American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC) Practice Exam

Prefixes generally indicate which of the following?

1. Location, time, and number

2. Procedure and diagnosis

3. Symptoms and signs

4. Medication and dosage

The correct answer is: Location, time, and number

Prefixes in medical terminology primarily provide essential information about the location, timing, or quantity of a condition or procedure. They serve as modifiers that clarify the meaning of the words they precede. For instance, a prefix can denote specific anatomical locations (like "sub-" meaning under), temporal indicators (such as "pre-" meaning before), or numerical quantities (like "bi-" meaning two). While the other options relate to components of medical terms, they do not accurately reflect the general function of prefixes in the same way that the correct choice does. For example, procedures and diagnoses are often conveyed through root words and suffixes, which carry the core meaning of the term. Similarly, symptoms and signs, as well as medications and dosages, are typically described using those elements rather than prefixes. Thus, the indication of location, time, and number stemming from prefixes is a distinctive and important aspect of medical terminology.