CSLB General Building (B) Trade Practice Test
Frequently asked questions
How many NHA EKG Technician (CET) practice questions are here?+
A full bank of original NHA EKG Technician (CET) practice questions across the official content areas, weighted like the real exam, with explanations. Free, no signup.
What is the NHA EKG Technician (CET) exam like?+
About 100 questions, 90 minutes. Practice by topic here, then take the full timed mock exam to gauge readiness.
Are these the real exam questions?+
No. Every question is 100% original, written from public primary sources with explanations. We never copy real exam questions or paid prep material.
Can I study in Chinese or Spanish?+
PrepPass practice is in English, 中文 and Español. The official exam is in English — switch the question language to English any time to rehearse the exact terminology you'll see on test day.
Sample practice questions
A few real questions from this free bank, with full explanations. Use the practice tool above for the whole set.
- 1. Rhythm Interpretation
A technician measures the distance from the beginning of the P wave to the beginning of the QRS complex on a strip and counts four small boxes. What is the PR interval, and is it normal?
- a.0.04 second, which is shorter than normal
- b.0.08 second, which is normal
- c.0.16 second, which is normal
- d.0.40 second, which is longer than normal
Answer: c
Explanation: Each small box equals 0.04 second at the standard paper speed of 25 mm/sec, so four small boxes equal 0.16 second. The normal PR interval is 0.12 to 0.20 second, so 0.16 second falls in range. The 0.04 and 0.08 answers miscount the boxes, and 0.40 second would require ten small boxes and would indicate a first-degree AV block.
- 2. Rhythm Interpretation
A pediatric strip shows upright P waves before every narrow QRS, a PR interval of 0.14 second, and R-R intervals that shorten with inhalation and lengthen with exhalation. What is this rhythm?
- a.Atrial fibrillation
- b.Sinus arrhythmia
- c.Wandering atrial pacemaker
- d.Second-degree AV block, Mobitz I
Answer: b
Explanation: Sinus arrhythmia is a sinus rhythm whose only abnormality is an irregularity that varies with the breathing cycle, and it is a normal finding in children and young adults. Atrial fibrillation would have no identifiable P waves and an irregularly irregular rhythm. Wandering atrial pacemaker shows at least three different P wave shapes, and Mobitz I shows progressively lengthening PR intervals with a dropped QRS.
- 3. Rhythm Interpretation
A monitor shows a nearly flat line with no waveforms in two different leads and the patient is unresponsive with no pulse. What is this rhythm?
- a.Ventricular fibrillation
- b.Idioventricular rhythm
- c.Asystole
- d.Loose lead artifact
Answer: c
Explanation: Asystole is the absence of all electrical activity, appearing as a flat or nearly flat line, and it must be confirmed in more than one lead before it is accepted as true. Ventricular fibrillation still shows chaotic deflections, and an idioventricular rhythm shows wide slow complexes. A loose lead can mimic a flat line, which is exactly why the finding is confirmed in a second lead and at the bedside.
- 4. Rhythm Interpretation
A strip shows a normal sinus beat followed by a wide bizarre beat, then another sinus beat followed by another wide bizarre beat, repeating throughout the strip. What is this pattern called?
- a.Ventricular bigeminy
- b.Ventricular trigeminy
- c.A couplet
- d.Ventricular tachycardia
Answer: a
Explanation: Bigeminy means every other beat is a premature ventricular contraction, alternating one normal beat and one PVC. Trigeminy is a PVC every third beat. A couplet is two PVCs in a row, and three or more consecutive PVCs at a rate above 100 constitute ventricular tachycardia.
- 5. EKG Acquisition
Where is the V6 electrode placed?
- a.Left posterior axillary line, level with V4
- b.Sixth intercostal space, left midclavicular line
- c.Left midaxillary line, on the same horizontal level as V4 and V5
- d.Fifth intercostal space, right midaxillary line
Answer: c
Explanation: V6 is placed at the left midaxillary line on the same horizontal plane as V4 and V5, completing the left lateral view of the heart. The posterior axillary line is used only for additional posterior leads such as V7. The right midaxillary line and the sixth space at the midclavicular line are not standard chest lead positions.
- 6. EKG Acquisition
A technician is setting up 5-lead telemetry monitoring. Which placement follows the standard color convention?
- a.White on the right shoulder, black on the left shoulder, green on the right lower abdomen, red on the left lower abdomen, brown on the chest
- b.White on the left shoulder, black on the right shoulder, red on the right lower abdomen, green on the left lower abdomen, brown on the chest
- c.All five electrodes across the upper chest in a row
- d.White and black on the legs, red and green on the arms, brown on the back
Answer: a
Explanation: The standard 5-lead convention is white on the right upper chest, black on the left upper chest, green on the right lower chest or abdomen, red on the left lower chest or abdomen, and brown as the chest lead, remembered as white on right, smoke over fire, and clouds over grass. Swapping white and black reverses lead I. Clustering the electrodes together or moving them to the limbs destroys the intended vectors.
- 7. EKG Acquisition
A technician opens a package of disposable electrodes and finds the conductive gel is dry and crusted. What should be done?
- a.Moisten the electrodes with tap water and use them
- b.Discard the package and open fresh electrodes within their expiration date
- c.Add alcohol to the gel to soften it
- d.Use them anyway and increase the machine gain to compensate
Answer: b
Explanation: Dried electrodes cannot conduct properly and cause wandering baseline and false readings, so they are discarded and replaced with fresh, unexpired electrodes stored in a sealed package. Water and alcohol are not substitutes for conductive gel and alcohol actually increases resistance once it dries. Increasing gain amplifies the artifact along with the signal and does not fix the contact problem.
- 8. Anatomy & Physiology
What is the correct path of blood through the heart, starting with deoxygenated blood returning from the body?
- a.Right atrium, tricuspid valve, right ventricle, pulmonic valve, lungs, left atrium, mitral valve, left ventricle, aorta
- b.Left atrium, mitral valve, left ventricle, lungs, right atrium, tricuspid valve, right ventricle, aorta
- c.Right atrium, mitral valve, right ventricle, aorta, lungs, left atrium, tricuspid valve, left ventricle
- d.Right ventricle, right atrium, lungs, left ventricle, left atrium, aorta
Answer: a
Explanation: Deoxygenated blood enters the right atrium from the venae cavae, passes the tricuspid valve into the right ventricle, leaves through the pulmonic valve to the lungs, returns oxygenated to the left atrium, crosses the mitral valve into the left ventricle, and exits through the aortic valve to the body. The mitral valve is always on the left and the tricuspid on the right, and blood always flows atrium to ventricle, never the reverse.
- 9. Anatomy & Physiology
Why is the left ventricle the thickest chamber of the heart?
- a.It holds the largest volume of blood
- b.It must generate enough pressure to pump blood through the entire systemic circulation
- c.It contains the SA node and needs extra muscle to protect it
- d.It receives blood directly from the venae cavae
Answer: b
Explanation: The left ventricle pumps against the high resistance of the systemic circuit, so its wall is roughly three times thicker than the right ventricle, which only pumps to the nearby low-pressure lungs. Both ventricles eject about the same volume per beat, so volume is not the reason. The SA node sits in the right atrium, and the venae cavae empty into the right atrium.
- 10. Safety & Professionalism
What is appropriate routine maintenance for EKG equipment between patients?
- a.Wipe the machine, cables, and any reusable electrodes with an approved disinfectant, untangle and inspect the lead wires, and restock supplies
- b.Soak the entire patient cable in disinfectant solution
- c.Wrap the lead wires tightly around the machine to save space
- d.Clean the machine only when it appears visibly dirty
Answer: a
Explanation: Between patients the machine surfaces, cables, and reusable components are wiped with a facility-approved disinfectant, wires are inspected for cracks and gently uncoiled, and supplies are restocked so the unit is ready. Immersing a patient cable damages the connectors and creates an electrical hazard. Wrapping wires tightly breaks the internal conductors and causes artifact, and waiting for visible soil ignores unseen contamination.