NREMT Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) Cognitive
Examination 200 Practice Questions with Correct Answers
& Detailed Rationales 2026 Update | pdf
Scene Size-Up and Safety (Questions 1–30)
1. You arrive at a scene where a vehicle struck a utility pole. Wires are down
across the hood of the car. The driver is conscious and shouting for help. What
should you do?
a) Approach the vehicle carefully with rubber-soled boots
b) Establish a safe zone and request the power company to cut power
c) Use a dry wooden stick to move the wires off the vehicle
d) Tell the driver to exit the vehicle and run to the ambulance
Downed power lines create a danger zone of at least one span between poles;
you must wait for power company confirmation of de-energization before
approaching.
2. Your patient is a 45-year-old male who is unresponsive in a parked car with
the engine running. What is your priority action?
a) Open the airway and check for breathing
b) Move the patient to fresh air immediately
c) Apply a non-rebreather mask at 15 LPM
d) Check for a pulse and begin CPR if absent
Carbon monoxide from the running engine is an immediate life threat;
removing the patient from the toxic environment is the first priority before any
other care.
3. You are first on scene of a trench collapse with one worker buried to the
waist. He is conscious and in respiratory distress. What should you do?
a) Begin digging him out immediately
b) Establish a safe perimeter and wait for technical rescue
c) Apply a cervical collar and extricate him
d) Administer oxygen via non-rebreather mask
,Trench collapse patients are at high risk for crush syndrome and spinal injury;
only trained technical rescue personnel should attempt extrication from
unstable trenches.
4. A 22-year-old male was stabbed during a bar fight. The assailant is still on
scene and armed. Your partner is inside treating the patient. What should you
do?
a) Enter to help your partner treat the patient
b) Retreat to the ambulance and call for law enforcement
c) Ask bystanders to remove the assailant
d) Drive the ambulance closer to the patient for rapid extraction
An armed assailant creates an unsafe scene; you cannot care for any patient if
you become a victim. Withdraw and wait for police to secure the scene.
5. Which of the following best describes the purpose of standard precautions?
a) To protect patients from hospital-acquired infections
b) To reduce the risk of disease transmission between healthcare workers and
patients
c) To comply with OSHA regulations regarding bloodborne pathogens only
d) To ensure proper documentation of infectious disease exposure
Standard precautions assume all body fluids are potentially infectious,
protecting both provider and patient through PPE, hand hygiene, and safe
sharps handling.
6. You are on scene of a motor vehicle crash with a single patient entrapped.
Fire department is 10 minutes away. What should you do?
a) Attempt extrication using your manual tools
b) Gain access to the patient, provide care, and wait for extrication tools
c) Have the patient self-extricate if possible
d) Transport the patient still in the vehicle seat
Attempting extrication without proper tools can worsen injuries; provide
immediate life-saving care (airway, bleeding control) while awaiting fire
department rescue.
7. A 60-year-old male is unconscious in a confined space (sewer). You smell a
strong odor of sulfur. What should you do first?
,a) Enter with a mask and rope for rapid extrication
b) Call for hazardous materials (HazMat) team before entering
c) Administer high-flow oxygen from outside the space
d) Use a fan to ventilate the confined space
Hydrogen sulfide or other toxic gases in confined spaces can kill rescuers
instantly. Only trained HazMat personnel with proper equipment should enter.
8. Your ambulance is the first to arrive at a structure fire with multiple patients
outside. What should you do?
a) Park directly in front of the burning building
b) Park uphill and upwind from the fire, 100 feet away
c) Park as close as possible to the entrance for rapid loading
d) Park behind the fire engine to block traffic
Parking uphill and upwind protects you from smoke inhalation and potential
explosion; it also leaves space for fire apparatus access.
9. A patient with a gunshot wound to the chest is lying in a parking lot. Law
enforcement has not yet arrived. What should you do?
a) Approach the patient immediately to begin treatment
b) Remain in the ambulance until police secure the scene
c) Ask bystanders to carry the patient to the ambulance
d) Treat the patient from behind a parked car for cover
In an unsecured violent scene, your safety is paramount. Wait for law
enforcement to confirm no active threat remains before approaching any
patient.
10. Which of the following is an appropriate method of donning (putting on) PPE
for a suspected COVID-19 patient?
a) Gloves → gown → mask → eye protection
b) Gown → mask → eye protection → gloves
c) Mask → gloves → gown → eye protection
d) Eye protection → mask → gown → gloves
Donning order for airborne/contact precautions: gown first, then mask, eye
protection, and gloves last to maintain sterile glove surface until patient
contact.
, 11. You are on scene of a motor vehicle crash. An unresponsive patient is still in
the vehicle, and leaking fuel is pooling under the car. What should you do?
a) Extricate the patient immediately at all costs
b) Request fire department for fuel spill containment before patient access
c) Ignore the fuel because the patient is more important
d) Use a portable extinguisher on the fuel pool
Fire risk from fuel spills requires fire department mitigation; approaching
without fire suppression can result in explosion killing both patient and rescuers.
12. A 34-year-old female is having a seizure on a subway platform. The train is
approaching. What is your priority?
a) Insert an oral airway and begin ventilations
b) Move the patient away from the track edge to a safe location
c) Restrain the patient to prevent injury during seizure
d) Administer intranasal midazolam for seizure cessation
An oncoming train is an immediate life threat. Moving the patient to safety
occurs before any medical intervention, including airway management.
13. Which of the following best describes the EMT's role at a suspected
hazardous materials incident?
a) Enter the hot zone to identify the substance
b) Remain in the cold zone and provide medical support to decontaminated
patients
c) Direct fire department operations from the command post
d) Begin decontamination using bleach solutions
EMTs without HazMat training remain in the cold zone (safe area); they receive
patients only after full decontamination by trained HazMat personnel.
14. You arrive at a residence to find a 50-year-old male who is pulseless and
apneic. Family states he "just collapsed." The front door is locked. What should
you do?
a) Attempt to break the door down yourself
b) Request law enforcement for forced entry while preparing equipment
c) Leave and wait for family to find a key
d) Enter through a window regardless of injury risk
Examination 200 Practice Questions with Correct Answers
& Detailed Rationales 2026 Update | pdf
Scene Size-Up and Safety (Questions 1–30)
1. You arrive at a scene where a vehicle struck a utility pole. Wires are down
across the hood of the car. The driver is conscious and shouting for help. What
should you do?
a) Approach the vehicle carefully with rubber-soled boots
b) Establish a safe zone and request the power company to cut power
c) Use a dry wooden stick to move the wires off the vehicle
d) Tell the driver to exit the vehicle and run to the ambulance
Downed power lines create a danger zone of at least one span between poles;
you must wait for power company confirmation of de-energization before
approaching.
2. Your patient is a 45-year-old male who is unresponsive in a parked car with
the engine running. What is your priority action?
a) Open the airway and check for breathing
b) Move the patient to fresh air immediately
c) Apply a non-rebreather mask at 15 LPM
d) Check for a pulse and begin CPR if absent
Carbon monoxide from the running engine is an immediate life threat;
removing the patient from the toxic environment is the first priority before any
other care.
3. You are first on scene of a trench collapse with one worker buried to the
waist. He is conscious and in respiratory distress. What should you do?
a) Begin digging him out immediately
b) Establish a safe perimeter and wait for technical rescue
c) Apply a cervical collar and extricate him
d) Administer oxygen via non-rebreather mask
,Trench collapse patients are at high risk for crush syndrome and spinal injury;
only trained technical rescue personnel should attempt extrication from
unstable trenches.
4. A 22-year-old male was stabbed during a bar fight. The assailant is still on
scene and armed. Your partner is inside treating the patient. What should you
do?
a) Enter to help your partner treat the patient
b) Retreat to the ambulance and call for law enforcement
c) Ask bystanders to remove the assailant
d) Drive the ambulance closer to the patient for rapid extraction
An armed assailant creates an unsafe scene; you cannot care for any patient if
you become a victim. Withdraw and wait for police to secure the scene.
5. Which of the following best describes the purpose of standard precautions?
a) To protect patients from hospital-acquired infections
b) To reduce the risk of disease transmission between healthcare workers and
patients
c) To comply with OSHA regulations regarding bloodborne pathogens only
d) To ensure proper documentation of infectious disease exposure
Standard precautions assume all body fluids are potentially infectious,
protecting both provider and patient through PPE, hand hygiene, and safe
sharps handling.
6. You are on scene of a motor vehicle crash with a single patient entrapped.
Fire department is 10 minutes away. What should you do?
a) Attempt extrication using your manual tools
b) Gain access to the patient, provide care, and wait for extrication tools
c) Have the patient self-extricate if possible
d) Transport the patient still in the vehicle seat
Attempting extrication without proper tools can worsen injuries; provide
immediate life-saving care (airway, bleeding control) while awaiting fire
department rescue.
7. A 60-year-old male is unconscious in a confined space (sewer). You smell a
strong odor of sulfur. What should you do first?
,a) Enter with a mask and rope for rapid extrication
b) Call for hazardous materials (HazMat) team before entering
c) Administer high-flow oxygen from outside the space
d) Use a fan to ventilate the confined space
Hydrogen sulfide or other toxic gases in confined spaces can kill rescuers
instantly. Only trained HazMat personnel with proper equipment should enter.
8. Your ambulance is the first to arrive at a structure fire with multiple patients
outside. What should you do?
a) Park directly in front of the burning building
b) Park uphill and upwind from the fire, 100 feet away
c) Park as close as possible to the entrance for rapid loading
d) Park behind the fire engine to block traffic
Parking uphill and upwind protects you from smoke inhalation and potential
explosion; it also leaves space for fire apparatus access.
9. A patient with a gunshot wound to the chest is lying in a parking lot. Law
enforcement has not yet arrived. What should you do?
a) Approach the patient immediately to begin treatment
b) Remain in the ambulance until police secure the scene
c) Ask bystanders to carry the patient to the ambulance
d) Treat the patient from behind a parked car for cover
In an unsecured violent scene, your safety is paramount. Wait for law
enforcement to confirm no active threat remains before approaching any
patient.
10. Which of the following is an appropriate method of donning (putting on) PPE
for a suspected COVID-19 patient?
a) Gloves → gown → mask → eye protection
b) Gown → mask → eye protection → gloves
c) Mask → gloves → gown → eye protection
d) Eye protection → mask → gown → gloves
Donning order for airborne/contact precautions: gown first, then mask, eye
protection, and gloves last to maintain sterile glove surface until patient
contact.
, 11. You are on scene of a motor vehicle crash. An unresponsive patient is still in
the vehicle, and leaking fuel is pooling under the car. What should you do?
a) Extricate the patient immediately at all costs
b) Request fire department for fuel spill containment before patient access
c) Ignore the fuel because the patient is more important
d) Use a portable extinguisher on the fuel pool
Fire risk from fuel spills requires fire department mitigation; approaching
without fire suppression can result in explosion killing both patient and rescuers.
12. A 34-year-old female is having a seizure on a subway platform. The train is
approaching. What is your priority?
a) Insert an oral airway and begin ventilations
b) Move the patient away from the track edge to a safe location
c) Restrain the patient to prevent injury during seizure
d) Administer intranasal midazolam for seizure cessation
An oncoming train is an immediate life threat. Moving the patient to safety
occurs before any medical intervention, including airway management.
13. Which of the following best describes the EMT's role at a suspected
hazardous materials incident?
a) Enter the hot zone to identify the substance
b) Remain in the cold zone and provide medical support to decontaminated
patients
c) Direct fire department operations from the command post
d) Begin decontamination using bleach solutions
EMTs without HazMat training remain in the cold zone (safe area); they receive
patients only after full decontamination by trained HazMat personnel.
14. You arrive at a residence to find a 50-year-old male who is pulseless and
apneic. Family states he "just collapsed." The front door is locked. What should
you do?
a) Attempt to break the door down yourself
b) Request law enforcement for forced entry while preparing equipment
c) Leave and wait for family to find a key
d) Enter through a window regardless of injury risk
