Here’s a set of 30 structural questions on Biostatistics/Medical Statistics tailored for nursing students.
These questions are organized by topic to help reinforce key concepts in biostatistics that are relevant to
their studies:
1. Basics of Statistics
1. What is the difference between descriptive and inferential statistics?
2. Define population and sample. Why is sampling used in research?
3. What is the importance of biostatistics in nursing and healthcare?
4. Differentiate between qualitative and quantitative data. Provide examples.
5. What are the levels of measurement in statistics (nominal, ordinal, interval, ratio)?
2. Data Collection and Presentation
6. What are the different methods of data collection in medical research?
7. Explain the differences between primary and secondary data.
8. How would you represent categorical data graphically?
9. What type of chart is best used to show the distribution of continuous data? Why?
10. What are the characteristics of a good data collection tool?
3. Measures of Central Tendency and Variability
11. Define and calculate the mean, median, and mode. When is each measure appropriate?
12. What is the significance of standard deviation in medical research?
13. Explain the term "range" and how it is calculated.
14. How do variance and standard deviation differ?
15. What does a high coefficient of variation indicate?
4. Probability and Distributions
16. What is the meaning of probability in medical research?
17. Define normal distribution. Why is it important in biostatistics?
18. What are the key properties of a normal curve?
19. Explain the difference between a binomial and a Poisson distribution.
20. Why is the Central Limit Theorem important in biostatistics?
5. Hypothesis Testing
21. What are the null and alternative hypotheses? Provide an example related to nursing.
22. What is a Type I error, and why is it significant?
23. Define p-value. What does a p-value of 0.05 indicate?
24. Differentiate between one-tailed and two-tailed tests.
25. What is the purpose of a confidence interval in medical research?
6. Statistical Tests
26. When is a chi-square test used in medical research?
27. What is the difference between parametric and non-parametric tests?
28. Explain the purpose of t-tests. How do independent and paired t-tests differ?
29. When would you use ANOVA instead of a t-test?
30. What statistical test would you use to evaluate the relationship between two variables?
These questions aim to provide foundational knowledge for nursing students and prompt deeper
understanding of biostatistics as applied to medical and healthcare settings. Let me know if you'd like
further explanations or answers to these questions!
Here are 60 multiple-choice questions (MCQs) on medical statistics for nursing students. These
questions are categorized into key topics for clarity and better understanding:
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1. Basics of Statistics
1. Which of the following is a type of descriptive statistic?
a) Hypothesis testing
b) Standard deviation
c) Regression analysis
d) P-value
Answer: b) Standard deviation
2. What type of data is age measured in years?
a) Nominal
b) Ordinal
c) Interval
d) Ratio
Answer: d) Ratio
3. Which measure of central tendency is most sensitive to extreme values?
a) Mean
b) Median
c) Mode
d) Range
Answer: a) Mean
4. The difference between the highest and lowest values in a dataset is called:
a) Mean
b) Range
c) Standard deviation
d) Variance
Answer: b) Range
5. The most frequently occurring value in a dataset is the:
a) Mean
b) Median
c) Mode
d) Range
Answer: c) Mode
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2. Probability and Distributions
6. The probability of rolling a 6 on a fair six-sided die is:
a) 1/6
b) 1/2
c) 1/3
d) 1/12
Answer: a) 1/6
7. A bell-shaped curve represents which type of distribution?
a) Uniform
b) Normal
c) Binomial
d) Skewed
Answer: b) Normal
8. In a normal distribution, what percentage of values lie within 1 standard deviation of the mean?
a) 68%
b) 95%
c) 99%
d) 50%
Answer: a) 68%
9. If the mean equals the median in a dataset, the distribution is:
a) Skewed
b) Symmetrical
c) Bimodal
d) Uniform
Answer: b) Symmetrical
10. Which of the following is an example of continuous data?
a) Blood pressure
b) Gender
c) Eye color
d) Number of patients
Answer: a) Blood pressure
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3. Study Design
11. A study comparing disease rates in two groups over time is called a:
a) Case-control study
b) Cross-sectional study
c) Cohort study
d) Randomized controlled trial
Answer: c) Cohort study
12. Which type of study collects data at a single point in time?
a) Cross-sectional study
b) Cohort study
c) Experimental study
d) Case-control study
Answer: a) Cross-sectional study
13. In a case-control study, participants are selected based on:
a) Exposure
b) Disease status
c) Random assignment
d) Risk factors
Answer: b) Disease status
14. Randomization in clinical trials is used to:
a) Increase statistical power
b) Eliminate confounding variables
c) Reduce sample size
d) Ensure ethical approval
Answer: b) Eliminate confounding variables
15. Blinding in a study is primarily used to:
a) Reduce sample size
b) Minimize bias
c) Increase significance
d) Increase variability
Answer: b) Minimize bias
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4. Hypothesis Testing and P-values
16. The null hypothesis states that:
a) There is a significant effect
b) There is no significant effect
c) The study results are biased
d) The data is skewed
Answer: b) There is no significant effect
17. A p-value of 0.03 means:
a) The null hypothesis is true
b) There is a 3% chance that the results are due to chance
c) The study is inconclusive
d) The results are not statistically significant
Answer: b) There is a 3% chance that the results are due to chance
18. If a p-value is greater than 0.05, the results are considered:
a) Significant
b) Not significant
c) Invalid
d) Highly significant
Answer: b) Not significant
19. Type I error occurs when:
a) The null hypothesis is true but rejected
b) The null hypothesis is false but accepted
c) The sample size is too small
d) The p-value is high
Answer: a) The null hypothesis is true but rejected
20. What does statistical power measure?
a) Probability of rejecting a true null hypothesis
b) Probability of detecting a true effect
c) Level of bias in a study
d) Reliability of the sample
Answer: b) Probability of detecting a true effect
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5. Statistical Tests
21. Which test is used to compare means between two groups?
a) t-test
b) ANOVA
c) Chi-square test
d) Regression analysis
Answer: a) t-test
22. Which test is appropriate for comparing proportions between two groups?
a) t-test
b) ANOVA
c) Chi-square test
d) Correlation
Answer: c) Chi-square test
23. ANOVA is used when:
a) Comparing two groups
b) Comparing more than two groups
c) Testing for correlation
d) Predicting outcomes
Answer: b) Comparing more than two groups
24. A scatter plot is used to:
a) Show relationships between two variables
b) Compare means between groups
c) Represent proportions
d) Display frequencies
Answer: a) Show relationships between two variables
25. The Pearson correlation coefficient measures:
a) Causation
b) Association between categorical variables
c) Strength and direction of a linear relationship
d) Differences between groups
Answer: c) Strength and direction of a linear relationship
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6. Epidemiology and Risk
26. Incidence refers to:
a) Total cases of a disease
b) New cases over a time period
c) Proportion of the population affected
d) Mortality rate
Answer: b) New cases over a time period
27. Prevalence refers to:
a) All cases at a specific time
b) New cases over a time period
c) Risk of developing disease
d) Rate of death from disease
Answer: a) All cases at a specific time
28. Relative risk is used to measure risk in which study design?
a) Case-control
b) Cohort
c) Cross-sectional
d) Experimental
Answer: b) Cohort
29. What is an odds ratio?
a) Ratio of incidence rates
b) Comparison of odds of exposure in cases and controls
c) Measure of absolute risk
d) A test of statistical significance
Answer: b) Comparison of odds of exposure in cases and controls
30. Sensitivity measures the ability of a test to:
a) Identify those without the disease
b) Identify those with the disease
c) Predict the progression of disease
d) Measure severity of disease
Answer: b) Identify those with the disease
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7. Data Interpretation
31. A confidence interval that includes 1 for a relative risk indicates:
a) Statistical significance
b) No statistical significance
c) High variability
d) Causation
Answer: b) No statistical significance
32. Standard error decreases when:
a) Sample size increases
b) Variance increases
c) Mean increases
d) Range decreases
Answer: a) Sample size increases
33. What type of graph is best for showing frequencies of categorical data?
a) Histogram
b) Bar chart
c) Scatter plot
d) Line graph
Answer: b) Bar chart
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Would you like me to provide the remaining 27 questions or focus on specific areas?
