10 exam-style questions with answers and explanations, straight from our 1,030-question bank. Tap an answer to check yourself. When you're ready, take the scored version in the free practice test.
The CCP-C exam has 135 questions and runs 2 hours 30 minutes.
These 10 free CCP-C questions are organized by exam domain, so you can see how each part of the Certified Critical Care Paramedic blueprint is tested. Reveal the answer and explanation under each question.
Domain 2: Airway, Anesthesia, and Analgesics 13% of exam
Question 1
Minutes after intubation for life-threatening asthma, a patient's blood pressure falls from 118/72 to 64/38 mm Hg. The ventilator delivers 24 breaths/min, and expiratory flow has not returned to zero when the next breath begins. The endotracheal tube is patent, sustained capnography is present, and lung sliding is seen bilaterally. Which intervention most directly reverses the likely cause of this collapse?
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Correct answer: C - Briefly disconnect the circuit to permit exhalation, then lengthen expiratory time.
Question 2
Eight minutes after etomidate and rocuronium were given for intubation, a patient remains motionless. The handoff records a Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale score of -5, but no ongoing analgesia or sedation has been administered. Tube position is confirmed and blood pressure is 122/76 mm Hg. The transferring clinician recommends waiting for movement before starting medication. What is the most important correction to this plan?
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Correct answer: A - Paralysis makes behavioral sedation assessment unreliable; initiate analgesia and sedation.
Domain 3: General Medical Patient 10% of exam
Question 3
During treatment of diabetic ketoacidosis, an adult's glucose falls to 182 mg/dL while beta-hydroxybutyrate remains 3.8 mmol/L, venous pH is 7.23, and bicarbonate is 14 mmol/L. Potassium is 4.2 mmol/L. Intravenous insulin is running, but the fluids contain no dextrose. Which adjustment addresses the remaining metabolic problem without creating avoidable hypoglycemia?
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Correct answer: D - Add dextrose and continue a titrated insulin infusion until ketoacidosis resolves.
Domain 4: Cardiac Patient 12% of exam
Question 4
Three days after an inferior myocardial infarction, a patient abruptly develops pink frothy sputum, diffuse crackles, and a blood pressure of 78/46 mm Hg. A new, relatively soft holosystolic murmur is loudest at the apex and radiates toward the axilla. What complication best accounts for this sudden deterioration?
A sedated adult with severe traumatic brain injury is receiving norepinephrine. The arterial and intracranial pressure signals have been checked and correctly referenced for cerebral perfusion assessment. MAP is 66 mm Hg and ICP is 14 mm Hg; the prescribed CPP goal is 60-70 mm Hg. Volume status is adequate, PaCO2 is 40 mm Hg, and there are no new herniation signs. Which interpretation and response fit these measurements?
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Correct answer: B - CPP is 52 mm Hg; titrate norepinephrine upward.
Domain 6: Respiratory Patient 10% of exam
Question 6
Forty-five minutes of bilevel noninvasive ventilation has changed a COPD patient's arterial pH from 7.23 to 7.30 and PaCO2 from 80 to 67 mm Hg. Respiratory rate has fallen from 34 to 22/min. The patient is now alert, tolerates the mask, and manages secretions; blood pressure is stable and SpO2 is 91% on FiO2 0.28. The transport team can continue bilevel support and provide an advanced airway if deterioration occurs. Which respiratory plan is appropriate now?
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Correct answer: A - Continue bilevel support with close clinical and blood-gas reassessment.
Domain 7: Toxic Exposure and Environmental Patient 5% of exam
Question 7
After a large amitriptyline ingestion, an adult has a blood pressure of 82/46 mm Hg despite initial fluid resuscitation. The ECG shows sinus tachycardia at 132/min, a QRS duration of 156 ms, and a prominent terminal R wave in aVR. Which medication most directly treats the mechanism producing this cardiovascular toxicity?
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Correct answer: D - Intravenous sodium bicarbonate
Domain 8: Trauma/Burn Patient 10% of exam
Question 8
A patient with pelvic hemorrhage has received red cells, plasma, and platelets through a massive-transfusion protocol. Persistent diffuse oozing prompts repeat testing: fibrinogen 86 mg/dL, platelets 172,000/µL, INR 1.2, and ionized calcium 1.20 mmol/L. Core temperature is 36.6°C. While definitive hemorrhage control continues, which component most specifically addresses the demonstrated hemostatic deficit?
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Correct answer: D - Cryoprecipitate
Domain 9: Maternal/Fetal Medicine 7% of exam
Question 9
While receiving handoff in a labor unit, a transport paramedic reviews a 38-week patient's fetal tracing. Oxytocin is infusing, and contractions have averaged six per 10 minutes over the past 30 minutes. Most contractions are followed by gradual decelerations whose nadirs occur after the contraction peaks and whose recovery occurs after the contractions end. Maternal blood pressure is 118/70 mm Hg and SpO2 is 98%; left lateral positioning has not corrected the pattern. Which change addresses the likely cause of the fetal pattern?
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Correct answer: B - Stop oxytocin and reassess the fetal response.
Domain 12: Professional Considerations 5% of exam
Question 10
A transport service replaces its laryngoscopes and introduces mandatory simulation training in the same month. First-attempt intubation success subsequently increases from 84% to 94%, with p = 0.01. A before-and-after analysis includes no comparison group. The medical director asks whether the new laryngoscope caused the improvement. Which conclusion is justified?
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Correct answer: C - The equipment effect cannot be separated from the concurrent training change.