ITLS Final Exam International Trauma Life Support 9th Ed.
Actual Exam 2026/2027 – Complete Exam-Style Questions
with Detailed Rationales | 100% Verified | Pass Guaranteed –
A+ Graded
Section A: Scene Size-Up, Primary Survey, & Initial Assessment
Q1: You are the first EMS unit to arrive at a multi-vehicle collision on an interstate
highway at night. What is the first component of your scene size-up?
A. Immediately approaching the most severely injured patient
B. Scene safety assessment, mechanism of injury analysis, number of patients, and
need for additional resources [CORRECT]
C. Performing a detailed head-to-toe exam on the nearest patient
D. Contacting the hospital to request a trauma team activation
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Scene Size-Up begins with ensuring scene safety, analyzing the mechanism
of injury, determining the number of patients, and assessing the need for additional
resources before patient contact. Options A and C expose providers to unsafe
conditions and skip critical scene information. Option D occurs after patient
assessment and resource determination.
Q2: As your ambulance approaches a motor vehicle collision scene, you perform a rapid
visual scan from the vehicle to identify critical findings. This rapid visual assessment is
properly called:
A. The Detailed Physical Exam
B. The Windshield Survey [CORRECT]
,C. The Ongoing Assessment
D. The Focused Exam
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The Windshield Survey is performed during scene size-up to rapidly identify
critical findings from the vehicle and scene before exiting the ambulance. Options A, C,
and D describe assessments performed after patient contact, not the initial visual scan.
Q3: During the primary survey of a trauma patient, which time limit should the entire
primary survey generally not exceed?
A. 5-7 minutes
B. 3-4 minutes
C. 1.5-2 minutes [CORRECT]
D. 30-45 seconds
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: The primary survey should take no more than 1.5-2 minutes per ITLS 9th
Edition, and should be interrupted only for safety, airway obstruction, or cardiac arrest.
Options A and B are too long and delay critical interventions. Option D is unrealistically
short for a thorough primary survey.
Q4: You approach a 35-year-old male motorcycle crash patient lying supine near his
downed bike. During the Initial Assessment, you note he is approximately 80 kg, appears
pale, is not moving purposefully, and has obvious deformity to his right thigh. Which
component of the Initial Assessment are you performing?
A. The Rapid Trauma Survey
B. The general impression [CORRECT]
C. The Detailed Physical Exam
, D. The Focused Exam
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The general impression includes age, weight, sex, general appearance,
position, purposeful movement, obvious injuries, skin color, and life-threatening
bleeding. Option A is a subsequent survey. Option C occurs later. Option D is for medical
or minor trauma patients.
Q5: A trauma patient opens their eyes when you speak to them but is confused about
the events. Using the AVPU scale, this patient is classified as:
A. Alert
B. Voice [CORRECT]
C. Pain
D. Unresponsive
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: AVPU classifies a patient who responds to voice but is confused as "Voice."
Option A requires full alertness and orientation. Option C requires painful stimulus to
elicit response. Option D indicates no response to any stimulus.
Q6: You are managing a 22-year-old female who was ejected from a vehicle. She is
conscious and complaining of neck pain. What is the appropriate immediate
intervention regarding spinal protection?
A. Perform a focused neurological exam before applying any immobilization
B. Maintain cervical spine control and implement spinal motion restriction [CORRECT]
C. Allow the patient to self-extricate to reduce anxiety
D. Delay spinal precautions until radiographic confirmation at the hospital
Actual Exam 2026/2027 – Complete Exam-Style Questions
with Detailed Rationales | 100% Verified | Pass Guaranteed –
A+ Graded
Section A: Scene Size-Up, Primary Survey, & Initial Assessment
Q1: You are the first EMS unit to arrive at a multi-vehicle collision on an interstate
highway at night. What is the first component of your scene size-up?
A. Immediately approaching the most severely injured patient
B. Scene safety assessment, mechanism of injury analysis, number of patients, and
need for additional resources [CORRECT]
C. Performing a detailed head-to-toe exam on the nearest patient
D. Contacting the hospital to request a trauma team activation
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Scene Size-Up begins with ensuring scene safety, analyzing the mechanism
of injury, determining the number of patients, and assessing the need for additional
resources before patient contact. Options A and C expose providers to unsafe
conditions and skip critical scene information. Option D occurs after patient
assessment and resource determination.
Q2: As your ambulance approaches a motor vehicle collision scene, you perform a rapid
visual scan from the vehicle to identify critical findings. This rapid visual assessment is
properly called:
A. The Detailed Physical Exam
B. The Windshield Survey [CORRECT]
,C. The Ongoing Assessment
D. The Focused Exam
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The Windshield Survey is performed during scene size-up to rapidly identify
critical findings from the vehicle and scene before exiting the ambulance. Options A, C,
and D describe assessments performed after patient contact, not the initial visual scan.
Q3: During the primary survey of a trauma patient, which time limit should the entire
primary survey generally not exceed?
A. 5-7 minutes
B. 3-4 minutes
C. 1.5-2 minutes [CORRECT]
D. 30-45 seconds
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: The primary survey should take no more than 1.5-2 minutes per ITLS 9th
Edition, and should be interrupted only for safety, airway obstruction, or cardiac arrest.
Options A and B are too long and delay critical interventions. Option D is unrealistically
short for a thorough primary survey.
Q4: You approach a 35-year-old male motorcycle crash patient lying supine near his
downed bike. During the Initial Assessment, you note he is approximately 80 kg, appears
pale, is not moving purposefully, and has obvious deformity to his right thigh. Which
component of the Initial Assessment are you performing?
A. The Rapid Trauma Survey
B. The general impression [CORRECT]
C. The Detailed Physical Exam
, D. The Focused Exam
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The general impression includes age, weight, sex, general appearance,
position, purposeful movement, obvious injuries, skin color, and life-threatening
bleeding. Option A is a subsequent survey. Option C occurs later. Option D is for medical
or minor trauma patients.
Q5: A trauma patient opens their eyes when you speak to them but is confused about
the events. Using the AVPU scale, this patient is classified as:
A. Alert
B. Voice [CORRECT]
C. Pain
D. Unresponsive
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: AVPU classifies a patient who responds to voice but is confused as "Voice."
Option A requires full alertness and orientation. Option C requires painful stimulus to
elicit response. Option D indicates no response to any stimulus.
Q6: You are managing a 22-year-old female who was ejected from a vehicle. She is
conscious and complaining of neck pain. What is the appropriate immediate
intervention regarding spinal protection?
A. Perform a focused neurological exam before applying any immobilization
B. Maintain cervical spine control and implement spinal motion restriction [CORRECT]
C. Allow the patient to self-extricate to reduce anxiety
D. Delay spinal precautions until radiographic confirmation at the hospital
