Preparing for National EMS Certification
The best way for an EMT or AEMT candidate to prepare for the NREMT Certification examination is to use EMT PASS or AEMT PASS.
These surpass other test preparatory products available in EMS in a number of ways and are outlined in multiple places throughout this website.
There are multiple considerations when preparing for National EMS Certification. Obviously many of those are found on the NREMT website. Remember that it is necessary to be approved before taking the examination. Beyond being approved, candidates will have to be prepared. At the EMT level this requires an understanding of how a CAT (computer adaptive test) works. Read more about CAT here.
There is also general test preparation information available on the NREMT website that includes the following:
- Get enough rest the night prior to the examination.
- Eat a good breakfast.
- Don’t “cram” with excessive studying before the exam.
These additional tips, however, can increase a candidate’s opportunity for passing the NREMT exam:
Read each item carefully, just as you did when using the EMT PASS or AEMT PASS.
Each item will have one correct or best answer. Choose that one.
Beware of “clever” distractors that try to distract the test taker—and avoid them! A clever distractor fits the stem (problem) and may seem correct to the candidate who is not yet competent.
If the answer doesn’t seem apparent within 15 seconds, think about the question physiologically (relating to the normal functions of a person) and make the best choice.
The exam covers accepted national content, NOT local protocol.
Avoid getting nervous if a question is unfamiliar to you. Pilot items (trial questions used to ‘test’ whether or not the question itself is useable in future testing) appear on every test, but do not count toward your score. Becoming scared or nervous can cause a candidate to miss questions. Remain calm!
Don’t miss easy items! This can happen when the candidate thinks he or she knows the answer, doesn’t read every choice, and subsequently makes the wrong choice. Make sure all of the other choices are wrong!
Know the American Heart Association guidelines—beyond Know obstructed airway, pediatric CPR, AED use, and use of oxygen according to the 2015 Standards and Guidelines.
Before you begin the test, a page will appear on the screen in which you must electronically agree that you will not cheat on the exam. If you do not complete this step within the allotted time, the exam will “time out”, and the exam will shut down. If this happens, you will have to re-schedule to take the exam on another date, and pay for the exam again. Be sure you electronically agree not to cheat on the exam within the allotted time!
The exam is not a computer game. You can take it over again, within a few weeks, and for another fee. Since the computer remembers the questions a candidate has already seen, however, a new exam will have completely different questions.
Very few candidates who take the test run out of time; don’t rush.
Do your best.
Once again, learning test-taking skills via EMT PASS and AEMT PASS will help tremendously. Yes, you will miss some questions, but that’s okay! The goal is to answer correctly as many as possible.If you used EMT PASS or AEMT PASS you will be prepared for the examination.
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