PEARS Study Guide 2026
Everything you need to pass the PEARS 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.
PEARS exam key facts
- To complete the AHA PEARS course, students must pass a video-based written exam and skills tests in 1- and 2-rescuer child BLS with AED and 1- and 2-rescuer infant BLS. Source
- The AHA PEARS classroom course takes approximately 9 hours with breaks. Source
- The AHA PEARS course requires a minimum score of 84% on the video-based written exam. Source
- The AHA PEARS Provider course completion card is valid for 2 years. Source
📋 PEARS Exam Format at a Glance
📚 PEARS Topics to Study (35)
✍️ Sample PEARS Questions & Answers
1. Amiodarone is indicated in pediatric cardiac arrest for which refractory condition?
Amiodarone is used for shock-refractory VF or pulseless VT, given at 5 mg/kg IV/IO bolus during resuscitation.
2. You and a colleague are performing high-quality, two-rescuer CPR on a 4-year-old child. What is the correct compression-to-ventilation ratio that should be used?
For two-rescuer CPR on an infant or child, the recommended compression-to-ventilation ratio is 15:2. This ratio provides more frequent ventilations compared to the 30:2 ratio used for single-rescuer CPR, which is critical as pediatric cardiac arrest is often secondary to respiratory issues.
3. What is the recommended approach to ventilator settings immediately after intubation in a post-ROSC pediatric patient?
Targeting normocarbia and SpO2 94%–99% avoids secondary brain injury from both hypoxia and excessive CO2 changes.
4. Which clinical sign best differentiates upper airway obstruction from lower airway obstruction in a pediatric patient?
Inspiratory stridor indicates upper airway (extrathoracic) obstruction, while expiratory wheezing indicates lower airway (intrathoracic) obstruction.
5. A 7-year-old with croup has moderate stridor at rest. After racemic epinephrine, symptoms improve. Why must this child be observed for at least 2-4 hours?
Racemic epinephrine causes transient vasoconstriction; rebound edema and worsening stridor can recur as the drug effect wanes, necessitating observation.
6. A 3-year-old is brought in after a fall. She is crying loudly, pushes you away when you approach, and her skin appears pink and well-perfused. How does the PAT characterize this child?
Crying vigorously, resisting examination, and pink perfused skin all indicate a stable child with normal PAT findings.
🎯 Free PEARS Practice Tests
📖 PEARS Guides & Articles
What Practice Test Geeks adds beyond an AI chat for PEARS
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 PEARS mock exam — 33 questions in 45 minutes with a 84% 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 PEARS 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 PEARS cheat sheet you can print or save as a PDF.
- PEARS flashcards built from the same question bank.
- Free PEARS practice tests with the correct answer shown after each question.
How this page was made: written with AI tools and published by Nathan Beja, founder of Practice Test Geeks, who is responsible for its content. Exam facts are checked against the official sources listed below. Not reviewed by a subject-matter expert. Editorial policy
Sources & references
Exam facts on this page (fees, format, dates, passing scores) are checked against these official sources; the date is our last check. Editorial policy
- cpr.heart.org — Test delivery, eligibility, exam format, passing score, time limit, score validity · verified Oct 2026