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ACLS Practice Test with Answers
Take our ACLS practice test below to evaluate your current standing and pinpoint areas for improvement. Get instant feedback, track your progress, and retake this test as often as needed to achieve mastery. Aim for a score of 84% or higher to confidently pass this practice test.
1. What actions should you take after providing a shock with an AED?
- Provide a rescue breath
- Allow time for the AED to reanalyze the rhythm
- Check for a pulse
- Start CPR
2. What is the appropriate compression-to-ventilation ratio during single-provider CPR where an advanced airway has yet to be placed?
- 10:1
- 15:2
- 5:1
- 30:2
3. During CPR on a patient with an advanced airway in place, which of the following is true?
- Chest compressions should be stopped while giving breaths
- Alter between chest compressions and rescue breaths
- Prioritize reaching 20 or more breaths per minute
- One breath every 6 seconds should be provided
4. What is the most critical intervention during a witnessed sudden cardiac arrest?
- Early defibrillation
- High-quality chest compressions
- Establishing IV access
- Early activation of the emergency response system
5. Which of the following is true regarding suctioning attempts in ACLS interventions?
- They should be 15-20 seconds
- They should be coupled with finger sweeps
- They should be no more than 30 seconds
- They should be ten seconds or less
6. How often should rescue breaths be delivered in patients who are in respiratory arrest with a perfusing rhythm?
- Every 5-6 seconds
- Every 10-12 seconds
- Every 6 seconds
- Every 10 seconds
7. Which of the following is not part of the initial BLS assessment?
- Get an AED
- Establish IV access
- Check the patients’ level of responsiveness
- Activate the emergency response system
8. The success of any resuscitation attempt is built on what combination of factors?
- High quality CPR and a through primary assessment
- Early defibrillation when indicated and establishing IV access
- Thorough primary assessment and establishing IV access
- High quality CPR and early defibrillation when indicated
9. Which of the following is considered the most vital algorithm in the context of ACLS?
- Bradycardia
- Cardiac arrest
- Tachycardia
- Pulseless electrical activity (PEA)
10. How long should a carotid pulse check last during CPR before resuming compressions?
- 3-7 seconds
- 5-10 seconds
- 4-8 seconds
- 5-20 seconds
11. What intervention would you take to improve the underlying issue if a known alcoholic collapses and is found to be in torsades de pointes?
- Rewarm the individual to correct hypothermia.
- Administer magnesium sulfate 1 to 2 gm IV diluted in 10 mL D5W to correct low magnesium.
- Administer glucose to correct hypoglycemia.
- Administer naloxone to correct a narcotic overdose.
12. The correct sequence of electrical activity in the heart for a normal sinus rhythm would be the following:
- SA node, AV node, Bundle of His, Purkinje fibers
- SA node, Purkinje, AV node, Bundle of His
- AV node, SA node, Bundle of Hers, Purkinje fibers
- Purkinje, Bundle of His, AV node, SA node
13. What next step would you take if you were transporting a person that went into cardiac arrest and IV access is not possible?
- Terminate resuscitation
- Obtain intraosseous access
- Place a central line
- Administer all medications through ET tube
14. On an ECG, the QRS complex represents the following:
- Ventricular contraction
- AV valve closure
- Atrial contraction
- Septum relaxation
15. What therapy is contraindicated when you have a 55-year-old male with stroke symptoms, and the CT scan showing multilobar infarction (more than one-third of the cerebral hemisphere)?
- Oxygen
- Monitoring glucose
- Thrombolytic therapy
- Blood pressure monitoring
16. The goal for stroke care is to complete the ED initial evaluation within 10 minutes, and before arrival to have both the neurologic assessments within 25 minutes and have the head CT read within 45 minutes. True or False?
- True
- False
17. What would be your next step after treating an individual in ventricular fibrillation with CPR, one attempt at defibrillation and his new rhythm is third-degree AV block?
- Repeat defibrillation
- Vasopressin
- Transcutaneous pacing
- High dose epinephrine
18. Success of any resuscitation attempt is built on:
- High quality CPR
- Defibrillation when required by the patients ECG rhythm
- Neither 1 or 2
- Both 1 and 2
19. In order to minimize interruptions in chest compressions, you should avoid all of the following except:
- Prolonged rhythm analysis
- Frequent or inappropriate pulse checks
- Removing the patient from a dangerous environment
- Taking too long to give breaths to the patient
20. When should a jaw thrust be used in place of a head tilt-chin lift?
- Patient has a spinal fusion between T4-T5
- Patient has a C-spine injury
- Patient has a foreign body airway obstruction
- Patient develops angioedema from ACE inhibitor use
21. Which of these is NOT a recommended pharmacological treatment for a stable patient with a wide complex ventricular tachycardia (monomorphic)?
- Epinephrine
- Sotalol
- Amiodarone
- Procainamide
22. When should an unconscious patient receive only rescue breaths and not CPR?
- If the patient has a bounding pulse and is not breathing
- If the patient has a pulse and is breathing appropriately
- If the patient has no pulse and is not breathing
- If the patient has bradycardia and is breathing
23. What is the single most important therapy for survival of cardiac arrest?
- Early pharmacological treatment
- Early differential diagnosis
- Early defibrillation
- Early cardioversion
24. A conscious patient is diagnosed with symptomatic coronary thrombosis in the ER. What are appropriate treatments?
- Have the patient chew and swallow an aspirin
- Give the patient oxygen (O2)
- Give the patient nitroglycerin
- All are correct treatment options
25. Which of these drugs should be avoided when a patient presents with Atrial Fibrillations with Wolf-Parkinson-White syndrome (WPW) delta waves?
- Verapamil
- Adenosine
- Cardizem
- All of the above