Advice for NREMT-B test?

[Floridastudent]

I am taking the NREMT-B test on Friday morning. I've been reading study questions from the Jones Bartlett practice book and have spent the last couple weeks going over my textbook. Does anyone have any suggestions or tips for me? I already know that most of the questions have two obviously wrong and answers and two "right" answers and I have to guess which one is most right. Any other tips from those who have passed the test?

[medicKristina]

I am taking the NREMT-B test on Friday morning. I've been reading study questions from the Jones Bartlett practice book and have spent the last couple weeks going over my textbook. Does anyone have any suggestions or tips for me? I already know that most of the questions have two obviously wrong and answers and two "right" answers and I have to guess which one is most right. Any other tips from those who have passed the test?

I'm sorry? Did you really mean "guess"? Because if so, this is NOT the right line of work for you. Although there are two answers that seem right, one is always MORE correct than another. No guessing. Just knowledge. Have you been practicing for your practical as well? That's another area easy to foul up. Again, knowledge. Not just repitition.

Please be sure this is what you have a PASSION for...not just something you WANT to do. You are talking about people's health and welfare where GUESSING is NOT the way to go!

[Floridastudent]

oops. repeat post. Not sure how to delete.

Edited July 13, 2010 by Floridastudent

[Floridastudent]

still trying to delete extra posts.

Edited July 13, 2010 by Floridastudent

[Floridastudent]

another repeat post.

Edited July 13, 2010 by Floridastudent

[Floridastudent]

I'm sorry? Did you really mean "guess"? Because if so, this is NOT the right line of work for you. Although there are two answers that seem right, one is always MORE correct than another. No guessing. Just knowledge. Have you been practicing for your practical as well? That's another area easy to foul up. Again, knowledge. Not just repitition.

Please be sure this is what you have a PASSION for...not just something you WANT to do. You are talking about people's health and welfare where GUESSING is NOT the way to go!

We did the practical at school as part of our program.

And as for the "guessing" - the way the questions are designed, in many instances, two of the answers really are potentially correct. Even my teachers acknowledged that - it's a matter of picking which one is MORE right. I'm not talking about a question where right and wrong are obvious, such as, should you or shouldn't you assist a patient to take nitro if his systolic BP is below 100?

I got an A in my EMT program, the practical, and the clinicals, so I am confident that I know the material. My opinion - which was shared by a lot of my fellow students - is that the way the test questions are worded is frequently tricky and not necessarily indicative of what we'll face on the street.

[EMS49393]

We did the practical at school as part of our program.

And as for the "guessing" - the way the questions are designed, in many instances, two of the answers really are potentially correct. Even my teachers acknowledged that - it's a matter of picking which one is MORE right. I'm not talking about a question where right and wrong are obvious, such as, should you or shouldn't you assist a patient to take nitro if his systolic BP is below 100?

I got an A in my EMT program, the practical, and the clinicals, so I am confident that I know the material. My opinion - which was shared by a lot of my fellow students - is that the way the test questions are worded is frequently tricky and not necessarily indicative of what we'll face on the street.

They are not tricky. People that say they are tricky probably have difficulty with reading comprehension. This is exactly why there should be a minimum standard for reading comprehension before these classes are taken.

[Floridastudent]

They are not tricky. People that say they are tricky probably have difficulty with reading comprehension. This is exactly why there should be a minimum standard for reading comprehension before these classes are taken.

I have ZERO problem with reading comprehension, and I am a straight A student. I got an A in Anatomy & Physiology, I got an A in Medical Terminology, and I am a former reporter. I test very well in general. One of the ways that I test well is to seek as much information about upcoming tests as possible - which is what I am doing here.

[Lone Star]

I have ZERO problem with reading comprehension, and I am a straight A student. I got an A in Anatomy & Physiology, I got an A in Medical Terminology, and I am a former reporter. I test very well in general. One of the ways that I test well is to seek as much information about upcoming tests as possible - which is what I am doing here.

There have been countless threads on this site alone that deal with 'tips and tricks' for studying and taking the NREMT test.

If you're a 'straight A student', then you shouldn't even be sweating the NREMT. It doesn't cover anything thats not in the course material. This isn't 'ambush testing', it only tests your retention of the presented material (from lectures and from the textbooks).

One of the biggest 'problems' that most people have while taking the NREMT cognitive test (can't really call it a 'written test' any more, can we?) is that they tend to 'read into the question' by trying to guess what the question 'could mean', as opposed to reading only the question and drawing what 'they DO mean' from the information provided.

Another big issue with the cognitive testing is that people worry about which question number the test ends on. The test is devised in such a way that when it gathers enough information about your knowledge base, it will stop. This isn't like "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire", where you only progress to the next question by answering the previous one correctly.

EMT-B isn't rocket science, so let's not make the NREMT-B test into a bigger monster by fearing 'what could happen if'.

The only 'ifs' that truly apply are 'If you know your material, you'll do fine. If you DON'T know your material, you shouldn't be testing in the first place'.

I realize this sounds 'harsh', but let's be realistic about this; EMT-B, like any other educational opportunity, is dependant on the amount of effort you put into it. If you slack off and try to cram for the test a couple nights before the test, you're probably not going to pass. This is NOT the type of provider we need in the field. However, if you've studied all your material on a continual basis and KNOW your material...then you've overcome the only 'hurdle' to passing the NREMT.

I'm sorry? Did you really mean "guess"? Because if so, this is NOT the right line of work for you. Although there are two answers that seem right, one is always MORE correct than another. No guessing. Just knowledge. Have you been practicing for your practical as well? That's another area easy to foul up. Again, knowledge. Not just repitition.

Please be sure this is what you have a PASSION for...not just something you WANT to do. You are talking about people's health and welfare where GUESSING is NOT the way to go!

While the multiple choice test is referred to as 'multiple guess' by some, this is NOT the place you want to be 'guessing' at the right answer! We're talking about placing peoples lives in your hands; and for that reason alone, you better be damn sure you KNOW your material!

[Floridastudent]

All right, obviously I didn't explain myself well in this thread, so I'm just going to clarify something important here, and then I'm done with this thread:

I absolutely know my stuff, and if I didn't, I wouldn't go into this field. That is an entirely different matter than trying to figure out obscurely designed questions on the NREMT test. I truly do not believe that the way many of the NREMT questions are worded are a test of one's knowledge; I do believe they're "multiple guess" questions. (I can only go by the questions from our classroom tests and the practice exam books, since I haven't taken the test yet. But I have been told the questions are similar to the NREMT test).

Nowhere in this thread did I say or even imply that I would go into the field, look at a patient and say, "Gee, I guess a nasal cannula...nah, maybe a nonrebreather...what the heck, a BVM! Why not!" Or, "Hmm, I guess an infant's respirations should be 25-50 a minute - or was that an adult?" What I was asking about was the NREMT-B multiple choice scenario questions where there are almost always two answers that are correct.

But again...clearly that's not how people are interpreting the question, so I shall just let it go.

There have been countless threads on this site alone that deal with 'tips and tricks' for studying and taking the NREMT test.

If you're a 'straight A student', then you shouldn't even be sweating the NREMT. It doesn't cover anything thats not in the course material. This isn't 'ambush testing', it only tests your retention of the presented material (from lectures and from the textbooks).

One of the biggest 'problems' that most people have while taking the NREMT cognitive test (can't really call it a 'written test' any more, can we?) is that they tend to 'read into the question' by trying to guess what the question 'could mean', as opposed to reading only the question and drawing what 'they DO mean' from the information provided.

Another big issue with the cognitive testing is that people worry about which question number the test ends on. The test is devised in such a way that when it gathers enough information about your knowledge base, it will stop. This isn't like "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire", where you only progress to the next question by answering the previous one correctly.

EMT-B isn't rocket science, so let's not make the NREMT-B test into a bigger monster by fearing 'what could happen if'.

The only 'ifs' that truly apply are 'If you know your material, you'll do fine. If you DON'T know your material, you shouldn't be testing in the first place'.

I realize this sounds 'harsh', but let's be realistic about this; EMT-B, like any other educational opportunity, is dependant on the amount of effort you put into it. If you slack off and try to cram for the test a couple nights before the test, you're probably not going to pass. This is NOT the type of provider we need in the field. However, if you've studied all your material on a continual basis and KNOW your material...then you've overcome the only 'hurdle' to passing the NREMT.

While the multiple choice test is referred to as 'multiple guess' by some, this is NOT the place you want to be 'guessing' at the right answer! We're talking about placing peoples lives in your hands; and for that reason alone, you better be damn sure you KNOW your material!