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Free NREMT practice questionsFree EMT practice questions · Primary Assessment

10 free EMT practice questions: Airway Assessment

These are real questions from the same bank the app draws from. Each one is written to the NREMT EMT content specifications and kept inside the EMT scope of practice. Pick an answer and you get the full rationale, including why the other three options are wrong.

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Question 1 of 10

A 24-year-old patient is trapped in a mangled vehicle after a high-speed crash. A jagged piece of metal has partially amputated the lower leg, and bright red blood is spurting from the wound in pulses. The patient is moaning with snoring respirations. A bystander is pressing a towel against the wound without effect. What should the EMT do first?

Show the answer and rationale

Correct answer · Apply a tourniquet proximal to the wound

The habit is A-B-C, and trauma with life-threatening external bleeding is the one place that order flips: the modern trauma sequence is X-A-B-C, with exsanguinating hemorrhage handled first. The question gives you a partially amputated leg with bright red blood spurting in pulses, which is arterial, and direct pressure that is already failing. That patient can empty their circulating volume in minutes. Now weigh the airway threat honestly: snoring in a moaning patient is a partial obstruction from the tongue, which is real and needs fixing, but the patient is still moving enough air to make sound, so it is the slower killer. A tourniquet applied proximal to the wound stops the bleeding in seconds, and then you go straight to the airway. Treat the thing that kills fastest first, and uncontrolled arterial bleeding kills faster than a partially obstructed airway.

Why the others are wrong

Perform a jaw-thrust to open the airway: Jaw-thrust is exactly right for this patient and is your very next action. It is the airway maneuver of choice in trauma because it lifts the tongue off the posterior pharynx without moving the cervical spine, and snoring respirations are the finding that calls for it. The only problem is order. Open the airway first and you have a patent airway on a patient whose arterial volume is still emptying onto the pavement; both are indicated, and hemorrhage goes first because it kills first.

Insert an oropharyngeal airway: An oropharyngeal airway holds the tongue forward and is appropriate for a patient with no gag reflex. This patient is moaning, which means responsive enough that a gag is likely still present, so inserting an oropharyngeal airway risks provoking vomiting and aspiration before the simple manual maneuver has even been tried. It sits behind the jaw-thrust within the airway step, and the airway step itself sits behind the bleeding.

Apply high-concentration oxygen by NRB: High-concentration oxygen belongs on this call and will be part of the treatment once the immediate threats are controlled. Oxygen is carried by hemoglobin, and the hemoglobin is what is currently spurting onto the ground, enriching the blood that remains does nothing about the volume being lost, and a mask does not open an obstructed airway either. It is a supportive measure layered on afterward, not the action that changes what happens in the next sixty seconds.

Question 2 of 10

A 50-year-old patient was struck by a car and thrown several feet. There is no external bleeding, but the abdomen appears distended and the skin is pale, cool, and diaphoretic. The patient responds only to painful stimuli, and the EMT hears snoring with each breath. What should the EMT do first?

Show the answer and rationale

Correct answer · Perform a jaw-thrust to open the airway

Massive external hemorrhage gets controlled before anything else, but the question states there is no external bleeding, so the sequence goes straight back to the airway. A patient who responds only to painful stimuli has lost the muscle tone that keeps the tongue off the back of the throat, and snoring is the sound of exactly that: a partial obstruction at the level of the tongue. That obstruction has to be opened before oxygen, ventilation, or anything aimed at the internal bleeding does any good, because none of it reaches the lungs through a blocked airway. Because the patient was struck by a car and thrown, the maneuver has to open the airway without moving the neck, which is what the jaw thrust does; it lifts the mandible, and the tongue with it, while the head stays neutral.

Why the others are wrong

Position the patient supine with the legs elevated to treat shock: Elevating the legs is aimed at shock this patient genuinely has, since a distended abdomen with pale, cool, diaphoretic skin says internal bleeding. Position does not replace lost blood, and the maneuver is of limited value at best, but the deeper problem is sequence: an obstructed airway starves the brain in minutes, while this bleeding needs an operating room that no positioning substitutes for. The key opens the airway, while this rearranges a patient who still is not moving air.

Apply a pelvic binder to control suspected internal bleeding: A pelvic binder is right for a suspected unstable pelvic fracture, meaning instability or crepitus on gentle palpation, or a suggestive mechanism with unexplained shock, because closing the ring tamponades bleeding. This question describes a distended abdomen, not an unstable pelvis, so the indication is not established. Even if the pelvis were the source, circulation is addressed after the airway is open in a patient who is not maintaining it on his own.

Obtain a full set of vital signs before intervening: A full set of vital signs is part of the assessment, but it belongs after the primary survey, not in front of it. The primary survey is a treat-as-you-find sequence, so finding snoring in a patient who responds only to pain means opening the airway at that moment. Numbers gathered while the tongue is obstructing the airway change nothing and cost time this patient does not have.

Question 3 of 10

The EMT is caring for an adult patient. Following the NREMT primary assessment sequence, the EMT has completed the scene size-up and formed a general impression. Which action does the EMT perform next?

Show the answer and rationale

Correct answer · Assess level of consciousness using AVPU

The EMT has just finished the scene size-up and formed a general impression, so the next step in the NREMT primary assessment sequence is checking level of consciousness with AVPU: Alert, Verbal, Painful, Unresponsive. This tells the EMT how much the patient's nervous system is protecting its own airway right now, which decides whether the airway needs to be opened manually, needs an adjunct, or can wait while breathing is assessed. Getting LOC first is what drives the next action instead of following it.

Why the others are wrong

Obtain a full set of baseline vital signs: A full set of baseline vital signs is something the EMT eventually gathers, but it belongs to the secondary assessment or ongoing reassessment, not the step right after the general impression. Nothing in the primary sequence calls for full vitals until airway, breathing, and circulation are already addressed, so this jumps ahead.

Open the airway with a head-tilt/chin-lift: Opening the airway with a head-tilt/chin-lift is the next major letter in airway, breathing, circulation, and once level of consciousness is confirmed it becomes the correct move, especially for a patient who is not fully alert. Here the EMT has only just formed a general impression and has not yet assessed AVPU, so reaching for the airway is out of sequence: LOC has to be checked first because it determines whether the patient can protect their own airway or needs the EMT to open it.

Palpate a radial pulse to assess circulation: Palpating a radial pulse checks circulation, the C in airway, breathing, circulation, and matters for detecting shock or confirming a pulse is present. That step comes after airway and breathing are both assessed, which themselves follow the AVPU check the EMT still needs to perform, so this skips two steps ahead.

Question 4 of 10

A caregiver at a residence is giving abdominal thrusts to a 7-month-old infant who suddenly stopped making sounds while eating. When the EMT arrives, the infant is awake with a silent cough and no audible cry. What is the most appropriate action for the EMT to take?

Show the answer and rationale

Correct answer · Alternate 5 back blows with 5 chest thrusts

A silent cough and loss of the cry in an awake infant indicate a severe foreign-body airway obstruction. In an infant the correct relief technique is alternating 5 back blows with 5 chest thrusts, delivered with the heel of one hand, repeated until the object is expelled or the infant becomes unresponsive. Abdominal thrusts are never used in infants because they risk injuring the liver and other abdominal organs, so the EMT must replace the caregiver's technique rather than continue it. Chest compressions and CPR begin only if the infant becomes unresponsive.

Why the others are wrong

Resume the abdominal thrusts the caregiver started: Resuming the abdominal thrusts the caregiver started continues a technique that's never used in infants because it risks injuring the liver and other abdominal organs at this age.

Begin chest compressions on a firm surface: Beginning chest compressions on a firm surface is for an unresponsive infant. This infant is still awake, so the relief sequence of back blows and chest thrusts comes first, not compressions.

Begin positive pressure ventilations with a BVM: Beginning positive pressure ventilations with a BVM doesn't help while the airway is still obstructed: ventilations can't get past a complete obstruction, and this infant is still awake and needs the relief maneuvers, not ventilation support.

Question 5 of 10

An EMT is opening the airway of an unresponsive patient who has no suspected spinal trauma using the head tilt-chin lift maneuver. Where should the EMT place the fingertips of the hand that lifts the jaw?

Show the answer and rationale

Correct answer · Under the bony part of the chin

Placing the fingertips under the bony part of the chin, not on the soft tissue, lets you lift the mandible forward without pressing into the floor of the mouth. That anterior lift, combined with head extension at the atlanto-occipital joint, pulls the tongue and epiglottis off the posterior pharyngeal wall so air can pass. Because this patient has no suspected spinal trauma, tilting the head is safe, and correct finger placement on bone rather than soft tissue keeps the airway open instead of accidentally closing it.

Why the others are wrong

On the soft tissue under the chin: Pressing into the soft tissue under the chin is a real error made when trying to lift quickly, but it pushes the tongue and floor of the mouth upward into the airway instead of opening it, worsening obstruction rather than fixing it.

Behind the angles of the lower jaw: Fingers behind the angles of the lower jaw, lifting upward without tilting the head, describe the jaw-thrust, the maneuver reserved for suspected spinal trauma because it opens the airway without moving the cervical spine. This patient has no suspected spinal trauma, so head tilt-chin lift is indicated, and jaw-thrust placement answers a different scenario than the one asked.

On the patient's forehead: The forehead is where the heel of the other hand rests to tilt the head back, not where the jaw-lifting fingertips go, since that placement belongs to a different hand's job entirely.

Question 6 of 10

An EMT is opening the airway of an unresponsive patient found after a fall down a flight of stairs. Which technique should the EMT use to open the airway?

Show the answer and rationale

Correct answer · Jaw-thrust maneuver

The mechanism, a fall down a flight of stairs, makes cervical spine injury a real possibility, and this patient is unresponsive so you cannot ask about neck pain to screen it out. The jaw-thrust opens the airway by lifting the mandible forward to pull the tongue off the posterior pharynx without extending or flexing the cervical spine, unlike maneuvers that move the neck. This changes your technique choice: you open the airway while a second provider or your own hands maintain manual in-line stabilization, protecting the cord while still clearing the obstruction.

Why the others are wrong

Head tilt-chin lift maneuver: Head tilt-chin lift is the correct opening maneuver for a medical patient with no suspected trauma, but it extends the cervical spine to align the airway. A fall down a flight of stairs gives you a trauma mechanism, so extending the neck risks worsening a spinal injury.

Recovery position with no airway maneuver: Recovery position protects a breathing patient's airway from vomit or secretions once it is already open, but it does nothing to relieve an obstruction from the tongue in an unresponsive patient who needs the airway opened first.

Blind finger sweep of the mouth: A finger sweep is reserved for a visible foreign object you can hook out under direct vision; done blindly, it risks pushing material deeper into the airway instead of clearing it.

Question 7 of 10

A patient fell off a roof. During the primary assessment, EMS finds that the patient is not breathing. What is the proper way to open this patient's airway?

Show the answer and rationale

Correct answer · Jaw-thrust maneuver

The decisive finding is the fall from the roof, a mechanism that puts spinal injury on the table before you ever touch the airway. The jaw-thrust maneuver moves the mandible forward and lifts the tongue off the posterior pharynx without tilting or extending the head, so the airway opens while the cervical spine stays neutral. That's what lets you manage a not-breathing patient with manual in-line stabilization maintained, instead of trading an open airway for a worsened spinal cord injury.

Why the others are wrong

Cross-finger technique: this opens the mouth to look inside it or suction debris, it doesn't move the mandible forward. It never addresses why this patient isn't breathing, since the tongue and airway alignment stay unchanged.

Head-tilt chin-lift maneuver: this is the standard opening move for a medical patient with no trauma concern, tilting the head back to pull the tongue off the pharynx. It looks right because it's the other basic airway maneuver taught alongside jaw-thrust, but the fall from the roof means you assume cervical spine injury, and tilting the head risks worsening cord damage.

Tongue-jaw lift: this is not a real airway maneuver and EMS will never do it. It sounds like something you have heard before because it borrows words from the two maneuvers you actually use, the head-tilt chin-lift and the jaw-thrust, but there is no technique by this name. If you picked it because the name felt familiar, that is worth sitting with: you open an airway with the head-tilt chin-lift when there is no trauma concern and with the jaw-thrust when there is, and this patient fell off a roof.

Question 8 of 10

Which structure is the dividing point between the upper airway and the lower airway?

Show the answer and rationale

Correct answer · Laryngopharynx

Laryngopharynx is the finding that answers this: it's the lowest of the three pharyngeal segments, sitting at the level of the hyoid bone and epiglottis where the airway and esophagus split into separate tubes, trachea forward, esophagus behind. That anatomic split is the actual boundary EMTs use to define upper airway, nose through this point, from lower airway, trachea and below. Getting this landmark right tells you where an upper airway obstruction or swelling, like epiglottitis, can still be reached by basic maneuvers, versus lower airway pathology that basic airway adjuncts won't fix.

Why the others are wrong

Nasopharynx: The nose opening into the throat sounds like the place, but the nasopharynx is the topmost pharyngeal section, sitting well above the hyoid bone and epiglottis, so it's entirely upper airway, not the dividing point.

Oropharynx: The oropharynx sits just above the division and is where you seat an oropharyngeal airway, close enough to the larynx that it feels like the split point, but it ends at the base of the tongue and epiglottis, still above the hyoid bone where trachea and esophagus separate; the laryngopharynx below it is the true boundary.

Pharynx: names the entire three-part structure, nasopharynx, oropharynx, and laryngopharynx together, not the specific segment where the airway and esophagus split, so it's too broad to mark the actual boundary.

Question 9 of 10

The EMT is considering a nasopharyngeal airway for an adult with a decreased level of consciousness. Which finding is a contraindication to inserting the nasopharyngeal airway?

Show the answer and rationale

Correct answer · Clear fluid draining from the nose after significant facial trauma

Clear fluid draining from the nose after significant facial trauma signals a possible basilar skull fracture, and that fluid may be cerebrospinal fluid leaking through a fractured cribriform plate. Passing a nasopharyngeal airway through the nasal passage in this situation risks driving the tube through the fracture and into the cranial vault. This finding is the one that changes the plan: skip the nasal airway and use an oropharyngeal airway instead if the patient tolerates it.

Why the others are wrong

An intact gag reflex in a patient with a decreased level of consciousness: An intact gag reflex is the actual reason to reach for a nasopharyngeal airway instead of an oropharyngeal one, since the oropharyngeal airway is the device gagging rules out. Nothing about the nasal airway is blocked by a gag reflex, so this finding argues for the device rather than against it.

Snoring respirations that are relieved by repositioning of the head: Snoring respirations that resolve with repositioning point to the tongue obstructing the airway, exactly the problem a nasopharyngeal airway is placed to fix. This finding supports inserting the airway, it does not block it.

A blood pressure of 148/92 mmHg with a strong and regular pulse: A blood pressure of 148/92 mmHg with a strong, regular pulse says the patient is hemodynamically stable, which has no bearing on nasal or oral anatomy. Circulatory status does not factor into whether a nasopharyngeal airway can be safely passed.

Question 10 of 10

An unresponsive adult has copious vomit in the mouth and gurgling respirations. The EMT has a rigid suction catheter ready. Which of the following best describes correct suctioning of this adult?

Show the answer and rationale

Correct answer · Suction for no more than 15 seconds per attempt, then reoxygenate

The 15-second limit is what makes this correct: a rigid catheter removes oxygen and CO2 from the airway right along with the vomit, and prolonged suctioning drives hypoxia and can trigger vagal stimulation and bradycardia, especially with pharyngeal stimulation in an unresponsive adult. That physiology sets the priority: suction for no more than 15 seconds, reoxygenate with high-flow oxygen or bag-mask ventilation, then suction again in cycles until the copious vomit is cleared, rather than treating the airway as something you clear in one pass.

Why the others are wrong

Apply continuous suction until the airway is completely clear: Continuous suctioning until the airway is completely clear names the right goal, but ignoring the 15-second per-attempt limit keeps pulling oxygen out of the airway the whole time, driving hypoxia and bradycardia before reoxygenation ever happens.

Suction for up to 30 seconds per attempt to save time: Suctioning for up to 30 seconds to save time doubles the accepted 15-second adult limit, and the time saved comes at the cost of oxygen reserve the patient cannot spare while already gurgling on vomit.

Suction for a full 20 seconds, then immediately insert an oropharyngeal airway: Suctioning 20 seconds, then inserting an oropharyngeal airway follows the right general sequence, since an unresponsive patient without a gag reflex often needs an OPA. But 20 seconds already exceeds the 15-second adult ceiling, and moving straight to the airway skips the required reoxygenation step, leaving the patient hypoxic before ventilation ever happens.

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