Completely free
No account walls, no upsell
Free exam prep for every test — 20,000+ exam pages and 2.4M+ practice questions.
Open free Paramedic (NRP) prep resources ↗Exam facts & prep options
Paramedic Certification Examination
Find the current format, timing, scoring, fees, eligibility, and testing options for Paramedic (NRP), with direct links to official sources.
Official exam siteJump to prep options ↓
Questions110–150 questions (CAT: minimum 110 items, variable length), of which 20 are unscored pilot items
Testing time3.5 hours (preceded by a 5-minute non-disclosure agreement and a 10-minute tutorial, which are not part of exam time)
ScoringPass/fail against a uniform entry-level-competency passing standard; as a CAT exam, administration ends once the computer reaches a pass/fail decision with 95% confidence
Exam feeUSD 175.00 examination fee per attempt (rescheduling/cancelling through Pearson costs USD 30; rescoring costs USD 150.00)
Prep options
Study resources for Paramedic (NRP)
Independent prep
Courses and study resources
Exam overview
What to know before choosing your prep
- Who runs it
- NREMT
- Category
- Emergency Medical Services
- Current version
- Paramedic Certification Examination — current specification effective July 1, 2024; single consolidated certification exam (the former separate psychomotor exam was discontinued and its skills embedded in the cognitive exam's Clinical Judgment domain)
- Where it applies
- United States — national
- Exam languages
- English
- Score scale
- 100–1500 scale; passing point indicated by 950
- Testing provider
- Pearson VUE (branded Professional Assessments at test centers)
- Format
- Computer-based computerized adaptive test (CAT) at authorized Pearson (Professional Assessments) testing centers
- Availability
- Year-round by appointment at authorized Pearson VUE test centers in the United States; ATT valid 90 days from posting
- Results
- Results posted to the candidate's National Registry account, generally within three business days (pass/fail only; scaled detail only if not passed)
- Remote testing
- Not available
Exam structure
CAT exam sampling six content domains (published as ranges): Airway, Respiration & Ventilation 8–12%; Cardiology & Resuscitation 10–14% (30% of this domain is graphical items with ECG rhythm strips); Trauma 6–10%; Medical/Obstetrics/Gynecology 24–28%; EMS Operations 8–12%; Clinical Judgment 34–38%. Item types: multiple-choice, multiple-response, Build List, Drag-and-Drop, Options Box, graphical, and scenario-based; pediatric content integrated throughout
Where rules vary
National certification exam, uniform nationwide; state EMS offices may additionally require a state license
Eligibility
Current National Registry certification or state license at the EMT level or higher; successful completion of a CAAHEP-accredited Paramedic education program (or one holding a CoAEMSP Letter of Review) within the past two years, verified by the Program Director
Retake policy
15-day wait after each attempt; six total chances to pass; remedial education required after three failures (uploaded with the fourth-attempt application)