This free medical terminology practice test has 50 multiple-choice questions on prefixes, suffixes and building medical terms, with answers and a short explanation for every question. It works for medical, nursing, PA, medical assistant and allied health students, and for anyone preparing for a terminology exam or a hospital job test.
How to use it: answer each set of 10 questions on paper, then check the answers at the end of that set. If a word part is new to you, look it up in our list of medical prefixes and suffixes with meanings and examples, then come back and try again.
Jump to: Prefixes · Suffixes · Building terms · Decoding terms · Look-alikes · Your score
Set 1: Prefix Meanings
1. What does the prefix hypo- mean?
a) above normal
b) below normal
c) around
d) between
2. What does the prefix peri- mean?
a) around
b) through
c) after
d) within
3. What does the prefix tachy- mean?
a) slow
b) fast
c) new
d) many
4. What does the prefix inter- mean?
a) within
b) between
c) below
d) across
5. What does the prefix dys- mean?
a) normal
b) without
c) difficult or abnormal
d) against
6. What does the prefix ab- mean?
a) toward
b) away from
c) behind
d) above
7. What does the prefix poly- mean?
a) few
b) half
c) many
d) all
8. What does the prefix endo- mean?
a) outside
b) within
c) beside
d) upon
9. What does the prefix brady- mean?
a) slow
b) fast
c) large
d) small
10. What does the prefix hemi- mean?
a) blood
b) half
c) one
d) three
Answers to Set 1
- b) below normal. Hypothermia is an abnormally low body temperature.
- a) around. The periosteum is the membrane that covers the outer surface of bones.
- b) fast. Tachycardia is a fast heart rate.
- b) between. Intercostal means between the ribs.
- c) difficult or abnormal. Dyspnea is difficult breathing.
- b) away from. Ab- appears in abduction and in abnormal (away from normal).
- c) many. Polyuria is passing an abnormally large amount of urine.
- b) within. Endoscopy means looking inside the body with an instrument.
- a) slow. Bradypnea is abnormally slow breathing.
- b) half. Hemiparesis is weakness of one side of the body.
Set 2: Suffix Meanings
11. What does the suffix -ectomy mean?
a) cutting into
b) surgical removal
c) creating an opening
d) surgical repair
12. What does the suffix -algia mean?
a) pain
b) inflammation
c) enlargement
d) softening
13. What does the suffix -megaly mean?
a) enlargement
b) narrowing
c) hardening
d) drooping
14. What does the suffix -penia mean?
a) excess
b) deficiency
c) flow
d) stone
15. What does the suffix -plasty mean?
a) suturing
b) fixation
c) surgical repair or reshaping
d) crushing
16. What does the suffix -rrhea mean?
a) flow or discharge
b) rupture
c) excessive bleeding
d) suturing
17. What does the suffix -emia mean?
a) urine condition
b) blood condition
c) vomiting
d) paralysis
18. What does the suffix -scopy mean?
a) an instrument for viewing
b) visual examination with an instrument
c) the record produced
d) measurement
19. What does the suffix -malacia mean?
a) softening
b) hardening
c) narrowing
d) tumor
20. What does the suffix -centesis mean?
a) surgical fusion
b) puncture to remove fluid
c) surgical fixation
d) crushing
Answers to Set 2
- b) surgical removal. An appendectomy is removal of the appendix.
- a) pain. Myalgia is muscle pain.
- a) enlargement. Hepatomegaly is an enlarged liver.
- b) deficiency. Leukopenia is a low white blood cell count.
- c) surgical repair or reshaping. Rhinoplasty is surgery to reshape the nose.
- a) flow or discharge. Diarrhea is the frequent passage of loose, watery stools.
- b) blood condition. Anemia is a lack of red blood cells or hemoglobin.
- b) visual examination with an instrument. A colonoscopy examines the inside of the colon.
- a) softening. Chondromalacia is softening of cartilage.
- b) puncture to remove fluid. Amniocentesis removes a sample of amniotic fluid.
Set 3: Build the Term
21. Hepat/o means liver. Which term means inflammation of the liver?
a) hepatoma
b) hepatitis
c) hepatomegaly
d) hepatology
22. Gastr/o means stomach. Which term means surgical removal of all or part of the stomach?
a) gastrotomy
b) gastrostomy
c) gastrectomy
d) gastroscopy
23. Cardi/o means heart. Which term means enlargement of the heart?
a) cardiology
b) cardiomegaly
c) cardialgia
d) tachycardia
24. Oste/o means bone. Which term means softening of the bones?
a) osteomalacia
b) osteoporosis
c) osteitis
d) osteoma
25. Nephr/o means kidney. Which term means stones in the kidney?
a) nephritis
b) nephrolithiasis
c) nephropexy
d) nephrology
26. Arthr/o means joint. Which term means joint pain?
a) arthritis
b) arthrodesis
c) arthralgia
d) arthroscopy
27. Leuk/o means white and -cyte means cell. Which term means white blood cell?
a) erythrocyte
b) leukocyte
c) leukemia
d) leukopenia
28. Glyc/o means sugar. Which term means high blood sugar?
a) hypoglycemia
b) hyperglycemia
c) glycosuria
d) glycogen
29. Col/o means colon. Which term means surgically creating an opening from the colon through the abdominal wall?
a) colectomy
b) colotomy
c) colostomy
d) colonoscopy
30. Derm/o means skin. Which term means through the skin?
a) intradermal
b) hypodermic
c) transdermal
d) epidermal
Answers to Set 3
- b) hepatitis (hepat + -itis). Hepatoma is a liver tumor (the term now usually means hepatocellular carcinoma, a liver cancer) and hepatomegaly is an enlarged liver.
- c) gastrectomy (gastr + -ectomy). Gastrotomy is an incision into the stomach; gastrostomy is a surgically created opening into the stomach through the abdominal wall, usually for a feeding tube.
- b) cardiomegaly (cardi/o + -megaly).
- a) osteomalacia (oste/o + -malacia). Osteoporosis is a loss of bone density and mass that makes bones weak and likely to break, a different condition.
- b) nephrolithiasis (nephr/o + -lithiasis).
- c) arthralgia (arthr + -algia). Arthritis is inflammation of a joint.
- b) leukocyte (leuk/o + -cyte). An erythrocyte is a red blood cell.
- b) hyperglycemia (hyper- + glyc + -emia).
- c) colostomy (col/o + -stomy).
- c) transdermal (trans- + derm + -al). Intradermal means within the skin.
Set 4: Decode the Term
31. What does bradycardia mean?
a) a fast heart rate
b) a slow heart rate
c) an enlarged heart
d) heart pain
32. What does hematuria mean?
a) blood in the urine
b) a blood clot
c) low urine output
d) a kidney stone
33. What does pericarditis mean?
a) inflammation of the heart muscle
b) inflammation of the sac around the heart
c) a slow heart rate
d) narrowing of a heart valve
34. Phag/o refers to eating or swallowing. What does dysphagia mean?
a) difficulty swallowing
b) excessive eating
c) vomiting
d) stomach pain
35. Prandi/o refers to a meal. What does postprandial mean?
a) before a meal
b) during a meal
c) after a meal
d) without a meal
36. What does hemiplegia mean?
a) paralysis caused by bleeding
b) paralysis of one side of the body
c) paralysis of all four limbs
d) weakness of one muscle
37. Rhin/o means nose. What does rhinorrhea mean?
a) a nosebleed
b) a runny nose
c) inflammation of the nose
d) surgery on the nose
38. Neur/o means nerve. What does neuropathy mean?
a) nerve pain only
b) disease of the nerves
c) the study of nerves
d) a nerve tumor
39. Lingu/o means tongue. What does sublingual mean?
a) above the tongue
b) under the tongue
c) around the tongue
d) through the tongue
40. Cyan/o means blue. What does cyanosis mean?
a) bluish skin or lips, usually caused by low oxygen in the blood
b) a blue bruise
c) inflammation of a vein
d) a type of skin cancer
Answers to Set 4
- b) a slow heart rate (brady- = slow, card = heart, -ia = condition).
- a) blood in the urine (hemat = blood, -uria = urine condition).
- b) inflammation of the sac around the heart (peri- = around, card = heart, -itis = inflammation). Inflammation of the heart muscle is myocarditis.
- a) difficulty swallowing (dys- = difficult).
- c) after a meal (post- = after).
- b) paralysis of one side of the body (hemi- = half, -plegia = paralysis).
- b) a runny nose (-rrhea = flow or discharge). A nosebleed is epistaxis.
- b) disease of the nerves (-pathy = disease). The study of nerves is neurology.
- b) under the tongue (sub- = under).
- a) bluish skin or lips, usually caused by low oxygen in the blood (cyan/o = blue, -osis = condition).
Set 5: Look-Alikes and Common Traps
41. Which suffix means cutting into (an incision)?
a) -ectomy
b) -tomy
c) -stomy
d) -pexy
42. Which term names the surgically created opening (stoma) in the windpipe that often holds a breathing tube?
a) tracheotomy
b) tracheostomy
c) tracheoplasty
d) tracheoscopy
43. What does intravenous mean?
a) between veins
b) within a vein
c) around a vein
d) behind a vein
44. Which term describes an underactive thyroid gland?
a) hyperthyroidism
b) hypothyroidism
c) thyroiditis
d) thyroidectomy
45. Which suffix means bursting forth of blood (excessive bleeding)?
a) -rrhea
b) -rrhage
c) -rrhaphy
d) -rrhexis
46. Which word names the instrument used to examine the ear?
a) otoscope
b) otoscopy
c) otitis
d) otology
47. What does adduction mean?
a) moving a limb toward the body's midline
b) moving a limb away from the body's midline
c) rotating a limb
d) bending a joint
48. Which suffix means surgical suturing?
a) -rrhaphy
b) -rrhexis
c) -rrhea
d) -rrhage
49. Which term names the tracing (record) produced during an ECG?
a) electrocardiography
b) electrocardiogram
c) electrocardiograph
d) cardiologist
50. Which term contains a word part that means blood?
a) hemiplegia
b) hemicolectomy
c) hematuria
d) semicircular
Answers to Set 5
- b) -tomy. -ectomy means removal and -stomy means creating an opening.
- b) tracheostomy. Strictly, a tracheotomy is the incision into the trachea and a tracheostomy is the opening it creates, although in everyday clinical use the two words are often used interchangeably.
- b) within a vein (intra- = within). Inter- means between.
- b) hypothyroidism (hypo- = below normal).
- b) -rrhage, as in hemorrhage. -rrhea is flow, -rrhaphy is suturing and -rrhexis is rupture.
- a) otoscope. -scope is the instrument; -scopy is the examination.
- a) moving a limb toward the body's midline (ad- = toward). Abduction moves it away from the midline.
- a) -rrhaphy, as in herniorrhaphy (repair of a hernia with sutures).
- b) electrocardiogram. -gram is the record, -graphy the process and -graph the instrument. In everyday use, "electrocardiogram" (ECG) also refers to the test itself.
- c) hematuria (hemat = blood). The other three contain hemi- or semi-, which mean half. Hem/o and hemat/o mean blood; hemi- means half.
What Your Score Means
- 45 to 50 correct: excellent. You have the core word parts down; keep practicing with body-system terms.
- 35 to 44 correct: good. Review the questions you missed and the look-alike pairs.
- Below 35: start with our prefixes and suffixes guide, then retake the quiz in a few days. Spacing your practice out helps you remember more.
Want More Practice?
Self-testing is one of the most effective ways to learn medical terminology. Our Medical Terminology Workbook is an exercise-only companion with matching columns, fill-in-the-blank questions, multiple-choice questions, true or false and picture labeling. It pairs with our Medical Terminology textbook, written by doctors. If you prefer to learn online, our self-paced Medical Terminology Course includes chapter quizzes and a final quiz.
For study techniques, see 10 Strategies to Memorize Medical Terminology.