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Free 6-week RTE study plan + 25 practice questions
A free 6-week study plan for the 2027 NBRC Respiratory Therapy Examination, weighted the way the exam is weighted, with 25 practice questions and an answer key. It's a free PDF download. No email or account needed.
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Why weight your study
The RTE has 160 scored items: 100 Breadth of Knowledge items (Patient Data 25, Devices and Patient Safety 25, Interventions 50) and 60 Depth of Clinical Judgment items.[1] Interventions alone is a third of the scored exam, so it gets two weeks below. Clinical judgment runs through every week, because the CRT now depends on it too.
The 6-week plan
| When | Focus | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Baseline and Patient Data | Take a diagnostic (the NBRC free practice exam or the TidalPrep free mock). Read the 2027 DCO. Start Patient Data: physical assessment, ABG and lab interpretation, PFTs, and imaging. |
| Week 2 | Patient Data, continued | Drill ABGs daily (classify, check compensation, find mixed disorders), plus hemodynamics, oxygenation indices, and bedside tests such as RSBI, P/F, and the A–a gradient. |
| Week 3 | Devices and patient safety | O2 delivery and humidity devices, airway equipment, ventilator setup and troubleshooting, infection control, and quality control. |
| Week 4 | Interventions I | Ventilator initiation and modification, lung-protective ventilation, NIV, weaning, and airway management. |
| Week 5 | Interventions II | O2 therapy, aerosol drugs, airway clearance, neonatal and pediatric care, emergencies and transport. Take an official SAE under timed conditions. |
| Week 6 | Clinical judgment and full-length test | Case practice by patient type and setting. One full-length timed run (185 items, 4 hours). Review every miss, then rest the day before the exam. |
Every day: 25–40 practice questions in the week's area, read every rationale, and redo your misses with spaced repetition. Twice a week: one clinical-judgment case.
The schedule is our recommendation, not an NBRC requirement. Exam facts come from the NBRC's 2027 Detailed Content Outline and RT exam page.[1][2] The NBRC's free practice exam is a good Week 1 diagnostic.[3]
Start free
Free tools for Week 2
- ABG interpretation calculator
- RSBI calculator
- P/F ratio calculator
- A–a gradient calculator
- Tidal volume by ideal (predicted) body weight