10 free, exam-style Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) (CRNA) practice questions with answers and explanations. No signup required. Work through them below, then take the full free CRNA practice test to study every exam domain.
The CRNA exam has 170 questions and runs 3 hours.
These 10 free CRNA questions are organized by exam domain, so you can see how each part of the Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) blueprint is tested. Reveal the answer and explanation under each question.
A patient is induced with a high inspired concentration of nitrous oxide alongside sevoflurane. The alveolar partial pressure of sevoflurane rises faster than it would if nitrous oxide were absent. This acceleration is BEST explained by the:
Correct answer: B - Second gas effect produced by uptake of nitrous oxide
After a prolonged propofol infusion, emergence is markedly slower than after a brief infusion of the same drug. The pharmacokinetic concept that MOST directly accounts for this difference is:
Correct answer: C - Context-sensitive half-time
Succinylcholine is relatively contraindicated in a patient 3 weeks after a major burn injury. The mechanism responsible for the exaggerated hyperkalemic response is:
Correct answer: B - Proliferation of extrajunctional acetylcholine receptors
Two local anesthetics are injected at the same concentration. Lidocaine (pKa 7.9) has a faster onset than bupivacaine (pKa 8.1). Onset of a local anesthetic is MOST closely related to its:
Correct answer: C - pKa relative to tissue pH
The Pin Index Safety System on the anesthesia machine is designed PRIMARILY to prevent:
Correct answer: B - A cylinder of the wrong gas from being mounted in a yoke
A capnograph shows an elevated baseline that does not return to zero during inspiration, along with a gradually rising end-tidal CO2. The MOST likely cause is:
Correct answer: A - Exhausted CO2 absorbent allowing rebreathing
During low-flow sevoflurane anesthesia, the concern about Compound A formation is MOST directly associated with which component of the breathing system?
Correct answer: C - The carbon dioxide absorbent
A patient with carbon monoxide poisoning has a pulse oximeter reading of 99%, yet is clinically hypoxic. The reason conventional pulse oximetry is unreliable here is that it:
Correct answer: B - Cannot distinguish carboxyhemoglobin from oxyhemoglobin
Shortly after an axillary brachial plexus block, a patient becomes agitated, reports perioral numbness and tinnitus, then has a generalized seizure followed by ventricular arrhythmia. After securing the airway and stopping the seizure, the MOST appropriate specific therapy is:
Correct answer: A - A 20% lipid emulsion bolus of 1.5 mL/kg
Immediately after extubation, a patient develops complete airway obstruction with paradoxical chest movement and no air exchange despite jaw thrust and positive pressure. Initial management of this laryngospasm should be positive-pressure oxygen and jaw thrust; if it persists, the NEXT step is:
Correct answer: C - A small dose of succinylcholine
The CRNA exam also covers these domains. Drill them in the full free practice test:
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