The presented study evolved from authors considerations devoted to expected crediabiity of results obtained by finite element methods especially in cases when comparisons with those of experiment are not available. Thus, assessing the validity of numerical results one has to rely on the employed method of the solution itself. Out of many situations which might be of importance, we paid our attention to comparison of results obtaned by different element types, two different time integration operators, mesh refinements and finally to frequency analysis of the loading pulse and that of output signals expressed in displacements and strains obtained by solving a well defined transient task in solid continuum mechanics. Statistical tools for the quantitative assessment of 'close' solutions are discussed as well. and Obsahuje seznam literatury