10 exam-style questions with answers and explanations, straight from our 1,030-question bank. Tap an answer to check yourself. When you're ready, take the scored version in the free practice test.
The CET exam has 150 questions and runs 2 hours.
These 10 free CET questions are organized by exam domain, so you can see how each part of the EKG Technician Online National Certification (CET) blueprint is tested. Reveal the answer and explanation under each question.
A patient's ventricular rate is higher on a repeat ECG than on the earlier recording. A colleague concludes that the heart must now be pumping more blood per minute. What additional information is needed to test that conclusion?
Correct answer: D - The stroke volume at each heart rate
An oxygenated red blood cell has just left the pulmonary capillaries. Which route takes it to the chamber that ejects blood into the aorta?
Correct answer: B - Pulmonary vein → left atrium → mitral valve → left ventricle
In the same lead, an R wave measures 8 mm on an ECG recorded at 10 mm/mV. A repeat recording uses 5 mm/mV, and the R wave measures 4 mm. Electrode positions are unchanged. What does this amplitude comparison show?
Correct answer: D - Both tracings show an R-wave voltage of 0.8 mV.
At 50 mm/s, an adult's ECG shows uniform P waves, each followed by a QRS complex. Every PR interval spans 9 mm horizontally. How should this PR interval be documented?
Correct answer: B - PR 0.18 second, within the usual adult reference range
A 10-second rhythm strip contains 21 clearly identifiable P waves and 14 QRS complexes. The R-R intervals are uneven. Estimate the ventricular rate from this strip.
Correct answer: A - 84 beats/min
A cardiologist treating a patient requests the patient's identified 12-lead ECG. The recipient's identity and treatment role are verified, and facility policy authorizes the technician to transmit it through the approved clinical system. How should the technician handle this request under HIPAA?
Correct answer: A - Send the identified tracing through the approved treatment channel.
Before recording a resting 12-lead ECG, a technician checks the chest electrodes. V4 is in the fifth intercostal space at the left midclavicular line. V5 follows that intercostal space to the left anterior axillary line and sits below V4. V6 is at the left midaxillary line, horizontally level with V4. Which correction is needed?
Correct answer: B - Move V5 upward to the horizontal level of V4.
A technician trained in pediatric ECG acquisition is preparing an 8-year-old for a standard 12-lead recording. Adult adhesive electrodes overlap when centered on the correct chest landmarks. Compatible pediatric electrodes are available. Select the adjustment that preserves the intended recording.
Correct answer: C - Use pediatric electrodes at the usual anatomical landmarks.
A bedside monitor labels a rhythm 'atrial fibrillation.' On review, the technician sees an irregular narrow-complex tachycardia at 126/min. In one lead, discrete P waves have at least three distinct shapes, the P-P and PR intervals vary, and the baseline is flat between P waves. Which rhythm best fits these findings?
Correct answer: A - Multifocal atrial tachycardia
A trained EKG technician is assisting with an adult cardiac arrest. An AED has delivered one advised shock. The patient remains unresponsive, with no movement or normal breathing. What should happen immediately after the shock?
Correct answer: C - Resume CPR immediately, starting with chest compressions.
The full bank has 1,020 more CET questions with explanations.
Continue in the free practice test →
View plans