What are Technology Enhanced Items (TEIs) on the NREMT® Exam?
In the last few years, rapidly evolving technology has enabled new and improved methods for assessment across a broad range of standardized tests. The NREMT® began incorporating those improved assessment methods on July 1, 2024, when it implemented Technology Enhanced Items (TEIs) for their AEMT and Paramedic exams. They plan to extend the new TEIs to their EMR and EMT exams in 2025. If you’re a candidate for any of the NREMT® certifications, this blog explains what’s different and how you can show up prepared on exam day.
Why TEIs are Challenging for NREMT Students
TEIs aim to comprehensively assess a range of skills, from theoretical knowledge to practical application and analytical abilities. Pocket Prep is introducing NREMT® TEI question types across our web and mobile platforms for the AEMT and Paramedic exams to help candidates prepare for these new question formats. We want students to feel confident on exam day. Seeing a question format you weren’t expecting on exam day can be stressful and anxiety-producing. Our new question types will help you practice these new formats so you can feel prepared.
Preparing for NREMT Technology Enhanced Items (TEIs)
Examples of TEIs now included in the AEMT and Paramedic exams are:
- Build List: Candidates must position several presented options into the order specified in the item instructions.
- Drag & Drop: Candidates must position several presented options into certain categories, classifications, or other identifiers as specified in the item instructions.
- Options Box: Candidates must classify, categorize, or identify several options presented in a table based on certain specified criteria.
Pocket Prep is Introducing TEIs to NREMT Prep
TEIs are incorporated throughout the EMS Clinical Judgment scenario questions. To help students prepare for these new item types, Pocket Prep now offers two types of TEIs: Clinical Judgment Scenarios and Options Box.
Clinical Judgment Scenarios
The addition of the Clinical Judgment domain is designed to evaluate the decision-making skills of EMS professionals in real-world scenarios, ensuring that they are knowledgeable and adept at applying their knowledge in practical, high-pressure situations. The new domain aims to bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application, a crucial aspect of medical emergency responsiveness.
The Clinical Judgment domain includes scenarios with three phases: En-Route, Scene, and Post Scene. Test takers are given information for each phase to use to answer one or more questions in each phase. The phases are always presented in this order. Test takers can refer back to information from a previous phase within the scenario.
For example, while answering a question in the Post-Scene phase, a test taker could refer back to information provided for the En-Route phase. These scenario questions can have a variety of question formats within them, including multiple choice, multiple response, options box, build lists, and drag-and-drop.
Pocket Prep introduced the Clinical Judgment domain on July 1, 2024; however, the questions were not sequentially linked. With our newest release coming in November 2024, scenario question sets will be presented in sequential order, providing a more exam-like experience.
Options Box
The Options Box TEI is a closed-ended question that asks the test taker to evaluate multiple row items using the same set of column choices. This challenges students to select multiple answers by marking cells in a grid.
On the NREMT® exams, scenario information is presented on the left with horizontal tabs, and the questions are on the right. In Pocket Prep, our question is always presented on the left, and scenario information is on the right.
The NREMT provides an interactive experience to sample all the question types and allows candidates to preview the actual test instructions and interface for taking the exam at Pearson VUE testing centers.
Why Introducing NREMT TEIs Matter
Research shows that knowing what to expect in terms of format and item types significantly improves performance on exam day. Our prep items are designed to approximately simulate what students will see on their exams. We recommend that anyone taking these exams familiarize themselves with these item types in addition to practicing them with Pocket Prep. We offer an intuitive and user-friendly interface while replicating the challenges these advanced question types pose. By familiarizing students with these item types, Pocket Prep is equipping them with the tools they need to approach NREMT® TEIs confidently and with minimal stress.
What We’ve Learned From the Experts
Learning science expert Cindy Nebel, PhD, concluded: “Test expectancy is a phenomenon where students adapt their study strategies based on knowing the format of the test they’ll take. The research shows that regardless of the format of practice questions, students will perform better on the test if they know what that test will look like. As students learn, they literally process the information differently to prepare for how they will have to use it later on. Because students can adjust the way they encode, practice test format matters less than simply knowing what’s coming.”
Pocket Prep’s NREMT TEI Release Timeline
We plan to release our Technology Enhanced Items (TEIs) on a rolling basis, beginning in November 2024, with additional question formats launching throughout 2025:
- Options Box: November 2024
- Clinical Judgment Scenarios: November 2024
- Drag-and-Drop: 2025
- Build List (Ordering and Sequencing): 2025
Prepare for the NREMT TEIs with Pocket Prep
At Pocket Prep, we are dedicated to providing members with the latest question formats to boost their exam readiness and success on the NREMT® AEMT and Paramedic exams. Our commitment to continuously enhancing our product includes developing TEIs that align with emerging certification trends. These updates will help prepare EMS students not only for the exam but also for using clinical judgment in real-world practice.
