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20 trauma practice questions. Instant answer explanations. Evaluate your xABCDE knowledge in around 15 minutes.

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20bank questions
5review areas
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Airway · Breathing · Hemorrhage & Circulation · Disability · Exposure

ACEITPREP / FREE ATLS20 QUESTIONS
BreathingQuestion 1 of 20
A 24-year-old man is brought in after a high-speed motor vehicle crash. He is tachypneic (RR 36), has tracheal deviation to the left, absent breath sounds on the right, jugular venous distention, and oxygen saturation of 82% despite 15 L/min oxygen via non-rebreather. The skilled operator and fully prepared chest-tube equipment are already at the bedside, allowing immediate definitive pleural decompression. What is the most appropriate next step?

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A percentage should give you direction. Complete this free session to see which concepts need attention across Airway, Breathing, Hemorrhage & Circulation, Disability, and Exposure & Reassessment.

Four questions per area. A focused review list based on what you missed. Know where to start before your next study session.

YOUR TRAUMA BREAKDOWNExample report
Airway75%
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Hemorrhage & Circulation25%
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Disability50%
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Illustrative results. Your own report appears after all 20 questions.

Real clinical scenarios.
Reasoning under pressure.

Selected directly from the AceItPrep premium ATLS bank. Work through trauma decisions involving airway compromise, pleural decompression, hemorrhage control, neurologic deterioration, and reassessment.

Every option has an explanation. Understand the right action - and why another apparently plausible choice does not fit the patient in front of you.

A focused practice sample, not the official ATLS exam. The five report areas organize this sample; they are not official exam weights.

01

Airway

Contaminated airways, definitive airway decisions, rescue access, and tube confirmation.

4 questions
02

Breathing

Pleural decompression, open chest wounds, major hemothorax, and pulmonary contusion.

4 questions
03

Hemorrhage & Circulation

Catastrophic bleeding, pelvic stabilization, transfusion, and operative hemorrhage control.

4 questions
04

Disability

GCS, intracranial bleeding, spinal deficits, and impending herniation.

4 questions
05

Exposure & Reassessment

Heat loss, secondary survey, delayed injuries, and burn assessment.

4 questions
Explore the topics in this free ATLS written exam practice set
  1. Tension pneumothorax: immediate decompression

    A 24-year-old man is brought in after a high-speed motor vehicle crash. He is tachypneic (RR 36), has tracheal deviation to the left, absent breath sounds on the right, jugular venous distention, and oxygen saturation of 82% despite 15 L/min oxygen via non-rebreather. The skilled operator and fully prepared chest-tube equipment are already at the bedside, allowing immediate definitive pleural decompression. What is the most appropriate next step?

  2. Clearing a contaminated airway

    A 25-year-old male is brought in after a motorcycle crash. He is unconscious, has gurgling respirations, and blood in his oropharynx. What is the first priority in his airway management?

  3. Catastrophic external hemorrhage in xABCDE

    A 27-year-old man is struck by a vehicle. On arrival, he is unresponsive (GCS 6), RR 10, pulse 130, BP 80/50, SpO₂ 88%. There is active bleeding from a thigh wound. The thigh wound is spurting rapidly with uncontrolled life-threatening blood loss. A second team member is already providing effective assisted ventilation. What is the first priority action in this patient?

  4. Glasgow Coma Scale components

    A 40-year-old trauma patient opens eyes only to pain, utters incomprehensible sounds, and withdraws from painful stimuli. What is the GCS score?

  5. Preventing further heat loss

    A 45-year-old man with multiple fractures is hypothermic (31°C) in the trauma bay despite warmed fluids. Which additional step best prevents further heat loss?

  6. Initial management of an open pneumothorax

    The most important, immediate step in the management of an open pneumothorax is

  7. Escalation to a definitive airway

    A 45-year-old woman is brought in after a rollover MVC. She is obtunded, has snoring respirations, SpO₂ 84% despite jaw thrust, HR 120, BP 90/60. What is the next best step?

  8. Pelvic binder placement

    A 28-year-old male presents after a high-speed motor vehicle collision. He is hypotensive and has an unstable pelvis on exam. FAST is negative. Which of the following is the best immediate step to control pelvic hemorrhage in the resuscitation bay?

  9. Head injury in an anticoagulated older adult

    A 79-year-old woman on apixaban falls down stairs and presents alert but with new confusion. Vitals are normal. There is no external bleeding. Which of the following is the best initial imaging study?

  10. Primary versus secondary survey

    Which is part of the secondary survey rather than the primary survey?

  11. Major chest-tube blood loss

    An MVC victim is diagnosed with a right hemothorax. Tube thoracostomy is performed and drains 1,800 mL of blood immediately. After transfusing 2 L of whole blood, the patient's vital signs are stabilized. In the primary survey, xABCDE seem otherwise controlled. What is the next crucial step?

  12. Cannot intubate, cannot oxygenate

    A 33-year-old man receives multiple stab wounds to the neck and has an expanding neck hematoma with stridor and progressive respiratory compromise. He is in obvious respiratory distress. Expert oral intubation and rapid supraglottic rescue fail, oxygenation cannot be maintained, and the cricothyroid membrane is intact and accessible below the injury. Which is the most appropriate immediate airway management?

  13. Hypocalcemia during transfusion

    A trauma patient with shock receives multiple units of stored PRBCs. He develops tetany and refractory hypotension. Which electrolyte abnormality is most likely?

  14. Spinal injury despite a normal GCS

    A trauma patient has a GCS of 15, but reports numbness and weakness in both legs. What is the best next step?

  15. Delayed hollow-viscus injury after blast exposure

    A victim of an explosion presents with bilateral tympanic membrane rupture but normal vital signs. Six hours later, he develops worsening abdominal pain, guarding, and tachycardia while oxygenation and the chest examination remain normal. What injury is now particularly concerning?

  16. Evolving pulmonary contusion

    A patient after a high-energy MVC has normal initial chest X-ray. Six hours later, she develops hypoxia, patchy bilateral infiltrates, and no JVD. Which mechanism best explains the deterioration?

  17. Confirming tracheal tube placement

    Which of the following statements is true?

  18. Unstable penetrating abdominal trauma

    A hemodynamically unstable adult with penetrating abdominal trauma arrives in the ED. There is no obvious exsanguinating hemorrhage, and airway and breathing are controlled. FAST reveals free fluid. According to ATLS principles, what is the most appropriate next step in management?

  19. Temporizing impending brain herniation

    A 47-year-old construction worker is intubated after a fall of 6 meters. He has asymmetric pupils: right pupil dilated and poorly reactive, left pupil reactive. His systolic blood pressure is 160 mm Hg and oxygen saturation is 98% on controlled ventilation. Intracranial computed tomography shows a large temporal intracerebral hematoma with mass effect and midline shift. While the neurosurgical team prepares for urgent operative decompression, which single immediate intervention is most appropriate to lower intracranial pressure and temporize herniation physiology?

  20. Adult burn surface-area estimation

    A 45-year-old woman sustains burns to her entire right arm and entire back. Using the Rule of Nines, what is the %TBSA burned?

Prefer paper? Download the 20-question ATLS test (PDF).Answers and explanations at the end.

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Is this ATLS practice test completely free?

Yes. Answer all 20 questions, read every explanation, and see your five-area diagnostic report for free. No account, email address, or credit card is required.

Are these questions updated for the latest ATLS edition?

This sample is selected from the AceItPrep ATLS question bank and covers trauma assessment and resuscitation principles, including xABCDE. ACS introduced xABCDE in ATLS 11, emphasizing early control of exsanguinating external hemorrhage. Always use the manual and edition assigned by your course. This independent practice set is not an official ACS test or a substitute for course materials.

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You immediately see your sample accuracy, results across five review areas, missed concepts, and explanations for all 20 questions. You can then explore the paid AceItPrep ATLS study bank and Full-Length Exam Simulator. Your practice score is not an official examination score or pass prediction.

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ACS describes the ATLS 11 xABCDE approach. Use the manual assigned by your course. AceItPrep is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by ACS. Educational practice only; not guidance for treating a patient.