Which element is primarily used to justify why the test was ordered?

• A. Methods
• B. Variant interpretation
• C. Indication
• D. Limitations

Answer: (C)

The main idea here is what motivates a clinician to order a genetic test in the first place. That motivation is the indication—the clinical reason or suspicion that testing is warranted, such as a particular phenotype, pattern of symptoms, or family history that points to a genetic condition. The indication guides what test to use, which genes or panels to include, and how the results will influence diagnosis, management, or risk assessment.

The other aspects come into play after testing is planned. Methods describe how the test is performed, variant interpretation is about deciding whether detected changes are pathogenic, and limitations cover what the test may miss or uncertainties in results. But the justification for ordering the test itself rests on the indication.