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Assessment practice questions

22 questions from the emergency medical technician (emt) practice test.

Assessment practice test

10 questions, graded as you go, with the reason for every answer. No sign-up.

What this covers

Sample questions

A patient with chest pain says it gets worse when he walks and eases when he sits still. Which part of OPQRST does this answer?

  1. Quality of the pain
  2. Region and radiation of pain
  3. Provocation or palliation
  4. Onset of the pain
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C. Provocation or palliation

The P in OPQRST asks what makes the complaint worse (provocation) or better (palliation). Onset asks what the patient was doing when it began, which is a different question from what changes the pain now.

Reference: National EMS Education Standards (EMT): History taking, OPQRST

Which of these findings is a symptom rather than a sign?

  1. She says she feels nauseated
  2. Wheezing heard with a stethoscope
  3. Skin that is pale and sweaty
  4. A blood pressure of 90/60 mmHg
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A. She says she feels nauseated

A symptom is something the patient feels and tells you about, such as nausea, pain or dizziness. A sign is something you can observe or measure yourself, such as wheezing, skin color or a blood pressure reading.

Reference: National EMS Education Standards (EMT): History taking and secondary assessment

When you take a blood pressure by palpation instead of with a stethoscope, what do you obtain?

  1. The diastolic pressure only
  2. The systolic pressure only
  3. Both systolic and diastolic
  4. The mean arterial pressure
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B. The systolic pressure only

By palpation you note the gauge reading at the moment the radial pulse returns as the cuff deflates, which approximates the systolic pressure. No diastolic value can be found this way because it depends on hearing the sounds fade.

Reference: National EMS Education Standards (EMT): Vital signs

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