Are you preparing for a Basic First Aid exam or written test? Here are fifteen practice first aid questions to help you revise. The answers to these practice questions are at the end of this post.

Good luck!

1. If an open wound continues to bleed after applying direct pressure:

a. Add additional dressings and continue to apply direct pressure.
b. Do not remove any blood-soaked dressings.
c. Ensure that 9-1-1 or the local emergency number has been called.
d. All of the above.

2. What is the first step in caring for a wound with significant bleeding?

a. Add bulky dressings to reinforce blood-soaked bandages.
b. Apply direct pressure with a sterile or clean dressing.
c. Apply pressure at a pressure point.
d. Care for shock.

3. How should you care for someone with minor frostbite on the fingers?

a. Get the person to a warm environment and then rewarm his or her hands using skin-to-skin contact.
b. Have the person shake his or her hands vigorously until feeling is restored.
c. Immerse his or her hands in hot water.
d. Massage his or her hands vigorously.

4. A woman burned her hand in the lunchroom. You should:

a. Cool the burn with large amounts of fresh running water.
b. Cover the burn loosely with a dry, sterile dressing.
c. Remove her from the source of the burn.
d. All of the above.

5. What sudden illness is usually caused by a blockage of blood flow to the brain?

a. Diabetic emergency
b. Heat-related illness
c. Heart attack
d. Stroke

6. What is a common signal of sudden illness? Changes in

a. Changes in level of consciousness
b. Loss of vision or blurred vision
c. Signals of shock
d. All of the above

7. Which type of injury involves an open wound in which the bone has torn through the skin?

a. Dislocation
b. Open fracture
c. Sprain
d. Strain

8. How do you care for a person with a possible head, neck or spinal injury?

a. Move the injured area so that it rests above the person’s heart.
b. Move the person into a comfortable position as soon as possible.
c. Support the head in the position you find it. Do not try to align it.
d. None of the above.

9. A young woman is having trouble breathing and, based on your check of the person, you suspect that she is having a severe allergic reaction to a bee sting. What should you do?

a. After about 15 minutes, call 9-1-1 or the local emergency number.
b. Call 9-1-1 immediately and care for the person until EMS personnel take over.
c. Give the person a cool drink.
d. Give the person abdominal thrusts.

10. In stroke recognition, FAST stands for:

a. Face, arm, speech and time.
b. Feet, airway, speech, and temperature.
c. Fever, anxiety, stress and taste.
d. Flexibility, asthma and sudden tightness in the chest.

11. Care for a person with heat exhaustion includes the following:

a. Force the person to quickly drink a lot of water.
b. Get the person out of the heat and into a cooler place.
c. Put more layers of clothing on the person as protection against the heat.
d. All of the above.

12. This sudden illness results from too much or too little sugar in the person’s blood. What is it?

a. Allergic reaction
b. Diabetic emergency
c. Seizure
d. Stroke

13. When caring for a person who is having a seizure, you should:

a. Place a spoon or wallet between the person’s teeth.
b. Remove nearby objects that might cause injury.
c. Try to hold the person still.
d. All of the above.

14. The general care for a muscle, bone or joint injury includes the following:

a. Reduce, Insulate, Compress and Evaluate
b. Rest, Ibuprofen, Cool and Evacuate
c. Rest, Immobilize, Cold and Elevate
d. None of the above

15. Heat-related illnesses include the following:

a. Fainting and hyperglycemia

b. Heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heat stroke

c. Heat cramps, stroke and insulin shock
d. Hypoglycemia and sunstroke

Basic first aid practice test answers

1. D
2. B
3. A
4. D
5. D
6. D
7. B
8. C
9. B
10. A
11. B
12. B
13. B
14. D
15. B