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  1. In forensic research, which study design provides the highest level of evidence for establishing causation?

    Answer: Randomized controlled trial

    Randomized controlled trials minimize confounding through random assignment and are at the top of the evidence hierarchy for establishing causation.

  2. A forensic pathologist reviews 15 years of toxicology reports to identify trends in opioid-related deaths. This is an example of which research design?

    Answer: Retrospective cohort study

    A retrospective cohort study uses existing records to follow subjects from past exposure to outcome, which describes reviewing historical toxicology data for trends.

  3. Which statistical measure best describes the strength of association between a risk factor and an outcome in a case-control study?

    Answer: Odds ratio

    Odds ratios are the appropriate measure of association in case-control studies because incidence rates cannot be directly calculated from this design.

  4. A researcher finds p=0.03 for a study comparing two forensic toxicology methods. What does this mean?

    Answer: There is a 3% probability of observing results this extreme if the null hypothesis were true

    A p-value represents the probability of obtaining results at least as extreme as observed, assuming the null hypothesis is true.

  5. When appraising a forensic medicine study for bias, which type occurs when cases are identified differently from controls in a case-control study?

    Answer: Information bias

    Information bias (including recall bias and misclassification) arises from systematic differences in how data are collected or recorded between comparison groups.

  6. A systematic review of forensic age estimation studies shows an I² statistic of 78%. How should this be interpreted?

    Answer: 78% of total variability is due to heterogeneity rather than chance

    The I² statistic quantifies the proportion of total variation in effect estimates attributable to heterogeneity between studies rather than sampling error.

  7. In forensic epidemiology, which concept refers to the proportion of disease in the exposed group attributable to the exposure itself?

    Answer: Attributable risk percent in the exposed

    Attributable risk percent in the exposed (also called etiologic fraction) estimates the proportion of disease among exposed individuals that is due to the exposure.