Which term describes the course of symptoms over time?

• A. Severity
• B. Duration
• C. Timing
• D. Context

Answer: (C)

Timing describes the course of symptoms over time—the pattern of when symptoms start, how often they occur, and how they change or progress across days or weeks. It captures the temporal trajectory of illness, not just the length of a single episode. For example, if headaches begin yesterday, occur every afternoon, and gradually trend toward lesser intensity over several days, that pattern is about timing. By contrast, duration tells you how long one episode lasts, severity describes how intense the symptom is, and context notes the circumstances or triggers surrounding the symptom. So, the term that best describes how symptoms evolve over time is timing.