Transcription Transcription MCQ 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the standard unit used to measure a transcriptionist's productivity in many US medical transcription environments?
- Words per hour
- Lines per hour (65-character line) (Correct answer)
- Pages per day
- Audio minutes per shift
Correct answer: Lines per hour (65-character line)
The industry standard 65-character line (including spaces) is the unit for measuring and billing medical transcription output.
Question 2: A law firm requests a 'certified transcript.' What additional element distinguishes a certified transcript from a standard one?
- It uses a larger font for readability
- It includes a signed sworn statement by the court reporter attesting to accuracy (Correct answer)
- It is produced in under 24 hours
- It is formatted in PDF rather than Word
Correct answer: It includes a signed sworn statement by the court reporter attesting to accuracy
A certified transcript includes the court reporter's or transcriptionist's sworn certification that the transcript is a true and accurate record of the proceedings.
Question 3: Which keyboard shortcut is universally used in most transcription software to play and pause audio without moving focus away from the text editor?
- Ctrl+P
- F5
- A foot pedal or configurable hotkey (commonly F4 or Ctrl+Tab) (Correct answer)
- Alt+Space
Correct answer: A foot pedal or configurable hotkey (commonly F4 or Ctrl+Tab)
Transcription software typically maps play/pause to a foot pedal or a configurable hotkey such as F4, allowing hands-free audio control while typing.
Question 4: When transcribing numbers in a general business transcript, which style is correct for dollar amounts under one million?
- Spell out all dollar amounts in words
- Use numerals with the $ symbol (e.g., $4,500) (Correct answer)
- Use numerals without the $ symbol
- Use abbreviated forms like '4.5K dollars'
Correct answer: Use numerals with the $ symbol (e.g., $4,500)
Standard business transcription style uses numerals with the dollar sign for monetary amounts (e.g., $4,500) for clarity and consistency.
Question 5: A transcriptionist is unsure whether a speaker said 'affect' or 'effect.' The sentence is 'The medication will ___ her recovery.' Which word is correct and why?
- 'affect' — it is a verb meaning to influence (Correct answer)
- 'effect' — it is a verb meaning to produce
- 'affect' — it is always used after 'will'
- 'effect' — it follows medication references by convention
Correct answer: 'affect' — it is a verb meaning to influence
'Affect' is the correct verb here, meaning to influence; 'effect' used as a verb means to bring about (e.g., 'effect a change'), which does not fit this sentence.
Question 6: In transcription quality assurance, what does a 'second pass' or 'proofreading pass' typically involve?
- Re-recording the audio at higher quality
- Listening to the audio again while reading the transcript to catch errors (Correct answer)
- Having the original speaker review and approve the draft
- Running spell-check software on the completed transcript
Correct answer: Listening to the audio again while reading the transcript to catch errors
A QA second pass involves re-listening to the audio while following the transcript to catch mishearings, missed words, and formatting errors.
Question 7: Which of the following scenarios would require a transcriptionist to use the notation '[PH]' in a transcript?
- A speaker pauses for more than five seconds
- A proper noun or name is transcribed phonetically because the correct spelling is unknown (Correct answer)
- A portion of audio is completely inaudible
- A speaker changes languages mid-sentence
Correct answer: A proper noun or name is transcribed phonetically because the correct spelling is unknown
'[PH]' (phonetic) flags that a name or term was transcribed as it sounds because the correct spelling could not be verified.
What is the standard unit used to measure a transcriptionist's productivity in many US medical transcription environments?