RHS Purpose and Technique Practice Questions
Half of the RHS exam: reading landmarks on images, choosing the right image, placing receptors, fixing technique errors and mounting. Answer original questions with an explanation after each one.
Ten RHS questions on purpose and technique, with an explanation after each answer. Your first attempt is free.
Or take the full 75-question RHS practice exam- 80 original Purpose and Technique questions, each answer explained
- 50% of the RHS exam, about 37 of 75 questions
- Domain I of DANB’s RHS outline, effective March 12, 2025
A maxillary molar periapical image does not show the root apices, although the vertical angulation was correct. The most likely cause is:
What the Purpose and Technique domain covers
- Anatomical landmarks, conditions and restorative materials seen on images, from caries and apical pathology to implants, sinus areas and the TMJ
- The purpose of periapical, bitewing, full mouth series, occlusal, panoramic, cephalometric and CBCT images
- Features of a diagnostically acceptable image
- Patient preparation and positioning, receptor holders, bite blocks, bitewing tabs, the PID and the x-ray unit
- Paralleling, bisecting angle and panoramic technique, and changes for tori, cleft palate, shallow palate and narrow arches
- Error correction: exposure, receptor and PID placement, horizontal and vertical angulation, artifacts and patient movement
- Care of PSP plates, CCD and CMOS sensors, the x-ray unit and the computer; patient management
- Viewing and mounting: landmarks, radiolucent and radiopaque, Universal tooth numbers and orientation; legal rules for keeping images
This list is our own summary. DANB publishes the full outline, references and acronym list in its RHS Exam Outline and References.
Drill purpose and technique, then sit the full exam
Ten RHS questions on purpose and technique, with an explanation after each answer. Your first attempt is free.
Or take the full 75-question RHS practice examIdeas the questions test most
- Too much vertical angulation foreshortens teeth; too little elongates them. Horizontal angulation errors overlap the contacts.
- A cone cut is an unexposed area where the beam missed part of the receptor.
- Buccal object rule: an object that moves with the tube shift is lingual; one that moves opposite is buccal (SLOB).
- On panoramic images, a chin tipped down exaggerates the smile curve; a tongue off the palate leaves a dark band over the maxillary apices.
- The RHS exam has tested digital radiography only since July 7, 2022, so these questions use sensors and PSP plates, not film.
- Labial mounting views images as if facing the patient: the patient’s left is on your right.
Start the free Purpose and Technique drill · RHS mixed drill · Full 75-question RHS practice exam
Common questions
How much of the RHS exam is Purpose and Technique?
Half. DANB’s RHS outline weights Purpose and Technique at 50%, with Radiation Characteristics and Protection and Infection Prevention and Control at 25% each. Every candidate gets the same share of questions from each domain.
Does the RHS exam still test film processing?
No. DANB’s outline states that the RHS exam tests digital radiography only and that no conventional, film-based concepts have been tested since July 7, 2022.
Do I need to know CBCT and cephalometric technique?
You need to know what each image is for. DANB’s outline lists CBCT and cephalometric images under the purpose of dental images; the March 2025 outline does not list acquiring them among the techniques.
Ten RHS questions on purpose and technique, with an explanation after each answer. Your first attempt is free.
Or take the full 75-question RHS practice examOther RHS domains
Domains, weights and format from DANB, checked November 2026: DANB: Radiation Health and Safety (RHS) exam · DANB RHS Exam Outline and References (effective 03/12/2025).
Original independent practice, written from DANB’s public exam outlines. Not affiliated with or endorsed by the Dental Assisting National Board (DANB). DANB, RHS, ICE, CDA and Certified Dental Assistant are marks of the Dental Assisting National Board, Inc.