EMT Exams

It is rightly said that exams are the best way of evaluating the skills and knowledge of a candidate. While pursuing a career in Emergency Medical Services, the candidates face a stage where they have to qualify NREMT (National Registry for Emergency Medical Technicians) examinations. After qualifying the required examinations, the applicants become eligible to obtain national certificate and license. If the applicants fail to pass the exams, they miss the opportunity to become and practice as a certified EMT in the United States. In short, NREMT exams play a crucial role in becoming an EMT.

In this article, we are providing you the details of the NREMT examinations, which will help you to do preparations.

Requirements for EMT Exams

The applicants have to essentially fulfil certain requirements in order to take EMT exams. These requirements are mentioned below:

• The primary requirement is to possess an age of 18 years or above.
• A valid driver’s license is another mandatory requirement to be fulfilled by EMT aspirants.
• The applicants must hold a General Education Development or high school degree to meet minimum educational requirement.
• It is mandatory for the prospective EMTs to undergo a certified training coursework.
• It is also necessary for the applicants to hold a CPR certificate through CPR training.

Components of EMT Examinations

The United States of America considers NREMT examinations as the basis to obtain a license and certificate. Here are the details of the examinations, which will help the applicants to acquaint themselves with the pattern, before appearing for the actual exam. The National Registry for Emergency Medical Technicians has divided the examinations in 2 parts, which are discussed below:

1. Cognitive Examination

Cognitive examinations are the computer based examinations, which are designed in six main categories, namely cardiology, trauma, airway & breathing, operations, medical, and obstetrics/gynaecology/pediatrics. The test plan or blueprint of the exam is approved by the Board of Directors of the National Registry. The applicants must keep in mind that the test plan is based on the results of the respective training levels. The applicants have to qualify the Computer Adaptive Tests or CAT. This algorithm-delivered exam contains 70 to 120 questions. The applicants have to complete the exam in maximum two hours.

2. Psychomotor Examination

The psychomotor examinations are the practical exams, which helps in assessing the skills learned in the training sessions. To qualify the practical examinations, the applicants have to be prepared with the coursework, including cardiac arrest management/AED, patient assessment/management of a trauma patient, spinal immobilization (both seated and supine patient), bag-valve-mask ventilation of an apnoeic patient, patient assessment/management of a medical patient, upper airway adjuncts and suction, long bone fracture immobilization, mouth-to-mouth ventilation with supplemental oxygen, joint dislocation immobilization, bleeding control/shock management, traction splinting, and supplemental oxygen administration to a breathing patient.

What if you fail the exams?

Once you have given the exams, the results will be released within two business days on the website of NREMT. Ensure that you have completed all the registration requirements otherwise your results will be withheld. To check your result, sign in to your account and hit the option “Check Application Status”.

In case, you do not qualify the NREMT examinations, you have the option of retest. After knowing your performance, you can apply for retest after 15 days of the last examinations taken.

Tricks to Crack NREMT Exam in One Attempt

• Go through the current guidelines formulated by AHA (American Heart Association) for CPR, ECC (Emergency Cardiovascular Care), and ACLS for paramedics.
• Read the EMT textbook and workbooks carefully to master the course.
• Devote 15-20 minutes on the daily basis for the preparation of each subject.
• Try to understand that which drug can or cannot be given, according to the signs and symptoms.
• Before one week of the exam, take help of study guides, which will help you know about your weak points.
• Before the exam, take a good night sleep.
• On the day of exam, eat proper meals and reach the examination center before 30 minutes in order to complete all the formalities, like identity check, etc.