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The FP exam has 275 questions and runs 6 hours 41 minutes.
These 10 free FP questions are organized by exam domain, so you can see how each part of the Certification in Pathology: Forensic Pathology (FP) blueprint is tested. Reveal the answer and explanation under each question.
Placental sections from a stillbirth at 30 weeks show acute chorioamnionitis. In the umbilical cord, neutrophils infiltrate an arterial wall and extend into the surrounding Wharton's jelly. The placental reviewer must distinguish the significance of the cord lesion from that of the membrane inflammation. What does the cord lesion demonstrate?
Correct answer: B - A fetal inflammatory response involving the umbilical cord
After several days of heavy drinking followed by vomiting and almost no food intake, a 46-year-old dies at home. Autopsy shows hepatic steatosis but no lethal injury or advanced natural disease. Femoral ethanol is undetectable, beta-hydroxybutyrate is markedly increased, and vitreous glucose is not elevated. The urine nitroprusside ketone test is only weakly positive. There is no history of diabetes or glucose-lowering medication use. Which diagnosis best reconciles the history and biochemical findings?
Correct answer: A - Alcoholic ketoacidosis
The lung microscopy report in a sudden death describes eosinophil-rich mucus obstructing multiple bronchi, subepithelial thickening, and enlarged bronchial smooth-muscle bundles. Gross examination documents hyperinflation and widespread tenacious airway plugs; alveolar septa are largely preserved. These findings most strongly support which clinicopathologic process?
Correct answer: B - Fatal asthma with severe airflow obstruction
A person is found unresponsive with a small scalp contusion, undergoes prolonged resuscitation, and survives for 18 hours with severe hypoxic-ischemic brain injury. Autopsy reveals no skull fracture or cerebral contusion. Beta-amyloid precursor protein immunostaining highlights swollen axons in several white-matter regions. An investigator asks whether this result proves that a head impact caused the initial collapse. The defensible interpretation is:
Correct answer: D - Axonal transport disruption is present, but the staining alone does not establish trauma.
A decedent is found kneeling with a neck ligature attached to a fixed point above the head. Both knees touch the floor, but the upper body leans forward and places tension on the ligature. Reconstruction shows that body weight supplied the tightening force. There is no hyoid fracture and only minimal deep-neck hemorrhage. The neck-compression mechanism is properly described as:
Correct answer: A - Hanging with partial suspension
A gunshot track passes from a frontal skull defect with internal beveling to an occipital defect with external beveling. The occipital skin wound has a prominent abraded margin. Scene photographs show that the occiput was pressed against a rigid headrest when the shot was fired. How should the occipital wound be classified?
Correct answer: C - A shored exit wound
A stellate forehead wound has a muzzle-pattern abrasion and black residue deep to the scalp and along the underlying bone. The skull defect is internally beveled. No external powder stippling is visible. The radiating skin tears are best explained by which process?
Correct answer: D - Expansion of muzzle gases between the scalp and underlying bone
An adult dies after a prolonged unexplained illness with worsening confusion and metabolic acidosis. A retained blood sample drawn before treatment shows sodium 140 mmol/L, chloride 104 mmol/L, bicarbonate 10 mmol/L, glucose 90 mg/dL, BUN 14 mg/dL, and measured osmolality 291 mOsm/kg. Ethanol is undetectable and albumin is normal. Calculate the anion gap without potassium and use total calculated osmolality = 2 x sodium + glucose/18 + BUN/2.8. Which interpretation should guide the toxicology investigation?
Correct answer: C - Anion gap 26 and osmolal gap 1: a late toxic-alcohol exposure remains possible after metabolism.
During identification of victims of a hotel fire, two forensic odontologists independently reach a positive dental identification from authenticated antemortem radiographs. Distinctive restorations and root anatomy agree, and reconciliation identifies no unexplained discrepancies or conflicting information. Fingerprint comparison and DNA analysis have not yet been completed. Under INTERPOL disaster-victim-identification principles, what should the identification team do?
Correct answer: B - Accept the dental identification without requiring a second primary method.
In reviewing the admission examination of a 22-month-old who later died with intracranial injuries, a forensic pathologist notes a bruise on the fleshy portion of the cheek. The child walked independently. No torso, ear, or neck bruises were recorded, and the cheek bruise was documented before resuscitation. How does TEN-4-FACESp classify the recorded bruising?
Correct answer: A - Screen-positive because of the fleshy-cheek location; further evaluation is indicated.
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