NREMT Test Advice

[MexicanDr]

I completed this class a year ago (EMT-1), passed the class with an A and just because I was working somewhere else I didnt take the NREMT. I want to take the exam now, I signed up for it and the test is exactly in 23 days. I am going to be off from school and work, so I want to devote this period just to prep for the exam.

I think its sufficient time as I am pretty familiar with the material, I will be hitting the studying for 5-7 hrs per day, but would like to know how I should prepare for this.

Should I go to the local bookstore (Borders or Barnes & Noble) and use their prep exam guides such as Kaplan or Mosbys, or read the book?

I plan to leave the 5 days before the exam to just do practice exam/questions.

Any advice?

Thanks

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[Dwindlin]

I completed this class a year ago (EMT-1), passed the class with an A and just because I was working somewhere else I didnt take the NREMT. I want to take the exam now, I signed up for it and the test is exactly in 23 days. I am going to be off from school and work, so I want to devote this period just to prep for the exam.

I think its sufficient time as I am pretty familiar with the material, I will be hitting the studying for 5-7 hrs per day, but would like to know how I should prepare for this.

Should I go to the local bookstore (Borders or Barnes & Noble) and use their prep exam guides such as Kaplan or Mosbys, or read the book?

I plan to leave the 5 days before the exam to just do practice exam/questions.

Any advice?

Thanks

I would imagine that a prep guide will be sufficient. Practice Q's will be the high yield in my opinion. Best of luck.

 

[Paseo Del Norte]

I completed this class a year ago (EMT-1), passed the class with an A and just because I was working somewhere else I didnt take the NREMT. I want to take the exam now, I signed up for it and the test is exactly in 23 days. I am going to be off from school and work, so I want to devote this period just to prep for the exam.

I think its sufficient time as I am pretty familiar with the material, I will be hitting the studying for 5-7 hrs per day, but would like to know how I should prepare for this.

Should I go to the local bookstore (Borders or Barnes & Noble) and use their prep exam guides such as Kaplan or Mosbys, or read the book?

I plan to leave the 5 days before the exam to just do practice exam/questions.

Any advice?

Thanks

Practice questions will be the highest yield activity IMHO. For both national registry and NCLEX, I studied exclusively with practice examinations. A review that breaks the components into separate areas is a good bet, because you can identify areas of weakness and strength and adjust your study plans accordingly. Also, make sure that the answer section of your review includes the rational.

Much of the battle revolves around test taking skills. Know how to read a question, understand what the question is asking and be able to identify distracting information. Also, many of the NREMT questions like to focus on basic modalities, so do not forget the basics if you are taking the intermediate or paramedic level examination.

 

[MRSAful Fate]

I bought Kaplans NREMT study guide and thought it was nearly worthless. There were blatant errors and the information wasn't presented very well. I spent about ten minutes looking through my copy before closing it and giving it away.

Since you have a decent amount of time, going through your old EMT textbook and doing the questions at the ends of chapters would be a good preparation. It really isn't that hard of a test, just spend some quality time brushing up on the material and you will pass without much of a problem.

 

[PostHocPropDoc]

not sure if it's still relevant to bump for your situation, but ditto to much of the advice in this thread; pile on the questions and keep em coming. My advice is to get a book specifically devoted only to practice exams. The one I got had 5 complete exams, and no overview beyond basic test-taking tips. Take a practice 150 question test straight through. Don't worry so much about time just yet, rather when you're done go back over your answers to see what you got wrong. Usually, or at least in my case, trends appear in terms of what area(s) you tend to be lacking in the most (pediatrics was my main hangup). Go back over those sections in the lecturebook/notes to refresh the material, re-answer homework problems in the area to refocus your brain on the specific topics, and then repeat it all over again

All the exams are computer based now, and you will not be able to go back and correct answers once you move on to the next question, however (at least in my NREMT-B exam taken in '07), the computer will stop you when you've gotten a sufficient number of questions correct to pass. I was in the first generation of computer-based testing at my school, so no one told me this, and I was thus immediately paranoid when the test ended on question 84, when I was fully expecting a 150 question exam.

anyways, good luck!

 

[saxofoonie]

For the exam, just always remember to think back to the basics- Airway, Breathing, Circulation.This will ensure success on many of the questions. Practice books and review of fundamental concepts will be the most beneficial. While taking the exam, don't let the computer freak you out. I had 70 questions and passed. For anyone else who needs EMT advice, there are actually whole forums devoted to this topic and it helped me out. Much luck to everybody!

 

[apumic]

Honestly, if you've done well in the premedical sciences (3.7+ GPA) and in the EMT-B class itself, I doubt you'll have any problem w/ the NREMT-B exam. My experience was that it was painfully simple. A basic knowledge of first aid could probably get someone a pass on it if they possessed good critical thinking skills. Keep in mind that the test essentially keeps going until you pass it (unless, of course, you do so poorly that it is actually impossible to pass, in which case it will end early with a fail, but otherwise you cannot fail w/ less than some 120 items answered). Mine ended in the low 50s as a pass, indicating I was on the high track (in computer-adaptive testing). The questions were mostly things like:

You arrive at a college softball game to find a 21 y/o female player sitting on the bench. She c/o generalized chest pn and appears to be breathing hard with slight tripoding. You have examined the scene, taken BSI precautions, and completed your primary assessment. V/S are BP 132/88; HR 104, strong and regular; Temp 97.4ºF; SPO2 97%; Resp 20, regular but heavy. In your secondary assessment, what is the first question you ask her?

A. Do you have a hx of cardiac problems?
B. Have you fallen or had anything hit your chest recently?
C. Do you have a hx of asthma?
D. Are you taking any medications?

 

[apumic]

For the exam, just always remember to think back to the basics- Airway, Breathing, Circulation.This will ensure success on many of the questions. Practice books and review of fundamental concepts will be the most beneficial. While taking the exam, don't let the computer freak you out. I had 70 questions and passed. For anyone else who needs EMT advice, there are actually whole forums devoted to this topic and it helped me out. Much luck to everybody!

Keep in mind, though, that while the ABCs are crucial, they may seem to lead you astray on some of the trickier questions. (See my example above for one such possible case.)