In screening, the term for the value that indicates a thorough assessment is needed is called the:

• A. Benchmark
• B. Reference value
• C. Cutoff score
• D. Diagnostic threshold

Answer: (C)

In screening, the value that signals the need for a thorough assessment is the cutoff score. This threshold on the screening tool marks the boundary where results suggest enough cause for a full evaluation to determine if a problem is present. The cutoff is chosen to balance sensitivity and specificity, guiding how many people are flagged for further assessment. Other terms don’t fit as neatly: a benchmark is a standard for comparing performance, a reference value is the normal range from a reference population, and a diagnostic threshold is the point at which a diagnosis would be made—usually after a full evaluation rather than the initial screening step.