NHA CET Certification Sample Questions

The NHA Certified EKG Technician Certification Sample Question Set on this page is designed to familiarize you with the actual NHA CET exam format and question types. These sample questions help you understand how questions are structured and what to expect on test day. While they provide a useful starting point, they represent only a limited preview of the real exam experience.

These sample questions are intended for evaluation and familiarization only. To understand exam style, pacing, and reasoning patterns more clearly, we recommend trying our online sample practice environment. If you are preparing for the NHA Certified EKG Technician (CET) and want to assess your readiness more rigorously, structured, timed, scenario-based practice is recommended. This approach aligns with the cognitive demands and professional expectations typically associated with EKG technicians, cardiovascular technicians, cardiac testing support roles working in settings such as Hospitals, physician offices, outpatient diagnostic settings.

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The demo introduces core concepts, while full-length premium simulations provide deeper, scenario-based coverage that more closely reflects the actual cognitive demands of the NHA Certified EKG Technician exam, particularly in areas such as EKG acquisition, cardiac rhythm analysis, patient safety and compliance. You can use these sample questions as a starting point, then progress to the NHA CET Certification Practice Exam for stronger readiness. Our premium simulations are designed to mirror real exam conditions, helping you refine reasoning, pacing, and decision-making before your official exam attempt.

NHA CET Sample Questions:

01. A monitored patient slumps in the chair and the screen shows a chaotic waveform with no organized complexes. The patient does not respond to shouting or shaking.
What should the technician do next?
a) Call for help, check the electrode connections, and wait for the response team
b) Call for help, print a longer strip, and hand it to the arriving team
c) Call for help, check for a pulse briefly, and start chest compressions
d) Call for help, lay the patient flat, and give two rescue breaths first

02. A monitored strip shows regular narrow QRS complexes at 70 per minute. No upright P wave appears in front of any complex, and in lead II a small inverted P wave sits just before each QRS.
Which rhythm should the technician document?
a) Atrial fibrillation, because no upright P waves appear in front of the QRS complexes.
b) Normal sinus rhythm, because a rate of 70 per minute falls inside the normal sinus range.
c) Junctional escape rhythm, because the junction is pacing in place of the sinus node.
d) Accelerated junctional rhythm, because the rate sits above the junctional escape range.

03. A patient sent over from the clinic for a routine 12-lead mentions ongoing chest pressure, and the tracing shows ST-segment elevation that is not on the copy of last year's tracing in his chart.
What should the technician do?
a) Tell the patient the tracing looks abnormal and send him back to the clinic.
b) Keep the patient in the room and bring the provider to him right away.
c) Repeat the tracing to confirm the change before taking it to the provider.
d) File the tracing with the chart and flag it for the provider's next review.

04. A patient tells the technician, “I got dizzy and nearly fainted in the waiting room, but I feel a bit better now.”
What should the technician do first?
a) Reschedule the appointment for another day, advise the patient to rest at home, and note that the tracing was not done.
b) Have the patient stand, take a few steps to the table, and then begin the tracing.
c) Seat the patient, take a set of vital signs, and report the episode before starting the tracing.
d) Start the tracing while the patient feels better, finish the recording, and report the episode afterwards.

05. A rhythm strip is running at 25 mm/s. The R-to-R spacing changes from beat to beat with no repeating pattern, and no discrete P waves can be seen.
How should the technician work out the rate?
a) Count the QRS complexes in a 6-second strip and multiply by 10
b) Count the large boxes between two R waves and divide 300 by that number
c) Count the QRS complexes in a 3-second strip and multiply by 20
d) Count the small boxes between two R waves and divide 1500 by that number

06. A technician discovers that an EKG recorded earlier in the day was uploaded to the wrong patient's chart.
What is the most appropriate immediate action?
a) Leave the tracing where it is and tell the ordering provider which chart to look in.
b) Add a note to the wrong chart explaining the error and upload a second copy to the correct chart.
c) Delete the tracing from the wrong chart and upload it again under the correct patient's name.
d) Report it to the supervisor so the entry can be reversed through the record-correction process.

07. A technician is about to obtain a 12-lead EKG on a patient who has a productive cough and a soiled dressing on the forearm.
Which action best reflects standard precautions before electrode placement?
a) Apply gloves at the start and keep the same pair on through the next patient's tracing
b) Perform hand hygiene and apply gloves before contacting the patient or the dressing area
c) Perform hand hygiene, then place the limb electrode over the dressing so it is not disturbed
d) Disinfect the lead wires first, then use alcohol gel or soap and water once the tracing is finished

08. A technician is filing a completed 12-lead tracing when a nurse from another unit stops at the desk and asks for a copy of it. She explains that she knows the patient personally and wants to see how the test turned out. She is not involved in this patient's care.
How should the technician respond to the request?
a) Hand over the copy, and remind her that the tracing must not be discussed outside the department.
b) Print the copy, but delete the patient's name and date of birth from the tracing header first.
c) Display the tracing on the screen for her, since no copy is printed and nothing leaves the unit.
d) Decline the request, and explain that tracings go only to staff involved in this patient's care.

09. A technician is placing the five electrodes for continuous telemetry monitoring.
Where does the chest (V1) electrode belong?
a) In the fourth intercostal space, just to the right of the sternum
b) In the fifth intercostal space, at the left midclavicular line
c) In the fourth intercostal space, just to the left of the sternum
d) In the second intercostal space, just to the right of the sternum

10. A tracing drifts steadily up and down away from the baseline while the patient breathes deeply and shifts on the table.
Which artifact is this?
a) Somatic tremor, produced by voluntary or involuntary muscle activity in the limbs.
b) AC interference, produced by nearby electrical equipment coupling into the lead wires and cables.
c) Wandering baseline, produced by respiration and movement changing the electrode contact.
d) Interrupted baseline, produced by a lead wire losing contact with its electrode.

Answers:

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Note: These sample questions are not official exam questions and are intended only for familiarization and study purposes. If you find any typos or data entry errors in these NHA Certified EKG Technician (CET) sample questions, please let us know by emailing us at feedback@medicoexam.com