Heart Sounds Quiz: Test and Train Your Ear

How to quiz yourself so the sounds actually stick · Updated 2026

Searching for a "heart sounds quiz" usually means one thing: you want to test whether you can actually recognize what you're hearing, not just recite definitions. But most quizzes are the wrong kind — they ask you to match a written description to a written answer. That tests reading, not listening. Here's what a quiz needs to build a clinical ear.

What makes a heart sounds quiz effective

1. Audio-first questions. The prompt should be a sound, not a sentence. If you can answer without pressing play, it isn't training auscultation.
2. Real recordings. Synthesized murmurs are too clean. Real patient audio has the background, variability and imperfections you'll actually face.
3. Immediate feedback with reasoning. Being told "correct — irregularly irregular, no set pattern" right after you answer is what converts a guess into a memory.
4. Adaptive repetition. The sounds you miss should come back more often. Spaced, targeted repetition is the single best-supported technique in auscultation education.
5. Short and daily. Ten focused questions a day beats an hour once a week, because auditory memory consolidates with spacing.

Heart sounds quiz: 12 questions to test yourself

Read each stem, commit to a single answer, then open the answer. Score yourself honestly. Anything you miss goes on your list to hear in audio this week.

1. Q1. Low-pitched sound in early diastole, best heard with the bell at the apex in a 70-year-old with dyspnea and edema. Cadence sounds like "Ken-tuck-y".
   Answer

   S3 (ventricular gallop), here pathologic and suggesting systolic heart failure.
2. Q2. Low-pitched sound just before S1 in a patient with long-standing hypertension. Cadence sounds like "Ten-nes-see".
   Answer

   S4 (atrial gallop) from a stiff, hypertrophied left ventricle.
3. Q3. Harsh crescendo-decrescendo systolic murmur at the right upper sternal border radiating to the carotids, with a slow-rising carotid pulse.
   Answer

   Aortic stenosis.
4. Q4. Blowing holosystolic murmur at the apex radiating to the axilla.
   Answer

   Mitral regurgitation.
5. Q5. High-pitched decrescendo diastolic murmur at the left sternal border, loudest with the patient sitting forward in end-expiration, with a wide pulse pressure.
   Answer

   Aortic regurgitation.
6. Q6. Opening snap after S2 followed by a low-pitched mid-diastolic rumble at the apex, heard best with the bell in the left lateral decubitus position.
   Answer

   Mitral stenosis.
7. Q7. Mid-systolic click followed by a late systolic murmur. The click moves earlier and the murmur gets longer when the patient stands.
   Answer

   Mitral valve prolapse.
8. Q8. Systolic murmur at the left sternal border that gets louder with Valsalva and standing, and softer with squatting.
   Answer

   Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Most other murmurs get softer with Valsalva.
9. Q9. S2 that is split on inspiration and single on expiration in a healthy 20-year-old.
   Answer

   Physiologic splitting of S2. Normal.
10. Q10. Widely split S2 that does not change with respiration, plus a soft pulmonic flow murmur.
    Answer

    Fixed splitting of S2, classic for atrial septal defect.
11. Q11. Irregularly irregular rhythm with S1 of varying intensity and no S4 audible.
    Answer

    Atrial fibrillation. S4 cannot occur because there is no coordinated atrial contraction.
12. Q12. Scratchy, high-pitched sound with up to three components per cycle in a patient with sharp chest pain relieved by sitting forward.
    Answer

    Pericardial friction rub.

Scoring: 11 to 12 correct means your framework is solid and audio is your next step. 8 to 10 means timing is fine but you need more exposure to the diastolic murmurs and gallops. Under 8 means start with the timing-first murmur guide and the S3 vs S4 guide, then come back.

Heart murmur quiz: the five questions to ask every time

A written murmur quiz is really a test of one routine. For any murmur, answer these in order and the diagnosis usually falls out:

Why active recall beats re-listening

It's tempting to just replay a murmur ten times. But retrieval — committing to an answer before you see the label — is what strengthens memory. The act of being wrong and immediately corrected creates a stronger trace than passive exposure. A quiz forces that retrieval on every question; a reference library doesn't.

Six modes, one growing skill

Beyond the core heart quiz, Auscultify adds Lung Sounds, rapid Screening (normal vs abnormal), Source Check (heart, lungs or both), plus Pro modes for Spectrograms, mixed-sound Decomposition and anatomical Landmarks. Your accuracy per mode is tracked so you always know your weakest area.

FAQ: heart sounds quizzes

Is there a free heart sounds quiz?

Yes. The 12 questions above are free, and the Auscultify app has a free audio quiz mode built on real recordings with instant feedback.

How do I test myself on heart murmurs?

Commit to an answer before you see the label, using timing, site, radiation, shape and maneuvers. Check, then re-test the ones you missed sooner than the ones you got right.

What is the best way to practice heart sounds for an exam?

Short daily audio quizzes with spaced repetition of misses. Ten to twenty questions a day for several weeks beats one long session.

What heart sounds should a quiz cover?

Normal S1 and S2, S2 splitting, S3 and S4, aortic stenosis, mitral regurgitation, mitral valve prolapse, HCM, aortic regurgitation, mitral stenosis, atrial fibrillation and pericardial rub.