CPEN Study Guide 2026

Everything you need to pass the CPEN exam in one place: the exam format, every topic to study, real practice questions with explanations, flashcards, and full-length practice tests. Free, no sign-up needed.

📋 CPEN Exam Format at a Glance

150
Questions
180 min
Time Limit
75%
Passing Score

📚 CPEN Topics to Study (74)

✍️ Sample CPEN Questions & Answers

1. A 2-year-old is brought in by EMS after being found face-down in a backyard pool. Resuscitation is in progress. Which temperature management consideration is important in pediatric submersion victims?
✓ Cold water submersion may be protective; do not declare death until normothermic

Cold water submersion can provide neuroprotection; the principle 'not dead until warm and dead' applies, and resuscitation should continue until the patient is rewarmed to near-normal temperature.

2. A 10 kg toddler requires dopamine at 10 mcg/kg/min. Using a standard concentration of 400 mcg/mL, what is the infusion rate in mL/hr?
✓ 15 mL/hr

Rate (mL/hr) = (10 mcg/kg/min × 10 kg × 60 min) ÷ 400 mcg/mL = 6000 ÷ 400 = 15 mL/hr.

3. What is the value of continuing education in gastrointestinal emergencies for CPEN professionals?
✓ It keeps professionals current with evolving standards and practices

Continuing education ensures professionals stay current with the latest developments, standards, and best practices in their field.

4. A symptomatic child with complete heart block and a heart rate of 35 bpm should initially be treated with:
✓ IV atropine 0.02 mg/kg

Atropine is the first pharmacologic intervention for symptomatic bradycardia with a perfusing rhythm before pacing.

5. A 4-year-old who swallowed a coin has it confirmed by X-ray to be in the stomach. The child is asymptomatic. What is the recommended management?
✓ Observation and follow serial X-rays, as most coins pass spontaneously

Coins in the stomach of asymptomatic children will pass spontaneously in most cases and require only observation with follow-up imaging if not passed within 4 weeks.

6. A 15-year-old presents with thunderclap headache — worst of life, sudden onset. After a negative CT, the NEXT step is:
✓ Lumbar puncture to detect xanthochromia

CT misses ~2% of subarachnoid hemorrhages; LP detecting xanthochromia or blood in CSF is essential when CT is negative after thunderclap headache.

🎯 Free CPEN Practice Tests

📖 CPEN Guides & Articles

Your CPEN Study Path
1. Learn with Flashcards → 2. Drill Practice Tests → 3. Take the Full Exam Simulation

What Practice Test Geeks adds beyond an AI chat for CPEN

An AI chatbot can quiz you, but it can't reproduce the exam conditions or keep your record. Here you get:

  • A timed, full-length CPEN mock exam — 150 questions in 180 minutes with a 75% pass mark, modeled on the official exam's question count and time limit, followed by a score report broken down by exam domain.
  • A fixed CPEN question bank: the same test every attempt, so your score is comparable from one try to the next instead of changing with every regenerated quiz.
  • Progress saved on your device: completed tests, scores and missed questions stay in My Progress, so you can retake only what you got wrong.
  • A printable CPEN cheat sheet you can print or save as a PDF.
  • CPEN flashcards built from the same question bank.
  • Free CPEN practice tests with the correct answer shown after each question.
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CPEN Study Guide 2026 — Exam Format, Topics & Practice Questions