What are the components of a SOAP note?

• A. Subjective (patient report), Objective (exam findings), Assessment (clinical impression/diagnosis), Plan (interventions, goals, and follow-up)
• B. Symptoms, Objective, Analysis, Prescription
• C. Subjective, Symptoms, Assessment, Procedure
• D. Symptoms, Objective, Analysis, Plan

Answer: (A)

The main idea being tested is how a SOAP note is organized and what goes into each part. A SOAP note uses four sections: Subjective, Objective, Assessment, and Plan.

Subjective is what the patient reports. It includes the chief complaint, history of present illness, symptoms, and details the patient describes—onset, location, quality, intensity, duration, and how it affects daily activities.

Objective encompasses what you observe or measure during the exam. This includes vital signs, physical findings, range of motion, strength, palpation results, special tests, and any diagnostic data like lab results or imaging.

Assessment is your clinical reasoning based on the information from Subjective and Objective. This is where you state the clinical impression or diagnosis and may include a differential diagnosis or prognosis.

Plan covers what you will do next. It includes interventions or treatments, goals, prescribed medications if any, referrals, patient education, and the follow-up plan.

This option is the best because it uses the standard four components with content that aligns to each section: Subjective, Objective, Assessment, and Plan. Other choices mix in terms that don’t fit SOAP structure—such as using Symptoms instead of Subjective, Analysis instead of Assessment, or Prescription or Procedure instead of Plan—so they don’t accurately reflect how SOAP notes are typically organized.