10 Facts You Must Know About the NREMT Test

Posted Nov 1, 2018

  1. NREMT stands for National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians. Why is this important? The NREMT is a national body that provides national licensure for every nationally recognized level of EMS provider. This means everything from EMR to Paramedic! They have a great website that features continuing educations articles and research covering a wide variety of topics. As of the writing of this article, September 2018, 46 states use the NREMT for their state licensure and all 50 states recognize the National certification and recertification process. This is an amazing this as it makes it easier to gain reciprocity in other states if you move.
  2. The NREMT was founded in 1970 to create a standard of training and certification that ensures a uniform education and testing standard across the country. This ensures that no matter where you are educated in the US, if you pass the NREMT exam and become licensed then you can work in any state in the country. If you speak to other folks who are near retirement, you’ll hear stories of having to take state exams before the NREMT. Luckily, the NREMT has become the standard for most of the country and they’ve provided the best way forward for obtaining licensure and maintaining it as well. EMTprep.com helps prepare EMS providers of all levels prepare for and pass their NREMT exam. Whether you need help identifying weak areas, a general study aide, or a way to study on the go, EMTprep.com has an incredible set of tools to get you through this test. By identifying your weak areas, our system tells you where you should spend the majority of your study time. Discover how EMTprep can help you study for the NREMT exam by delivering relevant questions, comprehensive study tools, and real-time results. This gives you an edge walking into the exam. You will have spent your time ensuring your weak areas are strengthened.

  3. The NREMT follows the recommendations of the National EMS Education Agenda of the Future and the National EMS Scope of Practice Model. This means a few things:

    1. Paramedics must graduate from a nationally accredited program
    2. It allows for a more consistent level of patient care
    3. It sets a minimum level of competency for licensure
    4. It establishes recertification requirements to keep us up to date
    5. It increases the professionalism of the EMS field as a whole.
  4. The NREMT is accredited by the National Commission of Certifying agencies which means that it meets the standards found in the “Standards for Education and Psychological Testing.” This means that when we take a certification test for our license the test itself has been reviewed and refined to be fair, accurate, and to test our competence. The NREMT has a long list of review procedures for their exams and each question that gets placed in them. Much like the NREMT, EMTprep.com has created our own internal review process that ensures our content is accurate before being placed in front of students. Should you ever find an error with one of our questions, or if you just have a question about our content, please reach out to us an info@EMTprep.com. We’re always happy to discuss the logic behind a question, it’s answers, or it’s rationale.

  5. The NREMT is governed by a board of directors made up of 21 people from the EMS community and the public. The board has 3 major roles:

    1. Determines policies and standards
    2. Determines the strategic direction
    3. Maintains financial oversight

    The board members are made up of physicians, state regulators, organizational representatives, at-large EMS providers, and the general public. This should assure you that this organization is reputable and knowledgeable.

  6. The NREMT provides certification that you have met basic competencies, but it does not license you to practice in your state. The NREMT certification lets the state know that you have met the minimum competencies, however, it is the state EMS office that provides the license in order for you to work/practice in the state. EMTprep.com will help prepare you for the NREMT exam or your state exam if your state has one. Our internal test creation procedures aim to mimic the focus areas and content outlined in the NEMSES guidelines.

  7. The NREMT has minimum entry requirements to be certified by them that includes:

    1. Proof of education
    2. Your age
    3. Competency testing
    4. Criminal convictions
    5. Disciplinary action

    This means that in order to be certified the first time you must pass all of the above and then to recertify you must pass these again. This again ensures uniformity across the country.

  8. The NREMT uses computer adaptive tests for the cognitive testing of the EMR, EMT, and Paramedic levels. Learn more about EMTprep and our Free Training Article on Computer Adaptive Tests The NREMT uses computer based linear tests for the EMT-Advanced (AEMT) testing. Whether you’re studying for a CAT or computer based linear test, EMTprep.com will help you prepare you for test day, but identifying your weak areas. The test banks that the NREMT has are reportedly very large (tens of thousands) and no two exams are said to be exactly alike. The NREMT will add new questions regularly through the use of national test writers. These test writer’s questions are scrutinized to ensure accuracy and applicability.
  9. The NREMT uses Pearson VUE testing centers for the cognitive exam. Pearson VUE is an ADA compliant facility and will provide reasonable accommodations for testing Learn more about EMTprep and what we recommend before showing up at a Pearson Vue testing center). Long story short, you should be able to ask for reasonable accommodations for your test day. If you require additional accommodations, be sure to let the NREMT know, and they can direct you to the best person to speak with.
  10. The NREMT receives your psychomotor test results from your State EMS office after you’ve completed them. This means that the psychomotor exam will take place at a facility that has been approved by the state EMS office and then the results are communicated to the NREMT. Once this information is received, your application will go through an internal review process before your certification is awarded. The NREMT is usually quick to turn around these applications and grant certification in a reasonable amount of time. They’re acutely aware of what is riding on EMS professionals receiving their certificates. They truly try their hardest to get these out in a timely manner.