NREMT Secondary Assessment Practice Test (Free Drill)

How much of the NREMT is secondary assessment?

Under a tenth of the exam, but scoring tools also appear inside other domains, and they are pure knowledge you can lock in quickly.

Weight on the real exam (NREMT) and on our mocks
Secondary Assessment	5-9% of the EMT exam, about 4 to 11 questions across the 70 to 120 rangePublished by the ownerNREMT, EMT candidate handbook: about the examination
What it covers	History (SAMPLE, OPQRST), the physical exam, vital signs, scoring tools and reassessmentPublished by the ownerNREMT, "Emergency Medical Technician examination specifications" (test plan, PDF)
On our mocks	5 of 70 questions in every mock, mixed in with the other domainsLifeScore

What does secondary assessment cover?

Finding out what is wrong once life threats are handled.

History
SAMPLE (signs and symptoms, allergies, medications, past history, last oral intake, events) and OPQRST for pain.
Physical exam
Focused and full-body exams, DCAP-BTLS, pupils, lung sounds, stroke scales.
Vital signs
Normal ranges by age, pulse oximetry and its limits, blood glucose, capnography basics.
Scoring tools
generated
Glasgow Coma Scale, rule of nines for burns, APGAR for newborns. Our mocks generate fresh versions with the arithmetic checked by code.
Reassessment
Every 5 minutes for unstable patients and 15 for stable ones; trends matter more than single readings.

What do secondary assessment questions look like?

History, findings and scores. The first two are worked.

NREMT-style question 1 · Scoring
A patient opens his eyes only to pain, makes incomprehensible sounds and pulls his arm away from pain. What is his GCS?
1. A8
2. B9
3. C6
4. D10
Worked answer
A: 8. Eyes to pain 2 + incomprehensible sounds 2 + withdraws 4 = 8. A GCS of 8 or less suggests the airway may need protecting.
The trap: Scoring "pulls away" as localizing (5).
NREMT-style question 2 · Burns
An adult has partial-thickness burns over the whole front of the chest and abdomen and the whole left arm. About what percentage is burned?
1. A27%
2. B22.5%
3. C18%
4. D36%
Worked answer
A: 27%. Front of the trunk 18% + one arm 9% = 27%.
The trap: Counting the front of the trunk as 9%.
NREMT-style question 3 · History
In OPQRST, what does the R ask about?
1. AHow bad it is from 0 to 10
2. BWhat makes it better or worse
3. CWhether the pain spreads anywhere
4. DWhen it started
Show the answer
C: Whether the pain spreads anywhere. Onset, provocation, quality, region and radiation, severity, time.
NREMT-style question 4 · Reassessment
How often should you reassess a stable patient?
1. AAbout every 30 minutes
2. BAbout every 5 minutes
3. COnly on arrival at hospital
4. DAbout every 15 minutes
Show the answer
D: About every 15 minutes. Stable patients every 15 minutes; unstable patients every 5.

Written for this page as worked examples. None is a real exam question, and none is in any mock or drill.

Small domain, easy marks to bank

Twelve questions show the gap. 4 more secondary assessment drills and 8 full mocks close it.

The NREMT Pass Pack gives you 8 full mocks on the real clock, 20 drills of 12 questions for the sections that cost you points, and a predictor that turns your mocks into the odds of reaching your target. One payment, no subscription, and your free score stays free.

Prep courses for these tests usually cost $19 to $129. The NREMT Pass Pack is US$39 (£29), once.

See the NREMT Pass Pack How our questions are built and checked

8
timed mocks: 20
topic drills: 1
score predictor

How do the GCS, rule of nines and APGAR work?

Each is a fixed table; learn the tables and the questions become arithmetic.

Standard scales (Teasdale and Jennett's GCS, the adult rule of nines, Apgar's score)
Tool	Parts	Range
Glasgow Coma Scale	Eyes 1-4, verbal 1-5, motor 1-6	3 to 15; 8 or less suggests a threatened airway
Rule of nines, adult	Head 9, each arm 9, front trunk 18, back 18, each leg 18, genitals 1	Partial- and full-thickness burns only
Rule of nines, child	Head larger and legs smaller than an adult's	Use your protocol's child chart
APGAR	Appearance, pulse, grimace, activity, respirations, 0-2 each	0 to 10 at 1 and 5 minutes; never delay resuscitation for it

What rules win secondary assessment questions?

Four rules.

Score each part, then add
Write eyes, verbal and motor separately; most GCS errors are in the motor score.
Burns: count partial and full thickness only
Superficial burns are not counted.
Trends beat snapshots
A rising pulse and falling pressure matter more than any single reading.
Numbers serve the patient
A normal reading does not override a patient who looks unwell.

What traps are set in secondary assessment questions?

Small scoring slips.

Scoring withdrawal from pain as localizing.
Counting the front of the trunk as 9% instead of 18%.
Counting superficial burns.
Treating a normal oximeter reading as proof in carbon monoxide poisoning.
Reassessing an unstable patient only every 15 minutes.

How do I study secondary assessment?

Three short sessions.

Our plan, with minutes a day

Day 1
20 min
Free drill above; note the tool you slipped on.
Day 2
20 min
GCS and APGAR tables, then ten practice scores.
Day 3
20 min
Rule of nines, SAMPLE, OPQRST and reassessment timing.

Frequently asked questions

Is the GCS on the NREMT?

Yes. Scoring tools such as the Glasgow Coma Scale, rule of nines and APGAR are part of the EMT exam's assessment content.

What GCS means a patient may not protect the airway?

8 or less is the usual threshold taught in EMT courses.

How is the rule of nines different for children?

A child's head is a larger share of the body and the legs a smaller share. Use your protocol's chart.

Do these questions follow my local protocols?

They follow national EMT education standards, which is what the exam tests. Your local protocols and medical direction govern real patient care.

Lock in the easy marks

20 topic drills (4 for secondary assessment), 8 full mocks and a predictor, in one payment with no subscription.