High specificity means which of the following?

High specificity means which of the following?

• A. More true positives
• B. More true negatives
• C. More false positives
• D. Fewer true negatives

Answer: (B)

Specificity measures how well a test identifies people who do not have the condition. It is the proportion of true negatives among all those without the condition. When specificity is high, the test correctly labels most non-cases as negative, so there are few false positives. In a given group without the condition, this means more true negatives. The result is fewer incorrect positive results rather than more correct positives, which would be a reflection of sensitivity rather than specificity. So high specificity corresponds to more true negatives.

Specificity measures how well a test identifies people who do not have the condition. It is the proportion of true negatives among all those without the condition. When specificity is high, the test correctly labels most non-cases as negative, so there are few false positives. In a given group without the condition, this means more true negatives. The result is fewer incorrect positive results rather than more correct positives, which would be a reflection of sensitivity rather than specificity. So high specificity corresponds to more true negatives.