First aid questions on the Armenian driving theory exam

One of the 20 questions in the knowledge test is about first aid (Government Decision No. 385-N, Annex 1, point 17). The order the exam answers teach is: first the safety of the scene, then the casualty's consciousness and breathing, then bleeding — and call an ambulance as early as you can, alongside those steps.

On bibip these questions are collected in Group 10, with 51 questions. To test yourself right away, open the Group 10 practice. To understand the logic first, keep reading.

This is a summary of exam answers, not a first aid course. Get hands-on skills from a certified course: on some points current first aid guidance can differ from the answer marked correct on the exam.

What the exam actually asks

The questions in a test are drawn from different sections of the official bank, and one of them is about first aid and self-help in incidents (point 17, subpoint 3). To pass you need at least 18 correct answers out of 20 (point 20), so a single question can decide the result. How the whole test is built is covered in How to pass the driving theory exam.

The law and the Rules of the Road set the driver's duties after an accident, but they do not describe first aid techniques. That is why most Group 10 questions are about "the right position", "the right order" and "what you must not do".

Step 1. Safety first

According to the question bank, at a road accident you first survey the scene and make it safe (traffic, fire, fuel leaks, power lines) so that the helper does not get hurt too. Only then do you examine or move the casualty.

Under the Rules this means: switch on the hazard lights and set out the "Emergency stop" sign without delay — at least 15 m from the vehicle in a built-up area and 30 m outside one (Rules, points 22 and 23).

If the scene cannot be made safe, you do not approach, you keep bystanders away and you call emergency medical help or another specialised service straight away (Law, Article 24, part 4).

A casualty is taken out of the car only if staying is more dangerous: a high risk of rollover, fire or explosion, hypothermia, they are unconscious and not breathing, or help cannot be given inside the car. Loss of consciousness, heavy bleeding or a head injury is not a reason by itself.

Step 2. Consciousness and breathing

When the scene is safe, you check consciousness and breathing first: they show whether life is in immediate danger. By the same logic, if there are several casualties, you help the unconscious one first, because the airway can close. Casualties who are awake wait their turn.

How do you check whether a casualty is breathing? The exam answer, step by step:

1. Put one hand on the forehead.
2. Lift the chin with two fingers of the other hand.
3. Tilt the head back — this opens the airway.
4. For 10 seconds, listen for breathing: try to feel exhaled air on your cheek and watch whether the chest moves.

Without tilting the head, or by watching the chest only, it is easy to get it wrong.

If they are breathing but do not wake up, put them in the recovery position: bent knees resting on the ground, upper arm under the cheek. In an unconscious person lying on their back the tongue can fall back and block the airway; there is no need to pull the tongue out. The recovery position is for a breathing casualty only.

The question bank does not describe CPR (chest compressions), so this article does not either. Learn it on a course.

Step 3. Bleeding

The questions teach you to tell blood by how it looks:

How the blood flows	What it is	What you do
Spurts, bright red, pulsing	Arterial (the most dangerous)	Press the artery with your fingers, then apply a tourniquet above the wound, as close to it as possible, and note the time
Flows steadily, dark	Venous (slower)	Raise the injured limb and apply a pressure bandage
From veins or small arteries	—	A pressure bandage right on the wound; no tourniquet needed

A tourniquet stops blood flow to the whole part of the limb below it, so it cannot be left on indefinitely: no more than 1 hour in warm weather and no more than half an hour in cold weather. That is why a note with the time is attached to it. People often mix these two limits up — learn them as a pair.

For a nosebleed, tilt the head forward and pinch the nose; if you tilt the head back, the blood runs down the throat.

Wear sterile gloves: through direct contact with a wound an infection can pass to both the helper and the casualty.

Wounds, fractures, burns

• A wound from an accident is not washed on the spot and foreign objects are not removed: cover it with a sterile gauze pad and secure it with plaster or a bandage. No iodine or ointment on the wound.
• An object stuck in a wound is not pulled out but kept still: it often plugs damaged vessels.
• Open fracture: cover the wound with a sterile pad and immobilise the limb. With no splints, the casualty's own body acts as the splint: sling the arm and tie it to the torso, tie the legs together with soft cloth between them.
• A burn is cooled with water for 20 minutes; blisters are not opened, leftover clothing is not removed, and it is covered with a sterile pad without a tight bandage.

What to tell the ambulance operator

If people are injured or killed in an accident, the driver must call emergency medical help and report to the police (Law, Article 24, part 4). According to the question bank, tell the operator:

• the place: street, house number, nearest landmarks;
• the number of casualties, their sex and approximate age;
• whether they are conscious, breathing, have circulation, severe bleeding or fractures.

Then wait until the operator confirms the call has been accepted. What the law requires when nobody is hurt is in a separate article.

What NOT to do: a quick list

• Give medicines — even "in extreme necessity".
• Give an unconscious person something to drink.
• Pull an object out of a wound or "treat" the wound with iodine.
• Rub a frostbitten area with snow.
• Move a casualty with a suspected spinal injury without need.
• Hold a person down or open their mouth during a seizure: let the seizure run its course.

How to prepare

Group 10 questions more often ask you to picture a situation than to remember numbers. Read the Group 10 theory chapter, then work through the Group 10 questions. When your result is steady, try the full exam simulation. The simulation is a learning trainer: it is not a Ministry of Internal Affairs service and does not guarantee a result on the real exam.