NCOEMS Practice EXAM 2 [2026/2027] | A+ VERIFIED
ANSWERS | UPDATED ACTUAL | EXAM PREP
• A 45-year-old male is breathing at a rate of 32 times per minute with shallow
respirations. He is altered, and his skin signs are cool, cyanotic, and diaphoretic. You
should:
A) Provide oxygen at 6 L/min using a nasal cannula.
B) Provide oxygen at 12 L/min using a nonrebreather mask.
C) Provide artificial ventilation with a gas-valve mask and high-flow oxygen.
D) Place the patient into the left lateral "recovery" position. -✓✓ANSWER: C.
• You should assess skin color by examining an adult patient's:
A) Extremities
B) Face
C) Nailbeds
D) Palms -✓✓ANSWER: C.
• A 45-year-old female is breathing at a rate of 22 times per minute with adequate tidal
volume. She is alert, but her skin signs are cool, pale, and diaphoretic. You should:
A) Provide oxygen at 6 L/mi using a nasal cannula
B) Provide oxygen at 12 L/min using a nonrebreather mask
C) Provide artificial ventilation with a gas-mask valve and high-flow oxygen
D) Place the patient into the left lateral "recovery" position -✓✓ANSWER: B.
• Which of the following is the most appropriate method to control external bleeding
caused by damage to a large artery or vein?
A. Direct pressure over the wound.
B. Apply a tourniquet about the level of bleeding.
C. Apply a pressure dressing.
D. Elevate the extremity. -✓✓ANSWER: A.
• Which of the following scenarios would require the lowest priority in a mass casualty
incident?
A. Responsive 32-year-old patient exhibiting signs on compensated shock.
B. Unresponsive 12-year-old patient with unequal breath sounds in respiratory distress.
C. Responsive 22-year-old patient with moderate burns to part of her legs.
D. Unresponsive 64-year-old patient in cardiac arrest with three agonal respirations per
minute. -✓✓ANSWER: C.
• You would locate a patient's carotid pulse by first finding the Adam's apple and then:
A) Pressing hard on only one side of the patient's neck
B) Placing one hand gently on each side of the neck
C) Pressing with your thumb on one side of the neck
D) Sliding two fingers toward one side of the neck -✓✓ANSWER: D.
, • Your patient's pupils react unequally to light. You should suspect the presence of:
A) Head injury
B) Shock
C) Airway obstruction
D) Cardiac arrest -✓✓ANSWER: A.
• A 70-year-old female is complaining of shortness of breath. She has a history of
emphysema. You should:
A) Withhold oxygen, since these patients do not respond to oxygen
B) Withhold oxygen, because you could eliminate the hypoxic drive
C) Administer oxygen, because in most cases, the hypoxic drive will not be a problem
D) Withhold oxygen, because these patients become apneic if they receive high-flow
oxygen -✓✓ANSWER: C.
• 'Ecchymosis' refers to:
A) An unreactive left pupil
B) Bruising or discoloration
C) Motion sickness
D) A bad taste in the mouth -✓✓ANSWER: B.
• In which situation should you determine the patient's blood pressure through
palpation?
A) Your patient is under 1 year old
B) The setting is unusually quiet, such as a private home
C) Your patient's pulse is very weak and difficult to hear
D) Your patient cannot tolerate pressure to the carotid artery -✓✓ANSWER: C.
• The correct way to select the proper OPA is to measure the distance from the:
A) Corner of the mouth to the tip of the earlobe
B) Nose to the tip of the earlobe
C) Corner of the mouth to the nose
D) Nose to the tip of the chin -✓✓ANSWER: A.
• Which patient should receive only a focused physical exam and SAMPLE history?
A) 46-year-old male, unresponsive after falling from a 10-meter scaffold
B) 80-year-old male, responsive to painful stimuli after being hit by a car
C) 5-year-old female, responsive and in pain after falling from a standing position
D) 16-year-old female, responsive to verbal stimuli after a gunshot wound -
✓✓ANSWER: C.
• Your patient is a 19-year-old male who has been in a motorcycle accident and shows
deformity and bleeding to the left leg. You would NOT perform a detailed physical exam
if the patient:
A) Said that he was feeling fine except for his leg
B) Began to spurt blood from an open wound
ANSWERS | UPDATED ACTUAL | EXAM PREP
• A 45-year-old male is breathing at a rate of 32 times per minute with shallow
respirations. He is altered, and his skin signs are cool, cyanotic, and diaphoretic. You
should:
A) Provide oxygen at 6 L/min using a nasal cannula.
B) Provide oxygen at 12 L/min using a nonrebreather mask.
C) Provide artificial ventilation with a gas-valve mask and high-flow oxygen.
D) Place the patient into the left lateral "recovery" position. -✓✓ANSWER: C.
• You should assess skin color by examining an adult patient's:
A) Extremities
B) Face
C) Nailbeds
D) Palms -✓✓ANSWER: C.
• A 45-year-old female is breathing at a rate of 22 times per minute with adequate tidal
volume. She is alert, but her skin signs are cool, pale, and diaphoretic. You should:
A) Provide oxygen at 6 L/mi using a nasal cannula
B) Provide oxygen at 12 L/min using a nonrebreather mask
C) Provide artificial ventilation with a gas-mask valve and high-flow oxygen
D) Place the patient into the left lateral "recovery" position -✓✓ANSWER: B.
• Which of the following is the most appropriate method to control external bleeding
caused by damage to a large artery or vein?
A. Direct pressure over the wound.
B. Apply a tourniquet about the level of bleeding.
C. Apply a pressure dressing.
D. Elevate the extremity. -✓✓ANSWER: A.
• Which of the following scenarios would require the lowest priority in a mass casualty
incident?
A. Responsive 32-year-old patient exhibiting signs on compensated shock.
B. Unresponsive 12-year-old patient with unequal breath sounds in respiratory distress.
C. Responsive 22-year-old patient with moderate burns to part of her legs.
D. Unresponsive 64-year-old patient in cardiac arrest with three agonal respirations per
minute. -✓✓ANSWER: C.
• You would locate a patient's carotid pulse by first finding the Adam's apple and then:
A) Pressing hard on only one side of the patient's neck
B) Placing one hand gently on each side of the neck
C) Pressing with your thumb on one side of the neck
D) Sliding two fingers toward one side of the neck -✓✓ANSWER: D.
, • Your patient's pupils react unequally to light. You should suspect the presence of:
A) Head injury
B) Shock
C) Airway obstruction
D) Cardiac arrest -✓✓ANSWER: A.
• A 70-year-old female is complaining of shortness of breath. She has a history of
emphysema. You should:
A) Withhold oxygen, since these patients do not respond to oxygen
B) Withhold oxygen, because you could eliminate the hypoxic drive
C) Administer oxygen, because in most cases, the hypoxic drive will not be a problem
D) Withhold oxygen, because these patients become apneic if they receive high-flow
oxygen -✓✓ANSWER: C.
• 'Ecchymosis' refers to:
A) An unreactive left pupil
B) Bruising or discoloration
C) Motion sickness
D) A bad taste in the mouth -✓✓ANSWER: B.
• In which situation should you determine the patient's blood pressure through
palpation?
A) Your patient is under 1 year old
B) The setting is unusually quiet, such as a private home
C) Your patient's pulse is very weak and difficult to hear
D) Your patient cannot tolerate pressure to the carotid artery -✓✓ANSWER: C.
• The correct way to select the proper OPA is to measure the distance from the:
A) Corner of the mouth to the tip of the earlobe
B) Nose to the tip of the earlobe
C) Corner of the mouth to the nose
D) Nose to the tip of the chin -✓✓ANSWER: A.
• Which patient should receive only a focused physical exam and SAMPLE history?
A) 46-year-old male, unresponsive after falling from a 10-meter scaffold
B) 80-year-old male, responsive to painful stimuli after being hit by a car
C) 5-year-old female, responsive and in pain after falling from a standing position
D) 16-year-old female, responsive to verbal stimuli after a gunshot wound -
✓✓ANSWER: C.
• Your patient is a 19-year-old male who has been in a motorcycle accident and shows
deformity and bleeding to the left leg. You would NOT perform a detailed physical exam
if the patient:
A) Said that he was feeling fine except for his leg
B) Began to spurt blood from an open wound
