Paediatric First Aid Mock Exam

This mock exam covers paediatric first aid for schools, nurseries and childcare: consent, catastrophic bleeding, choking, seizures, shock, asthma, anaphylaxis, burns, chemicals, electricity and suspected meningitis.

Practice quiz

20 questions

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Answer the questions above - your result band updates each time you check an answer.

Question 1. A four-year-old in your setting has a cut on their knee and is upset but talking to you. What should a paediatric first aider do before treating them?

Explain what you will do in simple words and get consent from the child if they can understand, or from a parent where needed
Treat them immediately without speaking, because children cannot give consent
Wait until a GP has given written permission
Ask another child in the room to agree on their behalf

Question 2. Which action best reduces the risk of cross-infection while you treat a child?

Blow on the wound to remove dirt
Wear disposable gloves and change them between casualties
Use the same pair of gloves on several children to save stock
Wash the wound with leftover drinking water from another child's bottle

Question 3. A child has a wound that is pumping bright red blood. They are still breathing. What should you treat first?

A small graze on the other knee
Whether they have eaten recently
The catastrophic bleeding
Getting a photo of the wound for the accident form before you touch it

Question 4. You are about to start a primary survey on a child who has collapsed in the playground. What is the first thing you should do?

Open the airway with a head tilt
Check breathing for 10 seconds
Ask them if they are all right before looking at the scene
Check the area for danger to you, the child, and others

Question 5. A child is unresponsive. When you check breathing you hear occasional noisy gasps with long gaps. What should you do?

Start CPR at once - these are not normal breaths
Treat the gasps as normal breathing and put them in the recovery position
Wait to see if the gasps settle after a faint
Sit them in the W position so they can breathe more easily

Question 6. A child is choking. They cannot speak or cough, and they look terrified. What does this suggest?

A mild obstruction, because they are still standing
A completely blocked airway
Croup, because they cannot speak
They are holding their breath on purpose

Question 7. You have successfully given abdominal thrusts to a child and the object has come out. They now seem well. What must you do next?

Give a glass of water and send them back to play
Lie them down for an hour and then they can go home as normal
They still need a medical assessment
No further action is needed if they can talk

Question 8. A child in your care has a generalised seizure and you are told this is the first time it has happened. What should you do?

Hold them still on the floor so they cannot jerk
Put them in the recovery position while the seizure is still going on
Give sips of water as soon as the shaking starts
Protect their head, move hazards, time the seizure, and call 999

Question 9. A child has fallen onto a sharp stick that is still in the wound. How should you treat this?

Leave the stick in place, press either side, pad around it, and get emergency help
Pull the stick out so you can pack the hole with dressings
Push the stick in so it does not catch on clothing, then bandage over it
Give them a drink and wait to see if the bleeding slows before calling 999

Question 10. A child looks pale, cold, and clammy after a large bleed that you have now controlled. How should you position them while you wait for help?

Sit them upright with the head forward
Lie them down and raise the legs if it does not worsen other injuries
Put them in the recovery position with knees bent even though they are fully awake
Walk them slowly around the room to keep the blood moving

Question 11. A known diabetic child is sweaty and out of character 30 minutes after sport. They can swallow. What should you give them?

A glass of water only
A hot milky drink and a lie down with no sugar
A sugary drink such as fruit juice
Nothing until a doctor arrives

Question 12. A child is having an asthma attack and cannot finish a sentence. What is the best position, and what should you do?

Lie them in the recovery position so they can rest
Make them stand up straight with arms raised to open the chest
Give a sugary drink and wait 30 minutes before using the inhaler
Sit them up, leaning slightly forward, help them use their reliever inhaler, and call 999 if they do not improve

Question 13. A child has a red blotchy rash and swelling around the throat, tongue, and lips. How should you treat them?

Ask if they have an auto-injector, help them use it if needed, and call 999
Give an antihistamine and send them home with a parent
Put them in the recovery position as the first step while they are still talking
Wait for more symptoms before acting, to be sure it is anaphylaxis

Question 14. A child has a suspected broken arm after a playground fall. How should you treat it?

Push the joint back into place so it looks normal
Support the arm in a comfortable position, for example with a sling, and get medical help
Use the recovery position and wait, because arm injuries are never urgent
Tie a tight band around the upper arm to stop all blood flow

Question 15. You think a toddler has swallowed a small piece of plastic building brick. They are alert and breathing normally. What should you do?

Make them vomit so the brick comes back up
Give a sugary drink to coat the object
Seek medical advice or assessment; do not make them vomit
Wait at home until they pass it, with no advice from anyone

Question 16. Sand from the play area is in a child's eye. They can open it. How should you treat this?

Cover both eyes with a dressing and wait, without washing
Ask them to rub the eye to shift the grit
Flick the sand out with wet kitchen paper
Wash with clean water, with the affected eye downwards so water does not run into the other eye

Question 17. A corrosive cleaner has splashed onto a child's skin. What should you do?

Wash with running water for at least 20 minutes, treat as a chemical burn, and call 999
Wipe with a dry cloth only, then cover with cling film
Put ice on the skin to neutralise the chemical
Cover immediately with cream from the first aid kit

Question 18. A child has touched a hot oven. The forearm is red with small blisters. Which action should you not do?

Cool under cool running water for at least 20 minutes
Apply ice directly to cool the burn
Remove jewellery and clothing that is not stuck to the burn
Cover loosely with cling film after cooling

Question 19. A child is lying still near a high-voltage pylon and may have had an electric shock. What is the safest first action?

Run in and drag the child away from the pylon
Climb the pylon to switch the power off
Stay a long way back, call 999, and wait until the area is confirmed safe
Throw water over them to cool any burns before help arrives

Question 20. You are worried a child in your care has meningitis. What should you do?

Send them home to rest so they do not spread a virus
Wait for a non-blanching rash before you act, because the rash must be present
Give water and review them at the end of the session
Call 999 or take them to A&E without waiting for more symptoms