10 exam-style questions with answers and explanations, straight from our 1,030-question bank. Tap an answer to check yourself. When you're ready, take the scored version in the free practice test.
The RVT exam has 170 questions and runs 3 hours.
These 10 free RVT questions are organized by exam domain, so you can see how each part of the Registered Vascular Technologist blueprint is tested. Reveal the answer and explanation under each question.
In a normal superior mesenteric artery, a fasting waveform has little forward diastolic flow. After a meal, diastolic flow increases while the systolic upstroke remains brisk. The change principally reflects:
Correct answer: B - Reduced resistance in the intestinal arteriolar bed
At a carotid bifurcation, the two arterial divisions have an unusual spatial relationship. To identify the internal carotid artery without relying on position alone, which observation carries the greatest weight?
Correct answer: D - No cervical branches and sustained forward flow throughout diastole
Two channels drain the left renal hilum into the inferior vena cava. One crosses anterior to the aorta; the other crosses posteriorly. Both are patent without narrowing. Which venous variant is present?
Correct answer: D - Circumaortic left renal vein
Duplex of a native internal carotid artery shows substantial eccentric plaque, focal lumen narrowing, and poststenotic turbulence. Peak systolic velocity is 166 cm/s, end-diastolic velocity is 58 cm/s, and the ICA/distal CCA peak systolic velocity ratio is 2.6. The distal ICA retains its normal caliber. Using the IAC November 2023 recommendations, how should this lesion be categorized?
Correct answer: C - 50%-69% stenosis
A patient treated for femoral deep-vein thrombosis two years ago returns with unchanged dependent swelling. The affected vein is now small and irregular, with echogenic wall-adherent strands and recanalized channels. Its appearance, residual diameter during compression, and involved segments are unchanged from the examination one year earlier. No new noncompressible segment is found. Which term most accurately describes the current ultrasound findings?
Correct answer: B - Chronic post-thrombotic change
Contrast transcranial Doppler is performed after an otherwise unexplained ischemic stroke. Following peripheral venous agitated-saline injection and an adequate Valsalva maneuver, reproducible microbubble signals appear in the monitored middle cerebral artery. No cardiac anatomic imaging has been performed. Which conclusion can this examination support?
Correct answer: C - A right-to-left shunt is present, but its anatomic location remains undetermined
Surveillance of a functioning radiocephalic dialysis fistula demonstrates retrograde flow in the patent radial artery distal to the anastomosis, directed toward the fistula. The hand is warm, digital waveforms are preserved, and the patient denies pain, numbness, or weakness. There is no tissue loss or focal access narrowing. What does the distal flow reversal establish in this setting?
Correct answer: D - Access-related flow redistribution without clinical hand ischemia
Resting pressure measurements in a patient with exertional right calf pain are reproducible: right brachial 120 mm Hg, left brachial 150 mm Hg, right dorsalis pedis 96 mm Hg, and right posterior tibial 108 mm Hg. Both arms are suitable for measurement. The correctly calculated right ankle-brachial index and its classification are:
Correct answer: A - 0.72; abnormal
A patient with longstanding diabetes and chronic kidney disease reports calf discomfort after walking two blocks, unchanged for six months. There is no rest pain or tissue loss. The resting ABI is 1.56, yet pedal Doppler waveforms are damped and monophasic. Which next step best resolves the discrepancy?
Correct answer: A - Measure toe pressures and toe-brachial indices with corresponding waveforms
During ultrasound-guided compression of a femoral pseudoaneurysm, sac inflow disappears, but the parent femoral artery also collapses and the pedal Doppler signal is lost. The signal returns whenever compression is eased. The patient remains stable. Which adjustment achieves the intended treatment effect without sacrificing limb perfusion?
Correct answer: A - Release pressure, restore pedal flow, and reposition compression over the neck
The RVT exam also covers these domains. Drill them in the full free practice test:
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