Pass your EKG technician exam on the first try
190 practice questions on safety and patient care, lead placement and artifacts, Holter monitors and stress testing, heart rate and intervals, and rhythm recognition, each with a plain-English explanation.
Practice by section
The NHA CET exam covers three domains, weighted as shown by the questions in each practice exam. Practice one domain at a time, or take a full 100-question practice exam.
Safety, Compliance, and Coordinated Patient Care 54 questions
HIPAA and the EHR, infection control and equipment safety, scope of practice and ethics, communicating with patients and the care team, vital signs, recognizing cardiac emergencies and CPR, and preparing patients for stress tests and Holter or event monitors.
EKG Acquisition 74 questions
Equipment care and machine settings, skin prep and patient positioning, 12-lead electrode placement, telemetry, Holter and stress test hookups, right-sided and posterior leads, lead reversal and complete tracings, artifacts and their fixes, and monitoring patients during stress tests.
EKG Analysis and Interpretation 62 questions
EKG paper and heart rate methods, target heart rates, rhythm regularity, PR, QRS and QT measurement, waveforms and electrolytes, the conduction system, sinus, atrial, junctional and ventricular rhythms, heart blocks, pacemaker spikes, ischemia and infarction, and what to do for life-threatening rhythms.
What full access includes
- All 190 questions on safety and compliance, patient care, EKG acquisition and rhythm analysis
- An explanation for every answer, with the AHA recommendation, OSHA rule or guideline behind it
- Unlimited full 100-question practice exams, with each domain in its real share
- Practice exams for each domain
- A review of every question you missed at the end of each exam
- Works on your phone, tablet or computer, with no app or account
About the NHA CET exam
Who takes the NHA CET exam?
EKG technician students and working EKG techs, monitor techs and medical assistants who want the Certified EKG Technician credential from the National Healthcareer Association. You need a high school diploma or equivalent and either an EKG training program or supervised work experience, plus documented EKGs: at least 10 performed on live individuals. Check NHA's site for the current eligibility rules.
How is the exam structured?
The CET exam has 100 scored questions and 20 unscored pretest questions, with a 2-hour limit. Under NHA's current test plan, based on its 2017 job analysis, the scored questions come from three domains: Safety, Compliance, and Coordinated Patient Care (32), EKG Acquisition (44) and EKG Analysis and Interpretation (24).
What score do I need to pass?
NHA reports a scaled score from 200 to 500, and 390 or higher passes. Because the scale adjusts for differences between exam forms, there is no fixed number of questions you need right. Our practice exams use 70% correct (70 of 100) as a benchmark. Aim higher than that before your test day.
Do your questions show rhythm strips?
Our rhythm questions describe each strip in words: the rate, the regularity, the P waves, the PR interval and the QRS width. Those are the same features you check, in the same order, when you read a real strip. Practice measuring on printed strips too, so you are ready to read a tracing as well as a description.
Where do I take the exam?
You can take it at your school if it is an NHA testing site, at a PSI test center, or online with live remote proctoring. Check the NHA Candidate Handbook for current fees, retake waiting periods and ID rules.
How do I keep my certification?
CET certification lasts two years. To renew, you complete 10 continuing education credits and pay the renewal fee before it expires.
Which standards do your questions follow?
Lead placement and recording questions follow the American Heart Association's recommendations for standardizing the electrocardiogram, and stress testing questions follow the AHA exercise testing standards. Safety questions follow OSHA rules, CDC guidelines and HIPAA. Your facility's procedures may add details, so follow them at work.
Is this the official exam?
No. This is practice material to help you prepare. The CET exam is given by the National Healthcareer Association. This site is not affiliated with NHA, and our questions are not taken from the real exam.