EMT Treatment and Transport Practice Test
Interventions, medications EMTs give and transport decisions. Here are 10 EMT treatment and transport questions, each with the answer and the reason.
Updated by the Tigertest team. Weighted to the NREMT EMT examination specifications (April 2025). Protocols vary; follow local medical direction. Not affiliated with the NREMT.
- 1.
A 26-year-old man is unresponsive with pinpoint pupils, cyanosis, SpO2 78%, and respirations of 4 per minute. Your first action should be:
- A.
Give 4 mg naloxone intranasally
- B.
Ventilate with a BVM and oxygen
- C.
Apply a nonrebreather at 15 L/min
- D.
Perform a sternal rub to arouse him
Answer: B.Ventilation comes first because hypoxia kills before naloxone (0.4 mg IM/IN or 4 mg IN per protocol) takes effect. A nonrebreather cannot help a patient breathing 4 times a minute.
- A.
- 2.
A 3-year-old ate an unknown number of her grandmother's pills 30 minutes ago and is alert. Regarding activated charcoal, you should:
- A.
Give it right away for every pill ingestion
- B.
Induce vomiting first, then give it
- C.
Give it only if medical direction orders it
- D.
Mix it with milk before giving it
Answer: C.Contact Poison Control or medical direction; activated charcoal is given only on their order and never to a patient who cannot swallow or protect the airway. Inducing vomiting is not recommended, and milk reduces charcoal's binding.
- A.
- 3.
A 420-pound man with shortness of breath is in a second-floor bedroom. He is alert with stable vital signs. To move him safely, you should:
- A.
Use a standard stair chair with two EMTs
- B.
Have him walk down the stairs alone
- C.
Call for added personnel and bariatric equipment
- D.
Drag him on a blanket down the stairs
Answer: C.Moving a bariatric patient safely requires enough lifters and rated equipment such as a bariatric stretcher, using power-lift technique and knowing your limits. Overloading a standard stair chair or two EMTs risks injury to everyone.
- A.
- 4.
A 2-year-old has bruises in different stages of healing and a round burn like a cigarette. The parent says she fell off a couch. You should:
- A.
Treat, transport, and report per state law
- B.
Confront the parent about the inconsistent story
- C.
Leave the burns out of the report
- D.
Ask the parent's permission before reporting
Answer: A.Injuries inconsistent with the history suggest abuse, and EMTs are mandated reporters who must report per state law and document objectively. Confronting the caregiver can escalate the scene and endanger the child.
- A.
- 5.
You are transporting a 71-year-old man with abdominal pain and a BP of 132/80. Which information belongs in your radio report?
- A.
His full name and home address
- B.
Age, complaint, vital signs, treatment and ETA
- C.
Your opinion of his lifestyle
- D.
Every past illness in detail
Answer: B.A radio report is concise: unit, age and sex, chief complaint, key findings and vitals, treatment and response, and ETA. Names do not belong on the radio for privacy, and long histories are saved for handoff.
- A.
- 6.
While suctioning thick secretions from the airway of an unresponsive 4-year-old boy, what is the maximum duration of each suction attempt?
- A.
5 seconds
- B.
10 seconds
- C.
15 seconds
- D.
Until the airway is fully clear
Answer: B.Children are suctioned no more than 10 seconds at a time (adults 15, infants 5) because suction removes oxygen along with secretions. Fifteen seconds is the adult limit and risks hypoxia and bradycardia in a child.
- A.
- 7.
You and your partner are ventilating a 58-year-old man who has a carotid pulse but is apneic. Which BVM approach is best?
- A.
One rescuer, one breath every 3 seconds
- B.
Two rescuers, one breath every 3 seconds
- C.
One rescuer, one breath every 8 to 10 seconds
- D.
Two rescuers, one breath every 6 seconds
Answer: D.An apneic adult with a pulse gets 1 breath every 6 seconds (10 per minute), each over 1 second with visible chest rise, and two-rescuer BVM gives the best mask seal. Every 3 seconds is the pediatric rate and overventilates an adult, causing gastric inflation and reduced venous return.
- A.
- 8.
A 62-year-old woman with a cough and fever is alert, breathing 18 per minute without distress, and has an SpO2 of 92%. Which oxygen delivery is most appropriate?
- A.
Nonrebreather mask at 15 L/min
- B.
Bag-valve mask at 15 L/min
- C.
Nasal cannula at 2 to 4 L/min
- D.
No oxygen because she is not short of breath
Answer: C.Oxygen is indicated when SpO2 is below 94% per most protocols, and a low-flow nasal cannula is enough to bring this comfortable, alert patient to 94% or higher. A nonrebreather is for severe hypoxia or shock, and a BVM is for inadequate breathing.
- A.
- 9.
A 66-year-old man with a laryngectomy stoma in his neck is apneic but has a pulse. How should you deliver BVM ventilations?
- A.
Seal an adult mask over the mouth and nose
- B.
Seal an infant or child mask over the stoma
- C.
Insert an OPA and ventilate through the mouth
- D.
Cover the stoma and ventilate through the mouth
Answer: B.A laryngectomy patient breathes only through the stoma, so seal a small round mask over it and ventilate; close the mouth and nose if air escapes there. Ventilating through the mouth will not reach the lungs of a total laryngectomy patient.
- A.
- 10.
You begin CPR on a 55-year-old woman in cardiac arrest. What compression rate and depth should you use?
- A.
80-100 per minute, 1.5 inches deep
- B.
120-140 per minute, 2.5 to 3 inches deep
- C.
100-120 per minute, 1.5 to 2 inches
- D.
100-120 per minute, 2 to 2.4 inches
Answer: D.AHA adult CPR is 100-120 compressions per minute at 2 to 2.4 inches with full chest recoil. Shallower compressions do not generate adequate blood flow, and rates above 120 shorten filling time.
- A.
Drill every treatment and transport question in the EMT Treatment and Transport drill: questions you miss come back until you have mastered them. Then take a timed practice test with the NREMT EMT section in it.
Start practicing200 EMT questions in all. Free to start. No account needed.