EMS Tests: EMR, EMT, AEMT, and Paramedic Practice Guide 2024

EMS stands for Emergency medical service. It provides basic, intermediate, and advanced life support to patients who need to be transferred to a hospital. Professional EMS personnel are also available to provide immediate care at emergency scenes, such as natural disasters or accidents.

These roles include traditional healthcare occupations like Emergency Medical Responders (EMR), Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT), Paramedics, and first-responder positions, such as an EMT firefighters or an EMT police officers.

EMS tests are adaptive cognitive examinations developed by the NREMT for professionals seeking national EMS certifications.

EMS Educational Standards are reflected in the content of the examination. Cognitive exams are administered on a computer at Pearson VUE testing centers.

The EMS cognitive exam consists only of multiple-choice questions and is split into five content areas.

• Airway, Respiration, and Ventilation (18%-22%).
• Cardiology and Resuscitation (20%-24%).
• Trauma (14%-18%).
• Obstetrics and Gynecology (27%-31%).
• EMS Operations (10%-14%).

There is a split between Adult (85%) and Pediatric (15%) questions in each of the first four areas.

Emergency Medical Responders deliver rapid lifesaving care to critically ill patients.

As they wait for additional EMS resources to arrive, they provide important lifesaving interventions.

In addition, EMRs also provide assistance to higher-level personnel on the scene of an emergency as well as during transport.

A comprehensive EMS response would not be complete without Emergency Medical Responders. With minimal equipment, Emergency Medical Responders perform basic interventions under medical supervision.

• Completion of an EMR course approved by the state.
• Passing the National Registry EMR cognitive (knowledge) exam and a state-approved psychomotor (skills) exam.

You can find more information about the EMR test in the EMR test guide.

The emergency medical technician (EMT) provides out-of-hospital emergency medical care and transportation to patients in critical condition.

EMTs have the basic knowledge and skills necessary to stabilize and safely transport patients in both non-emergency and routine medical situations to life-threatening emergencies.

• Successful completion of a state-approved Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) course.
• Have a current CPR-BLS for "Healthcare Provider" or equivalent credential.
• Passing the National Registry EMT cognitive (knowledge) exam and the state-approved psychomotor (skills) exam.

You can find more information about the EMT test in the official NREMT EMT guide.

As an Advanced Emergency Medical Technician, your primary responsibility is to provide basic and limited advanced emergency medical care and transportation for critical or emergent patients.

You will need to possess the basic knowledge and skills necessary to provide patient care and transportation. Advanced Emergency Medical Technicians are part of a comprehensive EMS response, working under medical supervision. An advanced EMT uses both basic and advanced equipment such as that found in an ambulance for medical interventions.

• Current EMT level National Registry certification or higher.
• Completion of a state-approved Advanced Emergency Medical Technician (AEMT) program.
• Currently hold a CPR-BLS for "Healthcare Provider" or equivalent credential.
• Passing the National Registry AEMT cognitive (knowledge) exam and psychomotor (skills) exam.

You can find more information about the AEMT test in the official NREMT AEMT guide.

The Paramedic is an individual whose primary focus is providing advanced emergency medical care for critical and emergent patients. An individual in this position has the knowledge and skills required to provide patient care and transportation.

Paramedics conduct interventions with the basic and advanced equipment found in ambulances.

• Current National Registry certification or state license at the EMT level or higher.
• Passing the CAAHEP Paramedic education program or a program accredited by CoAEMSP "Letter of Review".
• Passing the National Registry Paramedic cognitive (knowledge) exam and psychomotor (skills) exam.

You can find more information about the paramedic test in the official NREMT paramedic guide.

The test begins with questions that are slightly below the passing level.

When a candidate answers most of the questions correctly, a higher-level item will be selected.

Inevitably, each test candidate will reach a point of peak proficiency beyond which incorrect responses will begin to occur.

The computer system continuously monitors this performance trajectory in real-time. All test answers are calibrated against a standardized scale to provide an accurate assessment of the candidate's proficiency level. Candidate performance on each item must therefore be optimal.

The calculation process is as follows. If you answer the bare minimum questions, the computer ends the test:

1. The computer's 95% sure you're passing.
2. The computer's 95% sure you're not passing.
3. You've run out of time.

One of the great things about Computer Adaptive Tests (or CAT exams) is that they can vary in length. Answering 60 questions might be enough to show that you have the proper skills and knowledge. People who are just starting out might need to answer more questions.

Each test has some questions that count and some that don't. There are 70 to 120 questions, with 10 of them not affecting your score. These are just for testing out new ideas to keep future tests fair and spot-on. The tricky part? You won't know which ones count and which ones don't.

If you fail to pass the test, you’ll get a breakdown of the results for each test section.

• Above Passing – You've got a good handle on this topic, but it wouldn't hurt to review.
• Near Passing – You're almost there, but not quite. This means you should probably focus on studying this topic more.
• Below Passing – Time to hit the books on this topic.

This will allow you to see where you shine and where you need a little more work. It will also help you decide what to focus on if you decide to retake the test.

Here are some practical strategies to help you optimize your performance in the examination:

1. Get access to accurate tests like EMS practice questions that will help you understand your current level and what areas you need to improve.

2. Be sure to review the current American Heart Association’s Guidelines for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care thoroughly. You will be tested on your knowledge of this material.

3. When analyzing your results, measure your current level in each of the 5 sections of the test to understand your overall level.

4. Remember that the test is adaptive, so the preparation tests should also be adaptive.