• 72 questions

EMD Practice Test

Unofficial emergency medical dispatcher questions that follow the modules of the federal EMD curriculum.

A caller reports bright red blood coming out of a cut in spurts. Which kind of vessel is most likely cut?

Pick an answer, then press Check answer. Then you see Correct or Not quite, with the reason. Keys: A to D pick, Enter checks.

Print covers the next 25 questions. Share this set copies a link to the same questions in the same order.

Exam mode: 25 questions, no time limit.

More options

Unofficial practice questions, not affiliated with NHTSA, any state EMS office or any body that certifies medical dispatchers. Bank checked October 9, 2026.

Next step Medical terminology questionsBLS practice test

All 72 questions

Module 1: role, law and medical concepts 12

  • A caller known for past nuisance calls is rude and demands an ambulance. What does the curriculum expect of the dispatcher? National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Emergency Medical Dispatch: National Standard Curriculum, Trainee Guide (1996), Module 1, Unit 1: Introduction to the Emergency Medical Dispatcher Roles and Responsibilities.
  • A caller reports a minor cut. The crew finds a far more serious injury. The dispatcher followed the local protocol for the complaint as reported. Which legal idea covers this? National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Emergency Medical Dispatch: National Standard Curriculum, Trainee Guide (1996), Module 1, Unit 2: Legal and Liability Issues in Emergency Medical Dispatch.
  • A caller reports bright red blood coming out of a cut in spurts. Which kind of vessel is most likely cut? National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Emergency Medical Dispatch: National Standard Curriculum, Trainee Guide (1996), Module 1, Unit 3: Introduction to Emergency Medical Concepts.
  • A caller says a collapsed man is 'snoring' and takes a gasp 'every once in a while'. What may the caller be describing? National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Emergency Medical Dispatch: National Standard Curriculum, Trainee Guide (1996), Module 1, Unit 3: Introduction to Emergency Medical Concepts.
Show all 72 questions (68 more)

Module 1: role, law and medical concepts, continued

  • A caller says the patient wakes only when shouted at and then drifts off again. Which level of consciousness in the curriculum fits? National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Emergency Medical Dispatch: National Standard Curriculum, Trainee Guide (1996), Module 1, Unit 3: Introduction to Emergency Medical Concepts.
  • A dispatcher on duty reads telephone instructions to a caller. By the curriculum, do 'Good Samaritan' laws protect the dispatcher? National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Emergency Medical Dispatch: National Standard Curriculum, Trainee Guide (1996), Module 1, Unit 2: Legal and Liability Issues in Emergency Medical Dispatch.
  • A patient is unconscious and cannot answer. Help is given on the assumption that the patient would want it. What is this called? National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Emergency Medical Dispatch: National Standard Curriculum, Trainee Guide (1996), Module 1, Unit 2: Legal and Liability Issues in Emergency Medical Dispatch.
  • After heavy bleeding, a caller describes pale, cool, moist skin, fast shallow breathing and growing drowsiness. Which condition do these signs point to? National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Emergency Medical Dispatch: National Standard Curriculum, Trainee Guide (1996), Module 1, Unit 3: Introduction to Emergency Medical Concepts.
  • In a lawsuit, a court finds that a dispatcher had a duty, breached it, and that the patient was injured. What else must it find for negligence? National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Emergency Medical Dispatch: National Standard Curriculum, Trainee Guide (1996), Module 1, Unit 2: Legal and Liability Issues in Emergency Medical Dispatch.
  • In the curriculum's tiered EMS system, which resource is usually a transport ambulance staffed by emergency medical technicians? National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Emergency Medical Dispatch: National Standard Curriculum, Trainee Guide (1996), Module 1, Unit 1: Introduction to the Emergency Medical Dispatcher Roles and Responsibilities.
  • Someone phones the center asking for the name and condition of a patient picked up earlier. By the curriculum, what may the dispatcher say? National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Emergency Medical Dispatch: National Standard Curriculum, Trainee Guide (1996), Module 1, Unit 1: Introduction to the Emergency Medical Dispatcher Roles and Responsibilities.
  • Units are on the way. The dispatcher now prepares the caller for their arrival and passes new details to the crew. Which phase of the dispatch function is this? National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Emergency Medical Dispatch: National Standard Curriculum, Trainee Guide (1996), Module 1, Unit 1: Introduction to the Emergency Medical Dispatcher Roles and Responsibilities.

Module 2: getting information from callers 12

  • A caller has little English, and the dispatcher doubts the answers. What does the curriculum advise about the response? National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Emergency Medical Dispatch: National Standard Curriculum, Trainee Guide (1996), Module 2, Unit 1: Obtaining Information from Callers.
  • A caller is deaf. What does the curriculum call critical on such a call? National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Emergency Medical Dispatch: National Standard Curriculum, Trainee Guide (1996), Module 2, Unit 1: Obtaining Information from Callers.
  • A caller's words are slurred and hard to follow. Which assumption does the curriculum warn against? National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Emergency Medical Dispatch: National Standard Curriculum, Trainee Guide (1996), Module 2, Unit 1: Obtaining Information from Callers.
  • A child calls and says, 'Grandpa is sleeping and I can't wake him up.' How should the dispatcher treat this? National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Emergency Medical Dispatch: National Standard Curriculum, Trainee Guide (1996), Module 2, Unit 1: Obtaining Information from Callers.
  • A woman calls from her office about her father, who has collapsed at his house across town. Which location does the dispatcher need first? National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Emergency Medical Dispatch: National Standard Curriculum, Trainee Guide (1996), Module 2, Unit 1: Obtaining Information from Callers.
  • During the 'What?' step of the initial assessment, what does the dispatcher determine besides the chief complaint? National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Emergency Medical Dispatch: National Standard Curriculum, Trainee Guide (1996), Module 2, Unit 1: Obtaining Information from Callers.
  • In which order does the curriculum say the initial assessment gathers information? National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Emergency Medical Dispatch: National Standard Curriculum, Trainee Guide (1996), Module 2, Unit 1: Obtaining Information from Callers.
  • 'Ma'am, tell me the address so I can send help. Tell me the address so I can send help.' Which technique from the curriculum is this? National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Emergency Medical Dispatch: National Standard Curriculum, Trainee Guide (1996), Module 2, Unit 1: Obtaining Information from Callers.
  • The screen already shows an address and phone number for the caller. What does the curriculum tell the dispatcher to do? National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Emergency Medical Dispatch: National Standard Curriculum, Trainee Guide (1996), Module 2, Unit 1: Obtaining Information from Callers.
  • Soon after units are sent, a caller insists, 'They aren't coming!' What does the curriculum call this? National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Emergency Medical Dispatch: National Standard Curriculum, Trainee Guide (1996), Module 2, Unit 1: Obtaining Information from Callers.
  • Two emergency calls come in at the same moment. How does the curriculum say to rank them? National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Emergency Medical Dispatch: National Standard Curriculum, Trainee Guide (1996), Module 2, Unit 1: Obtaining Information from Callers.
  • When does the curriculum say to tell a caller that help is on the way? National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Emergency Medical Dispatch: National Standard Curriculum, Trainee Guide (1996), Module 2, Unit 1: Obtaining Information from Callers.

Module 2: resources and care instructions 12

  • A hiker has fallen onto a ledge partway down a cliff. Which allocation factor does this raise before units are chosen? National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Emergency Medical Dispatch: National Standard Curriculum, Trainee Guide (1996), Module 2, Unit 2: Resource Allocation.
  • A protocol card reads 'BLS Cold'. What does that configuration send? National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Emergency Medical Dispatch: National Standard Curriculum, Trainee Guide (1996), Module 2, Unit 2: Resource Allocation.
  • Another agency relays a medical call, and the caller is no longer on the line. Which hint from the curriculum applies? National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Emergency Medical Dispatch: National Standard Curriculum, Trainee Guide (1996), Module 2, Unit 3: Providing Emergency Care Instructions.
  • By the curriculum's communication skills for medical instructions, when should a dispatcher repeat an instruction? National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Emergency Medical Dispatch: National Standard Curriculum, Trainee Guide (1996), Module 2, Unit 3: Providing Emergency Care Instructions.
  • How does the curriculum say scripted telephone instructions should be delivered? National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Emergency Medical Dispatch: National Standard Curriculum, Trainee Guide (1996), Module 2, Unit 3: Providing Emergency Care Instructions.
  • In the curriculum, a 'hot' response is also called National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Emergency Medical Dispatch: National Standard Curriculum, Trainee Guide (1996), Module 2, Unit 2: Resource Allocation.
  • The nearest ambulance cannot meet the patient's medical need. Under the curriculum's principles of allocation, which unit is sent? National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Emergency Medical Dispatch: National Standard Curriculum, Trainee Guide (1996), Module 2, Unit 2: Resource Allocation.
  • The protocol offers telephone instructions, but the caller is a neighbor phoning from another street. Which of the curriculum's two tests is in doubt? National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Emergency Medical Dispatch: National Standard Curriculum, Trainee Guide (1996), Module 2, Unit 3: Providing Emergency Care Instructions.
  • Which calls does the curriculum name as ones that may need phone-patching to another service? National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Emergency Medical Dispatch: National Standard Curriculum, Trainee Guide (1996), Module 2, Unit 2: Resource Allocation.
  • Which reason does the curriculum give for calling the EMD a critical link in patient survival? National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Emergency Medical Dispatch: National Standard Curriculum, Trainee Guide (1996), Module 2, Unit 3: Providing Emergency Care Instructions.
  • Who decides in advance which type of unit and which response mode a complaint receives? National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Emergency Medical Dispatch: National Standard Curriculum, Trainee Guide (1996), Module 2, Unit 2: Resource Allocation.
  • Why does a standardized, medically approved protocol make telephone instructions consistent and accurate? National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Emergency Medical Dispatch: National Standard Curriculum, Trainee Guide (1996), Module 2, Unit 3: Providing Emergency Care Instructions.

Module 3: protocol cards and complaint groups 12

  • The 'Dispatch Priorities' section of a chief complaint card is also known as National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Emergency Medical Dispatch: National Standard Curriculum, Trainee Guide (1996), Module 3, Unit 1: Introduction to the Emergency Medical Dispatch Protocol Reference System (EMDPRS).
  • A caller reports two complaints that seem unrelated to each other. Which one does the dispatcher select? National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Emergency Medical Dispatch: National Standard Curriculum, Trainee Guide (1996), Module 3, Unit 2: Introduction to the 32 Chief Complaint Types.
  • A caller says, 'She was thrown from a horse.' Which kind of chief complaint is this in the curriculum? National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Emergency Medical Dispatch: National Standard Curriculum, Trainee Guide (1996), Module 3, Unit 2: Introduction to the 32 Chief Complaint Types.
  • The curriculum says asking 'What's wrong?' often confuses callers. What does it suggest asking? National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Emergency Medical Dispatch: National Standard Curriculum, Trainee Guide (1996), Module 3, Unit 2: Introduction to the 32 Chief Complaint Types.
  • The curriculum's abbreviation EMDPRS stands for National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Emergency Medical Dispatch: National Standard Curriculum, Trainee Guide (1996), Module 3, Unit 1: Introduction to the Emergency Medical Dispatch Protocol Reference System (EMDPRS).
  • 'My chest hurts and I feel cold,' the patient says. In the curriculum's terms, these are National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Emergency Medical Dispatch: National Standard Curriculum, Trainee Guide (1996), Module 3, Unit 2: Introduction to the 32 Chief Complaint Types.
  • On a chief complaint card, the 'Useful Information' section is meant for National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Emergency Medical Dispatch: National Standard Curriculum, Trainee Guide (1996), Module 3, Unit 1: Introduction to the Emergency Medical Dispatch Protocol Reference System (EMDPRS).
  • The sample cards handed out in the course are generic. What does the curriculum say about using them back at an agency? National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Emergency Medical Dispatch: National Standard Curriculum, Trainee Guide (1996), Module 3, Unit 1: Introduction to the Emergency Medical Dispatch Protocol Reference System (EMDPRS).
  • Which cards does the curriculum give as examples of scripted medical protocols? National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Emergency Medical Dispatch: National Standard Curriculum, Trainee Guide (1996), Module 3, Unit 1: Introduction to the Emergency Medical Dispatch Protocol Reference System (EMDPRS).
  • Which protocol does the curriculum say is used on every call, before any other card? National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Emergency Medical Dispatch: National Standard Curriculum, Trainee Guide (1996), Module 3, Unit 1: Introduction to the Emergency Medical Dispatch Protocol Reference System (EMDPRS).
  • Which section of a chief complaint card lists the questions that gather more medical detail about the patient's condition? National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Emergency Medical Dispatch: National Standard Curriculum, Trainee Guide (1996), Module 3, Unit 1: Introduction to the Emergency Medical Dispatch Protocol Reference System (EMDPRS).
  • Which three things does the curriculum give as the main factors in the response to a traumatic incident? National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Emergency Medical Dispatch: National Standard Curriculum, Trainee Guide (1996), Module 3, Unit 2: Introduction to the 32 Chief Complaint Types.

Module 3: traumatic incident types 8

  • A caller is pressing a cloth on a wound, but the bleeding has not stopped. What does the curriculum's bleeding protocol tell the caller? National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Emergency Medical Dispatch: National Standard Curriculum, Trainee Guide (1996), Module 3, Unit 2: Introduction to the 32 Chief Complaint Types, Bleeding.
  • A caller reports an assault and says the attacker is still nearby. What should the responding crew be advised? National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Emergency Medical Dispatch: National Standard Curriculum, Trainee Guide (1996), Module 3, Unit 2: Introduction to the 32 Chief Complaint Types, Assault/Sexual Assault.
  • A caller reports only a small burn on the hand after an electric shock. How should the dispatcher regard it? National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Emergency Medical Dispatch: National Standard Curriculum, Trainee Guide (1996), Module 3, Unit 2: Introduction to the 32 Chief Complaint Types, Burns.
  • A worker has collapsed inside a storage tank. What does the curriculum tell callers at the scene? National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Emergency Medical Dispatch: National Standard Curriculum, Trainee Guide (1996), Module 3, Unit 2: Introduction to the 32 Chief Complaint Types, Industrial Accidents.
  • A worker has fallen from a height well above his own and is lying still. What should the dispatcher suspect? National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Emergency Medical Dispatch: National Standard Curriculum, Trainee Guide (1996), Module 3, Unit 2: Introduction to the 32 Chief Complaint Types, Fall Victim.
  • An object is stuck in a patient's eye. What does the curriculum tell the caller? National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Emergency Medical Dispatch: National Standard Curriculum, Trainee Guide (1996), Module 3, Unit 2: Introduction to the 32 Chief Complaint Types, Eye Problems/Injuries.
  • Which statement matches the curriculum's ranking of heat and cold problems? National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Emergency Medical Dispatch: National Standard Curriculum, Trainee Guide (1996), Module 3, Unit 2: Introduction to the 32 Chief Complaint Types, Heat/Cold Exposure.
  • Why does the curriculum say animal control should be contacted after an animal bite? National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Emergency Medical Dispatch: National Standard Curriculum, Trainee Guide (1996), Module 3, Unit 2: Introduction to the 32 Chief Complaint Types, Animal Bites.

Module 3: individual chief complaints 8

  • A 60-year-old man reports pain high in his abdomen, 'like indigestion'. Which critical cause does the curriculum want kept in mind? National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Emergency Medical Dispatch: National Standard Curriculum, Trainee Guide (1996), Module 3, Unit 2: Introduction to the 32 Chief Complaint Types, Abdominal Pain.
  • A caller reports a breathing problem in a man with a long-standing lung condition. What does the curriculum say is most important to find out? National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Emergency Medical Dispatch: National Standard Curriculum, Trainee Guide (1996), Module 3, Unit 2: Introduction to the 32 Chief Complaint Types, Breathing Problems.
  • A caller says her husband suddenly cannot speak clearly and one side of his body has gone weak. Which complaint card fits? National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Emergency Medical Dispatch: National Standard Curriculum, Trainee Guide (1996), Module 3, Unit 2: Introduction to the 32 Chief Complaint Types, Stroke/CVA.
  • A seizure has just stopped. What does the curriculum call the most important thing the dispatcher can do for the patient? National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Emergency Medical Dispatch: National Standard Curriculum, Trainee Guide (1996), Module 3, Unit 2: Introduction to the 32 Chief Complaint Types, Convulsion/Seizure.
  • In a reported allergic reaction, which symptoms does the curriculum call the most important to identify? National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Emergency Medical Dispatch: National Standard Curriculum, Trainee Guide (1996), Module 3, Unit 2: Introduction to the 32 Chief Complaint Types, Allergies/Stings.
  • Which description of chest pain does the curriculum tie to a heart attack? National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Emergency Medical Dispatch: National Standard Curriculum, Trainee Guide (1996), Module 3, Unit 2: Introduction to the 32 Chief Complaint Types, Chest Pain.
  • Which diabetic emergency does the curriculum say comes on rapidly and is the most common one EMS faces? National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Emergency Medical Dispatch: National Standard Curriculum, Trainee Guide (1996), Module 3, Unit 2: Introduction to the 32 Chief Complaint Types, Diabetic Problems.
  • Why does the curriculum say scene safety must be addressed when questioning an overdose call? National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Emergency Medical Dispatch: National Standard Curriculum, Trainee Guide (1996), Module 3, Unit 2: Introduction to the 32 Chief Complaint Types, Ingestions/Poisons/O.D..

Module 3: time/life-critical events 8

  • A caller finds a co-worker down and still touching a live cable. What comes first in the curriculum's instructions? National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Emergency Medical Dispatch: National Standard Curriculum, Trainee Guide (1996), Module 3, Unit 2: Introduction to the 32 Chief Complaint Types, Electrocution.
  • A caller says a man is unconscious and cannot tell whether he is breathing. What should the dispatcher assume? National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Emergency Medical Dispatch: National Standard Curriculum, Trainee Guide (1996), Module 3, Unit 2: Introduction to the 32 Chief Complaint Types, Cardiac Arrest.
  • A choking patient is coughing, and the cough seems to be dealing with the problem. What does the curriculum advise? National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Emergency Medical Dispatch: National Standard Curriculum, Trainee Guide (1996), Module 3, Unit 2: Introduction to the 32 Chief Complaint Types, Choking.
  • A pregnant caller has cut her hand, and nothing suggests a problem with the pregnancy. Which protocol does the dispatcher use? National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Emergency Medical Dispatch: National Standard Curriculum, Trainee Guide (1996), Module 3, Unit 2: Introduction to the 32 Chief Complaint Types, Pregnancy/Childbirth.
  • A swimmer is pulled out after diving into shallow water. What must the dispatcher assume is possible? National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Emergency Medical Dispatch: National Standard Curriculum, Trainee Guide (1996), Module 3, Unit 2: Introduction to the 32 Chief Complaint Types, Drowning.
  • How does the curriculum describe carbon monoxide? National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Emergency Medical Dispatch: National Standard Curriculum, Trainee Guide (1996), Module 3, Unit 2: Introduction to the 32 Chief Complaint Types, CO/Inhalation/HAZMAT.
  • Which finding marks a total upper airway obstruction in the curriculum? National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Emergency Medical Dispatch: National Standard Curriculum, Trainee Guide (1996), Module 3, Unit 2: Introduction to the 32 Chief Complaint Types, Choking.
  • Which report means a birth is imminent, by the curriculum? National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Emergency Medical Dispatch: National Standard Curriculum, Trainee Guide (1996), Module 3, Unit 2: Introduction to the 32 Chief Complaint Types, Pregnancy/Childbirth.

How this list was compiled: Our own questions, written to the Trainee Guide of Emergency Medical Dispatch: National Standard Curriculum (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration; the Instructor Guide and Trainee Guide are reports DOT-HS-808-356 and DOT-HS-808-354, publication date February 1996), read 2026-10-09 in the copy held by ERIC, the education library of the U.S. Department of Education (record https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED425308, full text https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED425308.pdf). The curriculum gives Module 1 about 4 hours, Module 2 about 8 hours and Module 3 at least 12 hours; the bank holds 12, 24 and 36 questions. Every fact in a question and its explanation was read in the unit the question names. Licence: Questions, choices and explanations are original work of this site.

How it works

This free EMD practice test has 72 questions of our own on Emergency Medical Dispatch: National Standard Curriculum. It is unofficial and not affiliated with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), a state EMS office or any body that certifies dispatchers.

Read the full guide

What the curriculum covers

NHTSA's curriculum has three teaching modules: basic concepts (about 4 hours), information gathering and dispatch (about 8), and the protocol system with its chief complaint types (at least 12). The bank holds 12, 24 and 36 questions in those shares.

How the course tests

Module 4 is a practical examination on simulated calls, covering 16 of the 32 complaint types. The curriculum leaves the written exam to local programs and prints no question count or pass mark, so Exam mode draws 25, a number of ours.

Your agency's protocol comes first

The curriculum dates from 1996 and says no locale may use it until the local medical authority has reviewed and authorized it. Where your agency's approved protocol differs from an answer here, the protocol is the final word.

  • Learn the order Where, What, How, Who, When. The address comes first on every call.
  • Keep signs and symptoms apart: a rescuer finds a sign, and the patient reports a symptom.

Questions and answers

What is on an EMD test?

It depends on the certifying body and your agency's protocol system. The federal curriculum teaches the dispatcher's role, legal issues, basic medical concepts, questioning callers, resource allocation, telephone instructions and 32 chief complaint types: 11 traumatic incidents, 14 individual complaints and 7 time/life-critical events.

Are EMD practice tests the same for every agency?

No. Each agency trains and certifies on its own locally approved protocol system, and certification exams are closed. These questions cover the shared ground in the federal curriculum, not any protocol system's cards, codes or scripts.

How long is EMD training?

The federal curriculum describes a course of at least 24 hours for trained, experienced telecommunicators. A state or certifying body may ask for more, so check the rule that applies to your own agency.

Is this the real emergency medical dispatcher exam?

No. Every question was written for this site from the public federal curriculum. None comes from a certification exam, a course quiz, a protocol card or a prep book, and a score here does not predict a result.

More tests

Show 7 more

Browse Safety and Trades