BLS Test Questions and Answers
(AHA) Comprehensive Exam
Review 2026
‣ Provide Care . Answer: Implement appropriate care based on your understanding
of the patient's condition. Proper care cannot be provided without effective
assessment and accurate recognition of the patient's condition. The care you
provide may include:
-Delivering ventilations to a patient in respiratory arrest or respiratory failure.
-Performing CPR on a patient in cardiac arrest.
-Positioning and providing care as needed for a patient with a life-threatening
injury or illness.
-Clearing an obstructed airway.
-Administering naloxone to a patient experiencing an opioid overdose.
‣ Reassess and Document . Answer: After providing care, it is important to reassess
the patient and the effectiveness of your interventions to determine next steps
based on your findings.
Always document to establish a record of the events that took place, the care you
provided and the facts you discovered.
‣ You are about to start your morning rounds, when you hear a loud crash in Mrs.
Bailey's room. When you enter her doorway, you see her lying on the floor with
her walker tipped over next to her. You must first perform a visual survey. What
actions should you take? . Answer: -Determine whether any additional help is
needed
-Observe for any signs of illness or injury
,Before you help an ill or injured patient, assess for any immediate dangers to make
sure that the environment is safe for you and any individuals present during the
event.
Next, gather an initial impression of the patient's status, which includes looking for
life-threatening bleeding. Your ability to quickly formulate an impression of the
patient before performing any hands-on techniques helps you to assess whether the
emergency is life-threatening. While the initial impression does not identify a
specific emergency, it does provide important clues to what might be happening,
and it may help determine whether a patient survives.
Finally, quickly identify what additional resources you may need in the situation,
such as a rapid response or resuscitation team or an advanced life support unit
available to respond, or any additional equipment such as an AED.
‣ As you approach Mrs. Bailey you note that she appears unresponsive and you do
not see signs of life-threatening bleeding. Which action should you perform next? .
Answer: If the patient appears unresponsive, you need to check for responsiveness.
If they are unresponsive, you should activate EMS, rapid response or resuscitation
team. Then open the airway to a past-neutral position and check breathing and a
pulse for no more than 10 seconds; and at the same time, scan the body for life-
threatening bleeding. Finally, you should implement care based on your findings.
‣ Mrs. Bailey is unresponsive. You suspect she may have a head injury. Which
technique should you use to open Mrs. Bailey's airway? . Answer: Modified Jaw
Thrust maneuver
‣ Once the airway is open..... . Answer: you simultaneously check for breathing, a
pulse and life-threatening bleeding.
‣ While simultaneously checking for breathing and a pulse, you correctly adhere to
which amount of time? . Answer: No more than 10 sec
, ‣ As you check Mrs. Bailey's breathing, you... . Answer: look to see whether her
chest rises and falls, listen for escaping air and feel for breathing against the side of
your cheek.
‣ Rapid assessment of Mrs. Bailey's breathing reveals irregular, gasping breaths.
You correctly identify this pattern of breathing as: . Answer: Agonal breaths:
Agonal breaths are isolated or infrequent gasps that occur in the absence of normal
breathing in an unconscious patient. These breaths can occur after the heart has
stopped beating and are considered a sign of cardiac arrest. Agonal breaths are not
normal breathing. If the patient is demonstrating agonal breaths, you need to care
for the patient as if they are not breathing at all.
‣ You note he is not breathing and has a central pulse. You do not see signs of life-
threatening bleeding.
What emergency condition is Mr. Henderson experiencing? . Answer: Respiratory
arrest
‣ What action do you take for respiratory arrest . Answer: Deliver ventilations.
Deliver 1 ventilation every 6 seconds for an adult patient, with each ventilation
lasting about 1 second and making the chest rise.
Do this for 2 minutes and recheck breath and pulse
‣ You note he is not breathing and has no central pulse. You do not see signs of
life-threatening bleeding.
What emergency condition is he experiencing? . Answer: Cardiac arrest
‣ The Cardiac Chain of Survival describes six actions that, when performed in
rapid succession, increase the patient's likelihood of surviving sudden cardiac
(AHA) Comprehensive Exam
Review 2026
‣ Provide Care . Answer: Implement appropriate care based on your understanding
of the patient's condition. Proper care cannot be provided without effective
assessment and accurate recognition of the patient's condition. The care you
provide may include:
-Delivering ventilations to a patient in respiratory arrest or respiratory failure.
-Performing CPR on a patient in cardiac arrest.
-Positioning and providing care as needed for a patient with a life-threatening
injury or illness.
-Clearing an obstructed airway.
-Administering naloxone to a patient experiencing an opioid overdose.
‣ Reassess and Document . Answer: After providing care, it is important to reassess
the patient and the effectiveness of your interventions to determine next steps
based on your findings.
Always document to establish a record of the events that took place, the care you
provided and the facts you discovered.
‣ You are about to start your morning rounds, when you hear a loud crash in Mrs.
Bailey's room. When you enter her doorway, you see her lying on the floor with
her walker tipped over next to her. You must first perform a visual survey. What
actions should you take? . Answer: -Determine whether any additional help is
needed
-Observe for any signs of illness or injury
,Before you help an ill or injured patient, assess for any immediate dangers to make
sure that the environment is safe for you and any individuals present during the
event.
Next, gather an initial impression of the patient's status, which includes looking for
life-threatening bleeding. Your ability to quickly formulate an impression of the
patient before performing any hands-on techniques helps you to assess whether the
emergency is life-threatening. While the initial impression does not identify a
specific emergency, it does provide important clues to what might be happening,
and it may help determine whether a patient survives.
Finally, quickly identify what additional resources you may need in the situation,
such as a rapid response or resuscitation team or an advanced life support unit
available to respond, or any additional equipment such as an AED.
‣ As you approach Mrs. Bailey you note that she appears unresponsive and you do
not see signs of life-threatening bleeding. Which action should you perform next? .
Answer: If the patient appears unresponsive, you need to check for responsiveness.
If they are unresponsive, you should activate EMS, rapid response or resuscitation
team. Then open the airway to a past-neutral position and check breathing and a
pulse for no more than 10 seconds; and at the same time, scan the body for life-
threatening bleeding. Finally, you should implement care based on your findings.
‣ Mrs. Bailey is unresponsive. You suspect she may have a head injury. Which
technique should you use to open Mrs. Bailey's airway? . Answer: Modified Jaw
Thrust maneuver
‣ Once the airway is open..... . Answer: you simultaneously check for breathing, a
pulse and life-threatening bleeding.
‣ While simultaneously checking for breathing and a pulse, you correctly adhere to
which amount of time? . Answer: No more than 10 sec
, ‣ As you check Mrs. Bailey's breathing, you... . Answer: look to see whether her
chest rises and falls, listen for escaping air and feel for breathing against the side of
your cheek.
‣ Rapid assessment of Mrs. Bailey's breathing reveals irregular, gasping breaths.
You correctly identify this pattern of breathing as: . Answer: Agonal breaths:
Agonal breaths are isolated or infrequent gasps that occur in the absence of normal
breathing in an unconscious patient. These breaths can occur after the heart has
stopped beating and are considered a sign of cardiac arrest. Agonal breaths are not
normal breathing. If the patient is demonstrating agonal breaths, you need to care
for the patient as if they are not breathing at all.
‣ You note he is not breathing and has a central pulse. You do not see signs of life-
threatening bleeding.
What emergency condition is Mr. Henderson experiencing? . Answer: Respiratory
arrest
‣ What action do you take for respiratory arrest . Answer: Deliver ventilations.
Deliver 1 ventilation every 6 seconds for an adult patient, with each ventilation
lasting about 1 second and making the chest rise.
Do this for 2 minutes and recheck breath and pulse
‣ You note he is not breathing and has no central pulse. You do not see signs of
life-threatening bleeding.
What emergency condition is he experiencing? . Answer: Cardiac arrest
‣ The Cardiac Chain of Survival describes six actions that, when performed in
rapid succession, increase the patient's likelihood of surviving sudden cardiac
