PALS Exam Questions & Answers
2024/2025
In which of the following situations may IO access be used?
A. An extremity with signs of infection
B. An extremity with signs of a crush injury
C. An extremity with a previous unsuccessful IO attempt
D. An extremity with slow a capillary refill time - CORRECT ANSWER-D. An extremity
with slow a capillary refill time
A 2-week-old infant is being evaluated for irritability and poor feeding. His blood
pressure is 55/40 mm Hg, and capillary refill time is 5 seconds. Which statement best
describes your assessment of this infant's blood pressure?
A. It represents compensated shock.
B. It is hypertensive.
C. It is hypotensive.
D. It is normal. - CORRECT ANSWER-C. It is hypotensive.
You are caring for patients in the emergency department. Which 2-year-old child
requires immediate intervention?
A. A child who is grunting
B. A child with an SpO2 of 95% on room air
C. A child with a systolic blood pressure of 92 mm Hg
D. A child with a temperature of 37.4°C (99.3°F) - CORRECT ANSWER-A. A child who
is grunting
A 3-year-old child is having difficulty breathing. What finding would most likely lead you
to suspect an upper airway obstruction in this child?
A. Expiratory breath sounds
B. Decreased expiratory effort
,C. Increased inspiratory effort with retractions
D. Normal inspiratory sounds - CORRECT ANSWER-C. Increased inspiratory effort with
retractions
A team member is unable to perform an assigned task because it is beyond the team
member's scope of practice. What action should the team member take?
A. Ask for a new task or role
B. Refuse to perform the task
C. Do it anyway
D. Seek expert consultation - CORRECT ANSWER-A. Ask for a new task or role
You are the Team Leader during a pediatric resuscitation attempt. What action is an
element of high-quality CPR?
A. Providing a compression depth of one fourth the depth of the chest
B. Providing a compression rate of 80 to 100/min
C. Allowing complete chest wall recoil after each compression
D. Performing pulse checks every minute - CORRECT ANSWER-C. Allowing complete
chest wall recoil after each compression
An 8-year-old child is brought to the emergency department by his mother for difficulty
breathing. He has a history of asthma and nut allergies. His mother tells you that he
recently ate a cookie at a family picnic. What condition is most likely to be present in this
child?
A. Disordered control of breathing
B. Hypovolemic shock
C. Lung tissue disease
D. Upper airway obstruction - CORRECT ANSWER-D. Upper airway obstruction
An 8-year-old child is brought to the emergency department by ambulance after being
involved in a motor vehicle collision. What finding would suggest that immediate
intervention is needed?
A. Decreased level of consciousness
, B. Systolic blood pressure of 106 mm Hg
C. Temperature of 38.1°C (100.5°F)
D. Warm, moist skin - CORRECT ANSWER-A. Decreased level of consciousness
A 6-year-old child is found unresponsive, not breathing, and without a pulse. One
healthcare worker leaves to activate the emergency response system and get the
resuscitation equipment. You and another healthcare provider immediately begin
performing CPR. What compression-to-ventilation ratio do you use?
A. 15:1
B. 30:1
C. 15:2
D. 30:2 - CORRECT ANSWER-C. 15:2
A 3-year-old child is in cardiac arrest, and high-quality CPR is in progress. You are the
Team Leader. The first rhythm check reveals the rhythm shown here. Defibrillation is
attempted with a shock dose of 2 J/kg. After shock administration, what should you say
to your team members?
A. "Check for a pulse."
B. "Give epinephrine 0.01 mg/kg."
C. "Let's check the rhythm."
D. "Resume compressions." - CORRECT ANSWER-D. "Resume compressions."
You are caring for a 5-year-old boy with a 4-day history of high fever and cough. He is
having increasing lethargy, grunting, and sleepiness. Now he is difficult to arouse and is
unresponsive to voice commands. His oxygen saturation is 72% on room air and 89%
when on a nonrebreathing oxygen mask. He has shallow respirations with a respiratory
rate of 38/min. Auscultation of the lungs reveals bilateral crackles.
What assessment finding is consistent with respiratory failure in this child?
A. Cough
B. Fever
2024/2025
In which of the following situations may IO access be used?
A. An extremity with signs of infection
B. An extremity with signs of a crush injury
C. An extremity with a previous unsuccessful IO attempt
D. An extremity with slow a capillary refill time - CORRECT ANSWER-D. An extremity
with slow a capillary refill time
A 2-week-old infant is being evaluated for irritability and poor feeding. His blood
pressure is 55/40 mm Hg, and capillary refill time is 5 seconds. Which statement best
describes your assessment of this infant's blood pressure?
A. It represents compensated shock.
B. It is hypertensive.
C. It is hypotensive.
D. It is normal. - CORRECT ANSWER-C. It is hypotensive.
You are caring for patients in the emergency department. Which 2-year-old child
requires immediate intervention?
A. A child who is grunting
B. A child with an SpO2 of 95% on room air
C. A child with a systolic blood pressure of 92 mm Hg
D. A child with a temperature of 37.4°C (99.3°F) - CORRECT ANSWER-A. A child who
is grunting
A 3-year-old child is having difficulty breathing. What finding would most likely lead you
to suspect an upper airway obstruction in this child?
A. Expiratory breath sounds
B. Decreased expiratory effort
,C. Increased inspiratory effort with retractions
D. Normal inspiratory sounds - CORRECT ANSWER-C. Increased inspiratory effort with
retractions
A team member is unable to perform an assigned task because it is beyond the team
member's scope of practice. What action should the team member take?
A. Ask for a new task or role
B. Refuse to perform the task
C. Do it anyway
D. Seek expert consultation - CORRECT ANSWER-A. Ask for a new task or role
You are the Team Leader during a pediatric resuscitation attempt. What action is an
element of high-quality CPR?
A. Providing a compression depth of one fourth the depth of the chest
B. Providing a compression rate of 80 to 100/min
C. Allowing complete chest wall recoil after each compression
D. Performing pulse checks every minute - CORRECT ANSWER-C. Allowing complete
chest wall recoil after each compression
An 8-year-old child is brought to the emergency department by his mother for difficulty
breathing. He has a history of asthma and nut allergies. His mother tells you that he
recently ate a cookie at a family picnic. What condition is most likely to be present in this
child?
A. Disordered control of breathing
B. Hypovolemic shock
C. Lung tissue disease
D. Upper airway obstruction - CORRECT ANSWER-D. Upper airway obstruction
An 8-year-old child is brought to the emergency department by ambulance after being
involved in a motor vehicle collision. What finding would suggest that immediate
intervention is needed?
A. Decreased level of consciousness
, B. Systolic blood pressure of 106 mm Hg
C. Temperature of 38.1°C (100.5°F)
D. Warm, moist skin - CORRECT ANSWER-A. Decreased level of consciousness
A 6-year-old child is found unresponsive, not breathing, and without a pulse. One
healthcare worker leaves to activate the emergency response system and get the
resuscitation equipment. You and another healthcare provider immediately begin
performing CPR. What compression-to-ventilation ratio do you use?
A. 15:1
B. 30:1
C. 15:2
D. 30:2 - CORRECT ANSWER-C. 15:2
A 3-year-old child is in cardiac arrest, and high-quality CPR is in progress. You are the
Team Leader. The first rhythm check reveals the rhythm shown here. Defibrillation is
attempted with a shock dose of 2 J/kg. After shock administration, what should you say
to your team members?
A. "Check for a pulse."
B. "Give epinephrine 0.01 mg/kg."
C. "Let's check the rhythm."
D. "Resume compressions." - CORRECT ANSWER-D. "Resume compressions."
You are caring for a 5-year-old boy with a 4-day history of high fever and cough. He is
having increasing lethargy, grunting, and sleepiness. Now he is difficult to arouse and is
unresponsive to voice commands. His oxygen saturation is 72% on room air and 89%
when on a nonrebreathing oxygen mask. He has shallow respirations with a respiratory
rate of 38/min. Auscultation of the lungs reveals bilateral crackles.
What assessment finding is consistent with respiratory failure in this child?
A. Cough
B. Fever
