AEMT practice test · 11–15% of the exam
AEMT Cardiology and Resuscitation
Cardiology and Resuscitation is 11–15% of the AEMT exam. The AEMT does not interpret rhythms, defibrillate manually, cardiovert or pace, so the questions test what you do: recognize a cardiac emergency, give aspirin and nitroglycerin when indicated, run high-quality CPR with an AED and a supraglottic airway, acquire and transmit a 12-lead, recognize shock, and bring in ALS.
135 questions in 3 hours, weighted to the six official domains, with a score report by domain and topic and an explanation for every answer.
Or start with a free domain drillFour adults each have a blood pressure of about 210/120 mmHg. Which patient has findings that indicate a hypertensive emergency rather than severe hypertension without organ injury?
What the Cardiology and Resuscitation domain tests
Graphical items on the AEMT exam use capnography strips and pictures rather than rhythm strips.
- Acute coronary syndrome: recognition including atypical presentations, aspirin, agency-supplied nitroglycerin and its contraindications, 12-lead within 10 minutes and transmission, STEMI destination.
- Cardiac arrest: compression rate and depth, 30:2 and 15:2, AED use, supraglottic airway with ventilation every 6 seconds, capnography, team roles, when not to resuscitate.
- Shock: compensated versus decompensated, cardiogenic versus hypovolemic versus distributive, IV access and when a fluid bolus is appropriate.
- Heart failure with pulmonary edema and CPAP; syncope red flags; hypertensive emergency recognition.
- 12-lead acquisition: electrode placement, artifact reduction, why transmission matters.
- Pediatric: bradycardia with poor perfusion, AED use on children, two-rescuer CPR.
In our 135-question practice exam this domain gets 17 questions, the middle of its official 11–15% range.
Know these cold
- Aspirin 162–325 mg chewed for suspected ACS unless the patient is allergic or actively bleeding.
- No nitroglycerin after sildenafil or vardenafil within 24 hours or tadalafil within 48 hours, with hypotension, or when the 12-lead or ALS indicates right-ventricular infarction.
- Compressions 100–120 per minute, 2 to 2.4 inches deep in adults, full recoil, 30:2 until an advanced airway is placed, then continuous compressions with one breath every 6 seconds.
- Children: two-rescuer CPR is 15:2; start CPR for a heart rate under 60 with poor perfusion despite oxygenation and ventilation; use pediatric pads or an attenuator when available.
- Resume compressions immediately after a shock and check the rhythm every 2 minutes; EtCO2 under 10 mmHg during CPR means improve compressions.
- V1 sits at the fourth intercostal space at the right sternal border, V4 at the fifth intercostal space midclavicular, V6 at the midaxillary line level with V4.
- Cardiogenic shock means pulmonary edema with hypotension; fluids worsen it, so CPAP is for the normotensive patient and ALS is needed.
Common questions
Does the AEMT exam ask me to read ECG rhythms?
No. Rhythm interpretation and 12-lead interpretation are paramedic skills in the National EMS Scope of Practice Model. The AEMT exam asks about acquiring and transmitting a 12-lead, acting on a STEMI identified by the monitor or ALS, and running CPR with an AED. Its graphical items use capnography strips and pictures.
Which CPR facts changed in the 2025 AHA guidelines?
Choking sequences and the infant compression technique changed, and some recommendations on devices and post-arrest care were updated. We test only the facts that stayed the same: compression rate and depth, ratios, ventilation with an advanced airway, AED use and when to start CPR in a child with a slow heart rate.
Ready for exam day?
135 questions in 3 hours, weighted to the six official domains, with a score report by domain and topic and an explanation for every answer.
Or start with a free domain drillThe other AEMT domains
- Airway, Respiration and Ventilation 9–13%
- Trauma 7–11%
- Medical, Obstetrics and Gynecology 25–29%
- EMS Operations 6–10%
- Clinical Judgment 31–35%
Domain weights and knowledge areas from the National Registry AEMT Examination Specifications (July 2024). National Registry: AEMT and Paramedic Certification Examinations · National Registry AEMT Examination Specifications (test plan).
Original independent practice questions. Not affiliated with or endorsed by the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians. Follow your local protocols and medical director in the field.