PALS PEDIATRIC CCOMPREHENSIVE EXAM 2025/2026
QUESTIONS WITH SOLUTIONS RATED A+
✔✔When cerebral hypoxia develops more gradually, the neurologic signs are the same
as when severe cerebral hypoxia develops suddenly.
1. True
2. False - ✔✔2.
✔✔The AVPU scale is a scale used to evaluate cerebral cortex function and is used to
rate a child's level of consciousness. What does the acronym AVPU stand for?
1. Alert, Voice, Painful, Unresponsive
2. Active, Verbal, Painful, Unresponsive
3. Alert, Voice, Pupils, Unresponsive
4. Alive, Voice, Pulses, Understands - ✔✔1.
✔✔The Glasgow coma scale is used to evaluate a child's level of consciousness and
neurologic status. The child's best eye-opening, verbal, and motor responses are
scored. If a child is intubated, unconscious, or preverbal, the most important part of this
scale is _____________ response.
1. Eye-opening
2. Verbal
3. Motor - ✔✔3.
✔✔Pupil response to light is a indicator of ______________ function.
1. Cortex
2. Hypothalamus
3. Limbic
4. Brainstem - ✔✔4.
✔✔The D(disability) of the primary assessment is a quick evaluation of neurologic
function. Which standard evaluations are included in this assessment? (choose all
correct answers)
1. AVPU scale
2. Glasgow coma scale
3. Pupil response to light
4. NIH stroke scale
5. Blood glucose test - ✔✔1, 2, 3, 5
✔✔The E of the ABCDE primary assessment acronym stands for ________________.
1. Evidence
2. Emergency
3. Evaluate
4. Exposure - ✔✔4.
, ✔✔After completion of the primary assessment, if the child does not have a life-
threatening condition, the secondary assessment should be completed. The secondary
assessment consists of which of the following components? (Choose all correct
answers)
1. General physical exam
2. Family medical history
3. Focused history
4. Focused physical exam - ✔✔3, 4
✔✔The final aspect of the evaluate component for the evaluate - identify - intervene
sequence is diagnostic tests. What is the primary diagnostic test for assessing the
severity of respiratory problems?
1. Central venous oxygen saturation
2. Hemoglobin concentration
3. Arterial blood gas
4. Arterial lactate - ✔✔3.
✔✔Within the evaluate-identify-intervene sequence, there are 3 clinical assessments
that occur. The 3 clinical assessments are primary assessment, secondary assessment,
and _________ tests. (fill in the blank with the correct answer) - ✔✔Diagnostic
✔✔An arterial blood gas is a diagnostic test that measures amounts of certain gasses
and other constituents in the arterial blood. Match each result with the proper definition.
A. This value tells us about the acid-base balance.
B. This value tells us whether oxygenation is adequate.
C. This value tells us whether ventilation is adequate.
D. This value is used to determine if the source of an acid-base disturbance is
respiratory or metabolic.
E. This value tells us the percentage of hemoglobin saturated with oxygen. - ✔✔A. pH
(7.35-7.45)
B. PaO2 (80-100)
C. PaCO2 (35-45)
D. HCO3 (22-26)
E. SaO2 (80-100)
✔✔(True or False) Hemoglobin concentration determines the oxygen-carrying capacity
of the blood.
1. True
2. False - ✔✔1.
✔✔In the seriously ill or injured child, the arterial lactate level can __________ as a
result of tissue hypoxia and anaerobic metabolism.
1. Fall
2. Rise - ✔✔2.
QUESTIONS WITH SOLUTIONS RATED A+
✔✔When cerebral hypoxia develops more gradually, the neurologic signs are the same
as when severe cerebral hypoxia develops suddenly.
1. True
2. False - ✔✔2.
✔✔The AVPU scale is a scale used to evaluate cerebral cortex function and is used to
rate a child's level of consciousness. What does the acronym AVPU stand for?
1. Alert, Voice, Painful, Unresponsive
2. Active, Verbal, Painful, Unresponsive
3. Alert, Voice, Pupils, Unresponsive
4. Alive, Voice, Pulses, Understands - ✔✔1.
✔✔The Glasgow coma scale is used to evaluate a child's level of consciousness and
neurologic status. The child's best eye-opening, verbal, and motor responses are
scored. If a child is intubated, unconscious, or preverbal, the most important part of this
scale is _____________ response.
1. Eye-opening
2. Verbal
3. Motor - ✔✔3.
✔✔Pupil response to light is a indicator of ______________ function.
1. Cortex
2. Hypothalamus
3. Limbic
4. Brainstem - ✔✔4.
✔✔The D(disability) of the primary assessment is a quick evaluation of neurologic
function. Which standard evaluations are included in this assessment? (choose all
correct answers)
1. AVPU scale
2. Glasgow coma scale
3. Pupil response to light
4. NIH stroke scale
5. Blood glucose test - ✔✔1, 2, 3, 5
✔✔The E of the ABCDE primary assessment acronym stands for ________________.
1. Evidence
2. Emergency
3. Evaluate
4. Exposure - ✔✔4.
, ✔✔After completion of the primary assessment, if the child does not have a life-
threatening condition, the secondary assessment should be completed. The secondary
assessment consists of which of the following components? (Choose all correct
answers)
1. General physical exam
2. Family medical history
3. Focused history
4. Focused physical exam - ✔✔3, 4
✔✔The final aspect of the evaluate component for the evaluate - identify - intervene
sequence is diagnostic tests. What is the primary diagnostic test for assessing the
severity of respiratory problems?
1. Central venous oxygen saturation
2. Hemoglobin concentration
3. Arterial blood gas
4. Arterial lactate - ✔✔3.
✔✔Within the evaluate-identify-intervene sequence, there are 3 clinical assessments
that occur. The 3 clinical assessments are primary assessment, secondary assessment,
and _________ tests. (fill in the blank with the correct answer) - ✔✔Diagnostic
✔✔An arterial blood gas is a diagnostic test that measures amounts of certain gasses
and other constituents in the arterial blood. Match each result with the proper definition.
A. This value tells us about the acid-base balance.
B. This value tells us whether oxygenation is adequate.
C. This value tells us whether ventilation is adequate.
D. This value is used to determine if the source of an acid-base disturbance is
respiratory or metabolic.
E. This value tells us the percentage of hemoglobin saturated with oxygen. - ✔✔A. pH
(7.35-7.45)
B. PaO2 (80-100)
C. PaCO2 (35-45)
D. HCO3 (22-26)
E. SaO2 (80-100)
✔✔(True or False) Hemoglobin concentration determines the oxygen-carrying capacity
of the blood.
1. True
2. False - ✔✔1.
✔✔In the seriously ill or injured child, the arterial lactate level can __________ as a
result of tissue hypoxia and anaerobic metabolism.
1. Fall
2. Rise - ✔✔2.
