Practice Test GeeksNBCMI - National Board of Certification for Medical Interpreters Practice Test
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Medical Terminology Flashcards

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

Read the first 7 Medical Terminology flashcards as text

  1. A physician notes that a patient presents with tachypnea. What should the interpreter convey?

    Answer: Rapid breathing

    Tachy- means fast and -pnea refers to breathing, so tachypnea is abnormally rapid breathing.

  2. A patient tells the interpreter, "It burns when I pee." Which clinical term matches this complaint?

    Answer: Dysuria

    Dysuria means painful or difficult urination.

  3. In the term "appendectomy," what does the suffix -ectomy indicate?

    Answer: Surgical removal

    -ectomy means surgical removal, so an appendectomy is removal of the appendix.

  4. A surgeon diagnoses cholecystitis. Which organ is inflamed?

    Answer: Gallbladder

    Chole- (bile) + cyst (sac/bladder) + -itis (inflammation) means inflammation of the gallbladder.

  5. The doctor tells the patient that the biopsy shows the mass is benign. What meaning must the interpreter accurately convey?

    Answer: It is not cancerous

    Benign means non-cancerous and not spreading to other tissues.

  6. A nurse records bradycardia on a patient's chart. What does this mean?

    Answer: Slow heart rate

    Brady- means slow and -cardia refers to the heart, so bradycardia is a slow heart rate, usually under 60 beats per minute.

  7. A patient is diagnosed with hemiplegia. What does the prefix hemi- mean in this term?

    Answer: Half

    Hemi- means half, so hemiplegia is paralysis of one side of the body.

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Sources & references

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  1. certifiedmedicalinterpreters.org — Eligibility, fees, test dates, time limit, renewal, score validity, passing score, retake policy, score release, exam format · verified Oct 2026
  2. prometric.com — Test delivery · verified Oct 2026