Certified Pulmonary Function Technologist (CPFT) Practice Exam

What aspect of measurement refers to the closeness of the results to the true value?

1. Precision

2. Legitimacy

3. Accuracy

4. Reproducibility

The correct answer is: Accuracy

The concept being referred to in the question pertains to how closely a measured value aligns with the actual or true value of the quantity being assessed, which is identified as accuracy. Accuracy is a crucial aspect of measurement in various scientific fields, particularly in pulmonary function testing, where obtaining results that reflect the true physiological state of a patient is vital for effective diagnosis and treatment planning. In contrast, other terms like precision relate to the consistency of repeated measurements rather than their proximity to a true value. Reproducibility refers to the ability to obtain similar results under the same conditions over repeated trials, which does not necessarily indicate that those results are close to the true value. Legitimacy in measurements is not a standard term and does not pertain to accuracy or precision in the context of measurement quality. Thus, accuracy stands out as the correct and relevant concept for this question.