The Official Guide to Passing the NREMT
Becoming an NREMT-B is a sprint that also requires months of dedication and discipline. In 3 to 5 months EMT students are required to learn assessment skills, pharmacology, A&P, and countless other skills to be eligible to take the NREMT exam. There is a tremendous amount of info to learn in a small amount of time. Passing the exams themselves are a whole other issue. These exams are quite frankly a pain in the ass and test your ability to think critically more than your skills as a provider. So how does one pass EMT class and the NREMT exams?
Step 1: Emt Class
EMT class can be a bit of a mixed bag. Unfortunately, there's no real standard of education within the EMS community, and therefore you're never 100% sure about the quality of the instructor who will be teaching you. You can read my gripes about this issue here https://thediabeticemt.com/?p=99. You may get an amazing instructor with years of experience in the field and teaching who genuinely cares about their students. Or, you may get the instructor who only cares about telling war stories or who lacks fundamental teaching skills. The only way to combat this is to do your research. See if the class you'd like to attend has any reviews online or if it has instructor bio's listed online. If you're already in an agency, chances are they will steer you in the right direction.
Awesome! You're now in class and pumped for your EMS education. Now what? During class, the best advice I can give you is to be present. Ask questions, volunteer for everything, and hit the books hard. Volunteering in class will suck at first, but it offers you an opportunity for essentially 1 on 1 instruction with your instructor and a way to build your confidence. While the workbook problems can become tedious and annoying it's a great idea to study them. In my experience as a student and instructor, most instructors pull their exam questions from these textbooks. The answers are quite literally in front of you.
Now, let's get a little controversial. When it comes to the written exam, most instructors will have their students memorize the check-off sheet. I despise this. Your focus should be on becoming a good EMT and developing solid assessment skills, not memorizing a check-off sheet. If you're still struggling in class, I'd recommend the supplemental book below to help you out.
Step 2: The Practical
In most cases, you'll take your practical before your written, although I know this has changed in some states. Think of the practical as an opportunity to show what you've learned. If you've been studying and practicing then the practical should be fine. Honestly, the practical is a twisted form of a talent show. You're "performing" for your evaluators. Do some last-minute studying but don't overdo it. If you don't know it on the day of the exam, you most likely won't learn it. I do have some more concrete advice for the trauma/medical assessment stations. Everyone seems to freak out over the 10-minute requirement, causing students to rush and miss criticals. Take your time! 10 minutes is plenty of time for you to complete an assessment. If you know the material, you'll be fine.
When it comes to the rest of the skills stations it really boils down to muscle memory. The best way to prep for these is repetition. During your lab sessions be sure to try each station multiple times, even the ones you've nailed down. I can't tell you how many students I've witnessed fail to turn on the AED or clear a patient before shocking during the CPR station. It sounds stupid, but students always seem to overthink the simplest stations and miss criticals. I've had students freeze and forgot how to turn on oxygen bottles and students put tourniquets distally to an injury. These students know how to do these tasks, but due to the stress of the situation, they forget. My advice is to slow down (there seems to be a theme here) and take a deep breath. This will not only carry you through your testing experience but also your career.
Step 3: The Written
The written exam sucks. It's a difficult exam that changes based on what you get wrong and right. This means there's no telling what questions will be on your test. My advice for the written is to take your time and really read each question. These questions are designed to trick you, not necessarily judge your knowledge. I have found that each question typically has 2 very wrong answers and 2 possibly correct answers. So right off the rip, you have a 50/50 shot. I don't believe it's possible to learn everything on the exam, therefore being able to find the 2 very wrong answers will carry you through the testing process.
When it comes to studying it's imperative that you know your protocols. In my experience, this is the one subject where exams constantly test. You should also get in the mindset of those silly questions that your workbook asks. By this I mean you must remember how the NREMT wants things done, not necessarily how you would do things in the field. There will definitely be some questions where the answer is almost a "no brainer" but due to how simple it is you won't answer correctly. My final tip for the written is to not worry about how many questions the exam gives you. For those not in the know, the NREMT can give you a varying number of questions. Some exams cut off at 60, and some can go double that number. You'll read online that going above the 60-question mark is either a good thing or a bad thing depending on the source. In my experience, it makes no difference. Also, I personally used this website https://www.emt-national-training.com/demo/nremt-practice-test.php when prepping for the NREMT, I thought it worked super well and I definitely recommend it.
Well, there we go! These tips should set you on a path to success. If you have questions or concerns feel free to comment below or reach out on social media!