SANE-A Practice Questions (2026) — Free Sample Questions with Answers

Answer: D

"Next time, try to yell or fight back to protect yourself.": This implies she was responsible for preventing the assault and adds to self-blame.

"Many people freeze, but police may question it, so be ready.": This shifts focus to anticipated doubt and may increase shame instead of validating a normal response.

"Let's not talk about that now and just focus on the exam.": Dismissing her disclosure misses a chance to address self-blame with accurate information.

"Freezing is a common, automatic survival response to threat.": Correct. Tonic immobility and freezing are involuntary neurobiological responses to overwhelming threat. Explaining this reduces self-blame and supports recovery.

Trauma-informed care: freezing, tonic immobility and fragmented memory are common neurobiological responses, not signs of consent or unreliability.

Answer: B

Complete the forensic exam first, then refer her to a physician: Delaying medical evaluation is unsafe. Strangulation with loss of consciousness can cause delayed airway or vascular injury.

Arrange emergent medical evaluation, including neck vascular imaging: Correct. Loss of consciousness, voice change, painful swallowing and petechiae after strangulation suggest serious injury (such as carotid or vertebral dissection or laryngeal injury). Medical stabilization comes before or alongside the forensic exam.

Document the petechiae and discharge her with return precautions: Documenting is important, but discharge without evaluation misses potentially life-threatening internal injuries.

Apply ice, give oral analgesics and then proceed with the routine exam: Comfort measures do not address the risk of airway compromise or stroke from vascular injury.

Medical needs come before forensic needs: non-fatal strangulation with loss of consciousness, voice change, dysphagia or petechiae calls for emergent medical evaluation and imaging.

Answer: B

Seal them in a plastic bag right away to prevent contamination: Plastic traps moisture, which encourages bacteria and mold that degrade DNA.

Air-dry them, then package them in a paper envelope: Correct. Moist biological evidence should be air-dried and packaged in breathable paper, labeled and sealed, to prevent degradation.

Refrigerate them wet in a sealed plastic tube overnight: Sealing wet swabs in plastic still allows degradation; drying is the standard first step.

Place them in the bag with the patient's clothing items: Each specimen is packaged separately to avoid cross-transfer between items.

Dry it, use paper, package each item separately, then seal, label, initial and date. Plastic and moisture destroy biological evidence.

Answer: A

Use a qualified medical interpreter, in person or remotely: Correct. A trained medical interpreter ensures accurate, confidential communication, protects the patient's privacy and dignity, and avoids family influence on the history.

Let her son interpret, since she trusts him and he is present: Family members, and especially minors, should not interpret: it compromises accuracy and privacy and can traumatize the child.

Proceed in English using gestures and simple words: This risks misunderstanding during consent and the history and does not meet language-access standards.

Ask a bilingual police officer at the scene to interpret: Law enforcement involvement in the medical history can compromise confidentiality and the patient's control over reporting.

Always use qualified medical interpreters, not family, friends or law enforcement, for consent, the history and education.

Answer: B

Tell her a police report must be filed before evidence is collected: Under the federal Violence Against Women Act, patients must be able to get an exam without being required to report or cooperate with law enforcement.

Offer the full exam and evidence kit without requiring a report: Correct. Competent adults may have evidence collected and stored (including non-report or anonymous options) and decide later whether to report, unless a specific state mandate applies.

Report it to police because all sexual assaults must be reported: Mandatory reporting generally covers minors, vulnerable or elder adults, or specific injuries under state law, not every adult sexual assault.

Offer medical care only, since kits cannot be stored without a report: Jurisdictions must provide a way to collect evidence without a report; denying the kit takes away the patient's later choice to report.

Know your state's mandates (minors, vulnerable adults, certain injuries); otherwise adults choose whether to report, and VAWA means they can still get an exam.

Answer: C

Once she signs, consent covers every step and cannot be withdrawn: Consent can be withdrawn at any time, and each step should be explained before it is done.

Consent to evidence collection also authorizes release to police: Release of evidence and information to law enforcement needs its own consent, separate from consent to the exam.

She may decline or stop any part of the exam at any time: Correct. Informed consent is ongoing; patients may refuse or stop any part, and the SANE documents informed refusal.

Consent is not needed because forensic evidence is time-sensitive: Time pressure never removes the need for informed consent from a patient with capacity.

Separate consents (medical care, evidence collection, photographs, release of evidence), ongoing throughout, with the right to decline any part.