Why Did You Fail the NREMT?

[@Limmereducation]

If you've already failed the NREMT and need good remedial training, Limmer Education can help: 24-hour remediation program for EMT: bit.ly/failedEMT 36-hour remediation program for AEMT: bit.ly/failedAEMT

[@Christina.love23]

I did complete the EMT class passing each exam with a B score. I just completed the class end of September 2023 and I was unsuccessful with the NREMT. I know I wasn't 100% ready and I need to study more and take my time reviewing the questions. I just discovered your videos this morning and I really appreciate you for giving us the opportunity to learn and study with you!

[@Limmereducation]

Glad you're here! If you have specific questions about anything, we're always happy to talk.

[@Christina.love23]

@@Limmereducation Thank you, I will get online soon and get the membership. Which one would you suggest?

[@Limmereducation]

@@Christina.love23 Our membership site is EMTReview.com. The Premium membership is a good option, especially if you have a few weeks to study before your next attempt. Take the diagnostic tests first to see where you most need to study. And sign up for Dan's Office Hours -- it's a weekly live review session where you can get all your questions answered! We also have an EMT Remediation program for people who fail the NREMT multiple times. That is available at LC-Ready here: bit.ly/EMTRemediation

[@InstructorWest]

Some people are, in fact, not prepared for various reasons. But many are and the NREMT exam is absolutely terrible. I take the NREMT exam every two years- I've never left the exam confident that I passed. I have a Masters Degree in Education and have been teaching EMTs for 20 years- I am well qualified to pass judgement on this exam. 1. It is based on no published objectives. 2. It asks about "best" answers as opposed to "correct" answers- this is subjectivity. 3. It portrays itself to be testing not so much what the texts instruct, but how one should behave in the field...these students are not field-level providers. Their hands-on time with a FTO starts after they are certified. 4. Test-writers are not necessarily trained educators- I've been through the test-writers preparation process for NREMT and while much of their prep is appropriate, the questions test-writers can come up with is left to their own imaginations, not based on any universal set of objectives. Rule #1 for evaluating students: all questions must be based on the objectives that were established prior to training- the NAEMSE's own Education textbook states this and it is standard educational practice. Suggesting that all people who fail the exam are at fault for failing is "blaming the victim" of a horrible test. Students universally complain about this exam. One of my students, a brilliant pre-med student , commented "I don't mind a hard exam, but I hate a bad exam." Exactly. You can attempt to justify the NREMT exam as much as you'd like, but it's a flawed and unfair exam. And let's point out the biggest irony of this test: working EMTs can recertify by taking the exam. The exam supposedly determines if someone is competent to be an EMT. But if you fail the exam and you're already a practicing EMT, your certification is not pulled. You can leave the examination site and jump right back into the truck to provide care. Would that be a possibility if the exam was valid, measuring what it claims to measure? Certainly not. To all of the people who failed this test: you may, in fact, have not prepared yourself. Or you may just be one more person whose question set made it all but impossible to get through this exam. Don't waste your time trying to complain about it- your signed Non-Disclosure Agreement prevents you from discussing it. Pretty convenient way for the company to shield itself from criticism and complaints. The NREMT exam is a poorly constructed, invalid and frustrating tool that will cost you money, time, and frustration. And for those of you using it for recertification, don't worry about failing it- you can take it up to 6 times while continuing to work as an NREMT-certified practitioner. I'd love to know how anyone can justify this cognitive-dissonance inducing idea.

[@danlimmer6326]

I thank you for taking the time to write. Obviously, you are passionate about this topic and I'm not sure I can change your mind. But I will say a few things. The NREMT has moved away from the "best answer" format. They don't believe this should be a test of reading and I agree. The exam tests entry-level competence. It is reasonable to ask questions about the field--questions that a student should know from class. If a class doesn't prepare a student for the field to the extent it is able, it is a class issue and not an exam issue. I disagree that the exam is invalid and I encourage you to talk to the NREMT about this. As far as objectives, EMS has fortunately moved away from a set curriculum and uses education standards. No other profession has the government or professional organization set detailed objectives. In respiratory, nursing, dental hygiene, radiologic technology, and others there are multiple books and hundreds of programs out there that each teach a bit differently but take the same exam. The NREMT has an exam blueprint and an explanation of where they get the details from (www.nremt.org/Document/cognitive-exams). What other profession would say "My students can't pass the exam because I don't know what to teach." About 70% of people who take EMT pass and 75% of paramedic candidates pass in the first sitting. I think that is reasonable. It shouldn't be easy. As much as everyone complains, it strikes me that these exams shouldn't be easy nor should they be unduly exclusive. Numbers improve on subsequent tries. Lastly, and again recognizing that we will likely continue to disagree, if we improve our education and the exam is an issue, I'll be more likely to take your side.

[@InstructorWest]

Thank you for your reply. A few comments: It's not about knowing what to teach if the questions are faulty- and I've taken the exam plenty of times and the questions are vague, give incomplete information forcing students to make assumptions, or ask questions that an experienced EMT would know but the student does not. We do not turn out field-ready EMTs- like doctors and dentists and nurses, we turn out people with enough knowledge and skill to enter the field but not be independently practicing. No doc or nurses or dentists step off the graduation stage and start working independently on patients. There's a supervisory period where knowledge and skills grow to create a competent EMT. We're teaching a very large textbook with lots of material in a relatively short time- usually 4 months (though there are on-line 4 and week courses out there that certainly shouldn't be). I watched you pose "NREMT-like" questions to EMS instructors at NAEMSE and more that half of these instructors get the questions wrong- these are experienced instructors. Either most EMS instructors are ignorant and incompetent, or the test is bad. It's one or the other. Finally, the test can not be called valid. A valid test effectively tests "what it is supposed to test"; leaving "what it's supposed to test" undefined (not having objectives) leaves it self-evident that it's not testing what it says it is (because it's not saying!) And again, the best evidence of this is that practicing EMTs who fail that certification exam while employed can keep on practicing emergency medicine. You don't get to keep driving and have 6 chances to pass the eye exam for your driver's license- if you can't pass a valid test, you don't get to be licensed. With all due respect, I could tear most of the NREMT exam's questions apart- and I do as I take it- and the non-disclosure agreement assures that I can't voice a complaint that will better the exam. It's a closed system that fails its participants. I wish that I could be a proud member of NREMT, but I've yet to meet a single EMS provider that feels that the organization does quality testing. Everyone can't be wrong. @@danlimmer6326

[@redspartanbeta]

Ive failed my 3rd attempt recently and honestly i had plenty life events to keep me from taking the test i wasn't able to take it for a year and a half almost i got 780 my first time and i improved to 840 then after that 856 i wanna pass but not sure what to do!

[@theultimatepeace5038]

Is (AREMT) Australian Registry Emergency Medical Technician certification eligible for nremt exam.

[@Limmereducation]

You'll have to contact the National Registry to ask about that. There's some preliminary information on their website here: www.nremt.org/Policies/Certification-Policies/Policy-for-International-National-Registry-Certifi