EMT Exams in South Dakota

To get hold of an Emergency Medical Technician certificate in South Dakota, the candidate needs to ace the NREMT examinations, which are based on the coursework designed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). During this exam, the applicant has to show the level of competency in a wide range of emergency care skills. The main objective of these exams is to ascertain whether the students are capable to handle the cases of emergencies effectively or not. If you have attended your program program sincerely, you can easily crack the EMT exams just in one attempt.

Components of the Exam


Cognitive Exam

Cognitive exam, conducted by the NREMT, is much different from the traditional pencil-paper exam. This examination utilizes computer algorithms to test you. The student will be allotted 2 hours to finish the exam, and this allotted time, he/she has to carefully read and answer 70-120 questions. The applicant cannot change the answer, once he has marked his/her choice. The students may get questions from the following important topics:

  • Medical & Obstetrics/Gynecology
  • Airway
  • Respiration and Ventilation
  • Trauma
  • Cardiology & Resuscitation
  • EMS Operations

Psychomotor Exam

Psychomotor exam evaluates the candidate’s knack in delivering the effective and secure emergency medical care skills. If you want to clear this exam, then you must display your clinical skills to your level best during the EMT program program. It’s the responsibility of the program co-ordinator to ensure that the applicant must efficiently demonstrate his/her skills in the following areas:

  • Joint Immobilization
  • Medical Assessment
  • Long Bone Immobilization
  • Cardiac Arrest AED
  • Bleeding Control
  • Bag-valve-mask ventilation of an apneic patient
  • Spinal Immobilization Supine
  • Patient management/assessment of a medical patient
  • Upper airway adjuncts and suction
  • Trauma Assessment
  • Spinal Immobilization Seated
  • BVM Ventilation
  • Shock Management
  • Oxygen Administration
  • Traction Splinting
  • Patient management/assessment of a trauma patient
  • Oxygen Administration

Examination Registration and Scheduling Procedure

If an applicant wants to register for the exam, he/she can complete the registration procedure through any of the following four ways. But remember one thing that except the standard mail, if you opt for any other mode of registration, then you should have a valid Master or Visa Card.

Registering and Scheduling through Internet

The procedure to register for and schedule an EMT exam through the internet is as follows:

  • The applicant is required to go to the PSI’s registration website (www.psiexams.com).
  • You will find a registration form on this site. Fill it completely.
  • Next, select your institution from the drop-down list.
  • Make sure that you have filled the Master or Visa card number and expiry date accurately.
  • Submit the form online.
  • After submitting the registration form, you will receive the entire necessary information related to the exam.
  • You can choose any of the available exam date and location in order to take the examination.

Registering and Scheduling through Telephone

The advantage of the telephonic registration is that you can register for the exam during both- business hours, as well as non-business hours.

  • During the non-business hours, register through the 24 hours available Interactive Voice Response System (IVR) of the PSI.
  • Registrars remain at your service during the business hours.
  • In order to pay the examination fee, you are ought to tell the required details of your Visa or Master card.
  • After finishing the registration process, the students will have to select the exam center and date to plan the exam.

Registering and Scheduling through Fax

  • Begin by filling the registration form accurately. Ensure that all the required information has been provided by you in the form.
  • For the sake of making payment of the exam fee, write the expiration date and the number of your Visa or Master card.
  • When you are done with the registration form, fax it to the PSI.
  • If any information is found to be false or incorrect, then the form will be returned to you for modifications.
  • After the successful registration, the candidate can schedule the exam by selecting the preferred date and test center.

Note: If you are planning to register through fax, then you will have to wait for four business days for getting the registration procedure completed.

Registering and Scheduling through Standard Mail

The only way to get registered without disclosing your Visa or Master card is the standard mail. The following steps need to be followed so as to complete the registration through standard mail:

  • An applicant has to fill up the registration form correctly.
  • To properly assign the exam fee to the PSI, an applicant has to sign on the cashier’s check or money order.
  • After this, you need to mail the registration form along with the money order/cashier’s check to the PSI.
  • If the candidate has registered successfully, he/she can schedule the exam by choosing the preferred location and date.

Note- 1) Fees paid through personal checks, cash and company checks will get rejected.

2) You will have to allow 2 weeks for completion of your registration through standard mail.

Cancellation and Rescheduling of an Examination Appointment


Cancellation of the scheduled exam without forfeiture of the fees is possible only if you inform the PSI two days prior the scheduled date. You can reschedule the test simply by following the same procedure (i.e. through fax, internet, standard mail and telephone) as discussed above. The candidate can also cancel or reschedule his/her exam by the PSI’s automated system, which is accessible 24 hours a day.

Missed Appointment or Late Cancellation

The student will not be permitted to sit in the exam, his/her registration will be cancelled and the fee will also get forfeited in any of the below given cases:

  • The applicant doesn’t notify the cancellation of the examination 2 days before the scheduled exam, or
  • The candidate remains absent during the exam, or
  • The student fails to furnish required IDs at the examination center, or
  • The aspirant arrives late after commencement of the test.

Reporting to the Examination Site

You must reach ½ an hour before the given time in order to report at the examination site. During this time, you will have to complete some formalities, like submission of the required documents, signing-in procedure and verification process.

The student has to provide 2 identification forms. The first identification form must be government-issued, which includes driver’s license, military ID, passport, or state ID. This form must have your full name, signature, and passport. The second identification form must have your legitimately pre-printed name and signature.

The current EMT certification card is an essential document, which the EMT-I and Paramedic students must carry along with them. They can also bring the reinstatement letter issued by the Office of Emergency Medical Services (OEMS), in case; the current certification is not available.

Exam Results and Retest Information

To monitor the exam results, the applicant has to log-in to the official NREMT password-protected website. The results will be available after 24 hours of the last exam. If you get success in qualifying the exams, you will get National EMS Certification credentials from the NREMT.

If the candidate remains unsuccessful in passing the exam, then he/she will receive an information sheet from the NREMT. This sheet will let you know your performance in the exam for which, you appeared last. Through this information sheet, the applicant will be able to evaluate his/her competence level as “near”, “below”, or “average”. The student requires working on his/her weak areas in order to perform better in the next exam.

For retest, the applicant has to apply after fifteen days of the last appeared exam. Total 6 attempts are provided to clear the EMT exam. After attempting the first 3 chances, you will be asked to submit your identification documents for the sake of the verification process. After the next three attempts, you will have to provide other required documents for the national certification credentials.

If, unfortunately, the student remains unsuccessful in all the 6 attempts, then he/she once again has to complete the entire EMT program program.

Tips for Preparing for the Exams

  • Highlight the key points and revise them again and again.
  • Study your EMT textbooks thoroughly. You can also take references from some other good books.
  • Ask your teachers for help in case of any doubt.
  • Do study in groups. This will help you learn the difficult topics faster and easily.
  • Sleep well the night before the exam.
  • Have a balanced and protein-loaded meal as it will help you to remain active throughout the exam.
  • Read all the questions carefully, but don’t over read them.
  • Don’t be stressed, be serene during the exam. Answer the questions tranquilly.

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