What is AMLS and who should take it?

AMLS stands for Advanced Medical Life Support. It is a certification course developed by NAEMSP (National Association of EMS Physicians) to improve the assessment and management of medical emergencies at the advanced life support level. The course is designed for paramedics, advanced EMTs, emergency nurses, emergency physicians, and other ALS-level providers who respond to or treat medical emergencies. AMLS emphasizes a systematic, pathway-driven approach to differential diagnosis and clinical decision-making in the prehospital and emergency department environment.

What does the AEIOU-TIPS mnemonic stand for in AMLS?

AEIOU-TIPS is the AMLS mnemonic used during the primary survey to generate a differential diagnosis for altered mental status. It stands for: Alcohol and toxic ingestions, Epilepsy and seizure disorders, Insulin and glucose abnormalities, Opiates and other overdoses, Uremia and metabolic causes, Trauma and temperature extremes, Infection and sepsis, Psychiatric causes, and Stroke or other structural brain events. Systematically working through AEIOU-TIPS helps providers avoid anchoring on a single diagnosis before all possibilities have been considered.

How is cardiogenic shock different from distributive shock on the AMLS exam?

Cardiogenic shock results from the heart's failure to pump enough blood to meet tissue demands — it produces a classic presentation of hypotension with signs of congestion (pulmonary edema, JVD, peripheral edema) and cool, clammy extremities reflecting compensatory vasoconstriction. Distributive shock — including septic, anaphylactic, and neurogenic subtypes — results from massive vasodilation that reduces systemic vascular resistance. Early septic and anaphylactic shock often present with warm, flushed skin before the patient decompensates. Neurogenic shock following spinal cord injury presents uniquely with hypotension combined with bradycardia and warm extremities due to loss of sympathetic tone. The AMLS assessment expects you to distinguish these patterns based on clinical findings and mechanism.

What are the key antidotes tested on the AMLS assessment?

The AMLS course assessment regularly tests toxicological antidotes. The most important are: naloxone (Narcan) for opioid toxicity — given via IV, IM, or intranasal routes to reverse respiratory depression; atropine (to block muscarinic effects) combined with pralidoxime or 2-PAM (to reactivate acetylcholinesterase) for organophosphate and nerve agent poisoning; dextrose (D50 IV or D10 by infusion) for hypoglycemia, with glucagon as an alternative when IV access is unavailable; and sodium bicarbonate for tricyclic antidepressant toxicity causing wide-complex dysrhythmias. Flumazenil reverses benzodiazepine sedation but is used cautiously because it can precipitate seizures in mixed overdose patients.

AMLS Advanced Medical Life Support Practice Test PDF (Free Printable 2026)

Download a free AMLS practice test PDF. Print and study offline for the NAEMSP Advanced Medical Life Support certification examination.

AMLS - Advanced Medical Life SupportMay 4, 20266 min read

AMLS Advanced Medical Life Support Practice Test PDF

AMLS — Advanced Medical Life Support — is a nationally recognized certification program developed by NAEMSP (National Association of EMS Physicians) to strengthen prehospital and emergency providers' ability to assess and manage complex medical emergencies. Whether you're an EMT-Advanced, paramedic, emergency nurse, or physician preparing for the AMLS course assessment, our free PDF gives you a high-yield printable resource packed with exam-style practice questions covering every major domain of the AMLS curriculum.

Download the PDF below, print it at home or at a library, and work through the questions at your own pace. Each question mirrors the clinical decision-making format used in the actual AMLS course assessment, helping you build the pattern recognition skills that matter most in the field.

📄Download Free AMLS PDF

AMLS Exam Fast Facts

What the AMLS Assessment Covers

The AMLS course assessment evaluates your ability to apply a systematic, evidence-based approach to medical emergencies encountered in prehospital and emergency settings. The content domains below represent the highest-yield topics you should master before your course.

AMLS Assessment Pathway

The foundation of the AMLS approach is a structured assessment pathway. The initial survey identifies immediate life threats. The primary survey follows the AEIOU-TIPS mnemonic to evaluate causes of altered mental status (Alcohol/toxins, Epilepsy, Insulin, Opiates/overdose, Uremia, Trauma/temperature, Infection, Psychiatric, Stroke/structural). The secondary survey adds detailed history using SAMPLER (Signs/symptoms, Allergies, Medications, Pertinent history, Last oral intake, Events) and OPQRST (Onset, Provocation, Quality, Radiation, Severity, Time) to refine the differential diagnosis.

Respiratory Emergencies

Differentiating respiratory emergencies at the bedside is a core AMLS competency. Expect questions on distinguishing COPD, asthma, pneumonia, congestive heart failure, and pulmonary embolism based on history, physical exam, and waveform capnography findings. A normal end-tidal CO2 (ETCO2) runs 35–45 mmHg; bronchoconstriction produces a characteristic shark-fin pattern on the waveform; hyperventilation drives ETCO2 below 35 mmHg. Prehospital management choices for each condition — bronchodilators, CPAP, nitroglycerin for CHF, anticoagulation considerations for PE — are heavily tested.

Cardiovascular Emergencies

Cardiovascular content covers acute coronary syndromes (distinguishing STEMI and NSTEMI on 12-lead ECG, field management priorities), hypertensive emergencies versus urgency, left-sided versus right-sided heart failure signs, and cardiogenic shock. The AMLS assessment expects providers to integrate 12-lead ECG interpretation with clinical findings to guide field treatment decisions.

Altered Mental Status and Neurological Emergencies

Altered mental status questions frequently test glucose management (hypoglycemia identification and dextrose dosing), stroke recognition using the Cincinnati Prehospital Stroke Scale and the LA Motor Scale, seizure management (active seizure vs. postictal state, benzo dosing), and toxicological emergencies. Key antidotes: naloxone for opioid toxicity, flumazenil for benzodiazepine reversal (with caveats), and atropine plus pralidoxime (2-PAM) for organophosphate poisoning.

Shock States

The AMLS assessment requires providers to classify and manage all major shock categories: distributive shock (septic — warm vs. cold presentation; anaphylactic — epinephrine first-line; neurogenic — spinal injury pattern), hypovolemic shock (hemorrhagic and non-hemorrhagic), cardiogenic shock, and obstructive shock (tension pneumothorax requiring needle decompression; cardiac tamponade requiring rapid transport). Understanding the pathophysiology behind each type informs both the diagnosis and the treatment sequence.

Gastrointestinal and Special Population Emergencies

GI emergencies include upper and lower GI bleeding (signs of significant hemorrhage, hemodynamic impact), peritonitis (rigid abdomen, guarding, rebound tenderness), and abdominal aortic aneurysm (pulsatile mass, tearing back pain, shock). Special populations tested include obstetric emergencies (eclampsia, placental abruption, perimortem cesarean considerations) and geriatric patients (atypical presentations, polypharmacy, reduced physiologic reserve).

Free AMLS Practice Tests Online

Printed PDF review is a proven study method, but combining it with our timed online questions accelerates your preparation. Our AMLS practice test walks you through scenario-based questions with immediate answer feedback and detailed clinical rationales. Use the PDF for focused topic review and the online tests to simulate the timed, case-based format of the actual AMLS course assessment — so you arrive confident and ready on course day.