North Carolina EMT State
Certification Exam: 300 Practice
Questions And Correct Answers
Latest 2026-2027
1. How many blood pressure measurements does it take to obtain a
baseline value for a single patient?
A. 1
B. 2
C. 3
D. 4
Answer: C
2. Your 42-year-old female patient is complaining of left arm
numbness and back pain that began 10 minutes ago. She is
embarrassed that she called 911, but states that "something just
doesn't feel right." She has no medical history, takes no
medications, and is allergic to penicillin. She is alert and oriented to
person, place, time, and event. Based on this limited information,
which of the following vital signs would be least helpful in
determining your differential diagnosis?
A. CBG (Capillary Blood Glucose)
B. Pulse oximetry
C. Stroke screen
D. Electrocardiogram
Answer: A
3. Your patient is a 2-year-old female who was chasing the family
dog outside when she ran into the play structure. She struck her
anterior body on a pole of the play structure and is complaining of
severe abdominal pain. Which of the following is the correct order
in which to perform your physical assessment of the patient?
,A. Head, neck, chest, back, extremities, abdomen
B. Head, neck, chest, abdomen, back, extremities
C. Head, neck, chest, back, extremities. Do not assess the abdomen due
to pain.
D. Abdomen, chest, head, neck, back, extremities
Answer: A
4. You are attempting to gain a history from your 21-year-old male
patient who is experiencing a severe asthma attack. He is able to
speak in 1-2 word sentences, has diminished lung sounds, and an
initial oxygen saturation of 90%. What is the best method of
questioning this patient regarding his medical history?
A. Direct questions
B. Facilitation
C. Clarification
D. Open-ended questions
Answer: A
5. Which of the following is not a sign of severe respiratory distress
in a pediatric patient?
A. Wheezing
B. Retractions
C. Nasal flaring
D. See-saw breathing
Answer: A
6. Which of the following pulse qualities is most worrisome?
A. Thready
B. Bounding
C. Irregular
Answer: A
7. Your patient has gone unresponsive, breathing 8/minute. You
start delivering breaths by BVM, but haven't attached 100% oxygen.
What concentration of oxygen are you delivering to your patient?
A. 21%
B. 33%
C. 24%
,D. 17%
Answer: A
8. In what situation would it be best to remove a motorcycle helmet
after an accident?
A. The airway is inaccessible, but the patient's breathing is stable
B. The helmet is snugly fit around the patient's head allowing little to no
movement
C. Proper spinal immobilization can be performed with the helmet on
D. Removal would cause further pain, but would not compromise spinal
integrity
Answer: A
9. Why should care be taken not to give too large a volume of air to
a patient while administering breaths during CPR?
A. You may fill the stomach with air causing the victim to vomit
B. Over-ventilation is very uncomfortable for the victim
C. Over-ventilation can cause the lungs to expand to an unsafe size
D. Too much oxygen can hinder the effectiveness of compressions
Answer: A
10. The process in which the hemoglobin molecules in circulating
red blood cells picks up oxygen molecules and carbon dioxide is
expelled from the lungs is called?
A. Respiration
B. Breathing
C. Oxygenation
D. Ventilation
Answer: A
11. What happens to most of the oxygen that enters the
bloodstream?
A. It binds with hemoglobin on red blood cells
B. It dissolves in plasma and is transported
C. It gets transported as bicarbonate
D. It remains in the dead space of the respiratory tree
Answer: A
, 12. You're called to a private residence for a 72-year-old male who
has an altered mental status. Vital signs are BP: 102/58, HR: 104, RR:
6/min, SpO2: 88%. What should be your first intervention?
A. Place an appropriately sized NPA
B. Place the patient in spinal precautions
C. Check the patient's temperature
D. Ventilate the patient with a BVM
Answer: A
13. Your patient has been pulled from a fire. She has decreased tidal
volume. Decreased tidal volume can be evident by?
A. Shallow respirations
B. Coughing
C. Decreased respiration rate
D. Deep respirations
Answer: A
14. A lower airway obstruction occurs in what anatomical
structure(s)?
A. Bronchioles
B. Trachea
C. Hypopharynx
D. Oropharynx
Answer: A
15. What should your first action be when treating a conscious 40-
year-old male with rapid respirations?
A. Apply 100% oxygen
B. Two slow breaths via BVM
C. Assess the regularity and quality of breathing
D. Insert an airway adjunct
Answer: A
16. Your patient is breathing at 12 breaths-per-minute with
adequate tidal volume. During inspiration, pressure in the
intrapulmonary space is?
A. Negative compared to atmospheric pressure
B. 500 mL
Certification Exam: 300 Practice
Questions And Correct Answers
Latest 2026-2027
1. How many blood pressure measurements does it take to obtain a
baseline value for a single patient?
A. 1
B. 2
C. 3
D. 4
Answer: C
2. Your 42-year-old female patient is complaining of left arm
numbness and back pain that began 10 minutes ago. She is
embarrassed that she called 911, but states that "something just
doesn't feel right." She has no medical history, takes no
medications, and is allergic to penicillin. She is alert and oriented to
person, place, time, and event. Based on this limited information,
which of the following vital signs would be least helpful in
determining your differential diagnosis?
A. CBG (Capillary Blood Glucose)
B. Pulse oximetry
C. Stroke screen
D. Electrocardiogram
Answer: A
3. Your patient is a 2-year-old female who was chasing the family
dog outside when she ran into the play structure. She struck her
anterior body on a pole of the play structure and is complaining of
severe abdominal pain. Which of the following is the correct order
in which to perform your physical assessment of the patient?
,A. Head, neck, chest, back, extremities, abdomen
B. Head, neck, chest, abdomen, back, extremities
C. Head, neck, chest, back, extremities. Do not assess the abdomen due
to pain.
D. Abdomen, chest, head, neck, back, extremities
Answer: A
4. You are attempting to gain a history from your 21-year-old male
patient who is experiencing a severe asthma attack. He is able to
speak in 1-2 word sentences, has diminished lung sounds, and an
initial oxygen saturation of 90%. What is the best method of
questioning this patient regarding his medical history?
A. Direct questions
B. Facilitation
C. Clarification
D. Open-ended questions
Answer: A
5. Which of the following is not a sign of severe respiratory distress
in a pediatric patient?
A. Wheezing
B. Retractions
C. Nasal flaring
D. See-saw breathing
Answer: A
6. Which of the following pulse qualities is most worrisome?
A. Thready
B. Bounding
C. Irregular
Answer: A
7. Your patient has gone unresponsive, breathing 8/minute. You
start delivering breaths by BVM, but haven't attached 100% oxygen.
What concentration of oxygen are you delivering to your patient?
A. 21%
B. 33%
C. 24%
,D. 17%
Answer: A
8. In what situation would it be best to remove a motorcycle helmet
after an accident?
A. The airway is inaccessible, but the patient's breathing is stable
B. The helmet is snugly fit around the patient's head allowing little to no
movement
C. Proper spinal immobilization can be performed with the helmet on
D. Removal would cause further pain, but would not compromise spinal
integrity
Answer: A
9. Why should care be taken not to give too large a volume of air to
a patient while administering breaths during CPR?
A. You may fill the stomach with air causing the victim to vomit
B. Over-ventilation is very uncomfortable for the victim
C. Over-ventilation can cause the lungs to expand to an unsafe size
D. Too much oxygen can hinder the effectiveness of compressions
Answer: A
10. The process in which the hemoglobin molecules in circulating
red blood cells picks up oxygen molecules and carbon dioxide is
expelled from the lungs is called?
A. Respiration
B. Breathing
C. Oxygenation
D. Ventilation
Answer: A
11. What happens to most of the oxygen that enters the
bloodstream?
A. It binds with hemoglobin on red blood cells
B. It dissolves in plasma and is transported
C. It gets transported as bicarbonate
D. It remains in the dead space of the respiratory tree
Answer: A
, 12. You're called to a private residence for a 72-year-old male who
has an altered mental status. Vital signs are BP: 102/58, HR: 104, RR:
6/min, SpO2: 88%. What should be your first intervention?
A. Place an appropriately sized NPA
B. Place the patient in spinal precautions
C. Check the patient's temperature
D. Ventilate the patient with a BVM
Answer: A
13. Your patient has been pulled from a fire. She has decreased tidal
volume. Decreased tidal volume can be evident by?
A. Shallow respirations
B. Coughing
C. Decreased respiration rate
D. Deep respirations
Answer: A
14. A lower airway obstruction occurs in what anatomical
structure(s)?
A. Bronchioles
B. Trachea
C. Hypopharynx
D. Oropharynx
Answer: A
15. What should your first action be when treating a conscious 40-
year-old male with rapid respirations?
A. Apply 100% oxygen
B. Two slow breaths via BVM
C. Assess the regularity and quality of breathing
D. Insert an airway adjunct
Answer: A
16. Your patient is breathing at 12 breaths-per-minute with
adequate tidal volume. During inspiration, pressure in the
intrapulmonary space is?
A. Negative compared to atmospheric pressure
B. 500 mL
