SPIphysics console

ARDMS SPI · ultrasound physics

ARDMS SPI Exam Prep — Know What Carries the Points

The SPI is the physics half of ARDMS certification — transducers, Doppler, image optimization, safety. Not all of it is worth the same. This site names the domains that carry the points, hands you a free timed console to drill them, and gives you explicit permission to skip the low-yield tail.

What the SPI actually is

SPI — Sonography Principles and Instrumentation — is the ultrasound-physics exam. It has nothing to do with anatomy and everything to do with how the machine makes the picture. You pass SPI once, pair it with a specialty exam (Abdomen, OB/GYN, Vascular, and so on), and that combination earns you the credential — RDMS, RDCS, or RVT. Physics on one side, specialty on the other; almost everyone on that path sits SPI.

The five domains, ranked by exam weight

SPI domain weightsApply Doppler Concepts34%Optimize Sonographic Images26%Perform Ultrasound Examinations23%Provide Clinical Safety & Quality Assurance10%Manage Ultrasound Transducers7%
The SPI by domain weight. Study from the top of this list down — the bottom two domains are 17% combined.

SPI prep in your pocket

Drill the SPI in your pocket

The same weighted question set, on your phone — or keep practicing free right here.