During an ABCDE assessment you find the airway is partially obstructed. What should you do?

Address the airway before moving on to assess breathing

Note it and continue to B, C, D, E first

Skip to circulation, as it is more important

Complete the full assessment, then return to the airway

What is the correct order of the ABCDE assessment?

Circulation, Airway, Breathing, Disability, Exposure

Breathing, Airway, Circulation, Exposure, Disability

Disability, Airway, Breathing, Circulation, Exposure

After giving oxygen to a hypoxic patient during ABCDE, what should you do next?

Reassess to see whether the intervention has worked

Move straight to Disability without rechecking

Assume it worked and document it

Wait until the end to reassess everything

What does the D in ABCDE prompt you to check?

Disability: consciousness, neurology, pupils and blood glucose

A nurse recognises an acutely deteriorating patient during ABCDE. What should happen alongside assessment?

Call for help early rather than working alone

Complete everything alone before summoning anyone

Wait until the assessment is finished to call for help

Only call for help if the patient arrests

Part B3 of 8 Assessing Needs and Planning Care Chapter 34 of 75

ABCDE Assessment Scenario Questions

NMC CBT ABCDE practice: the systematic airway-to-exposure approach, treating as you go, reassessing, and worked scenario answers.

Start reading ← NMC CBT hub ~5 min read

By JobLabs Editorial · UK healthcare reference editorial team

· July 16, 2026 · Updated Jul 17, 2026 · 2 min read

When a patient is acutely unwell, panic and a scattered response cost time the patient does not have. The ABCDE approach gives you a fixed, systematic order to work through, and the CBT tests whether you can apply it calmly and in sequence.

The order is the point

ABCDE stands for Airway, Breathing, Circulation, Disability, Exposure. The order is not arbitrary; it runs from what kills fastest to what kills more slowly. A blocked airway harms sooner than a breathing problem, which harms sooner than a circulation problem. Working in order means the most immediate threats are found first. A question that scrambles the order, or has you jump to circulation while the airway is obstructed, is offering a wrong answer.

Treat as you go

The single most tested principle is that you deal with each life-threatening problem as you find it, before moving to the next letter. You do not complete the whole assessment and then decide what to treat. If Airway is compromised, you manage it before you assess Breathing. Only once each step is stable do you move on.

Reassess after every intervention

ABCDE is a loop, not a checklist you complete once. After any intervention, giving oxygen, positioning, fluids, you reassess the same parameter to see whether it worked. Assuming an intervention succeeded, or leaving all reassessment to the end, risks missing a patient who is not responding.

D and E

Disability is a quick neurological check: level of consciousness using AVPU or GCS, the pupils, and blood glucose, because hypoglycaemia is a fast, reversible cause of a drop in consciousness. Exposure means examining the patient properly to find what might be missed, bleeding, a rash, an injury, while keeping them warm and protecting their dignity.

Call for help early

Running through all of this is one habit the exam rewards: calling for senior help early, not after you have struggled alone to the end. Recognising deterioration and summoning help are part of the same response. Next: pain assessment. Five ABCDE scenarios first.

Sources & further reading

Key takeaway from ABCDE Assessment Scenario Questions

Frequently asked questions

Why assess in the order A, B, C, D, E?

The order reflects what kills fastest. A blocked airway harms sooner than a breathing problem, which harms sooner than a circulation problem, and so on. Working in order means the most immediately life-threatening problems are found and treated first.

Do I finish the whole assessment before treating anything?

No. You treat each life-threatening problem as you find it, before moving to the next letter. If the airway is compromised, you address that before assessing breathing. You do not press on to E while an airway problem remains.

What do D and E stand for?

D is Disability, a quick check of consciousness and neurology, including blood glucose and pupils. E is Exposure, examining the patient properly while respecting dignity and warmth, to find anything missed such as bleeding, rashes or injuries.

Check your understanding

Quick quiz: ABCDE Assessment Scenario Questions

5questions. Click an answer to see the explanation. Your score is saved on this device only.

1
During an ABCDE assessment you find the airway is partially obstructed. What should you do?
In ABCDE you treat each life-threatening problem as you find it. A compromised airway is the most immediate threat, so you manage it, and call for help, before moving to breathing. Pressing on while the airway is obstructed is unsafe.
2
What is the correct order of the ABCDE assessment?
The order is Airway, Breathing, Circulation, Disability, Exposure. It reflects how quickly each problem can kill, so the most immediately life-threatening issues are found and dealt with first.
3
After giving oxygen to a hypoxic patient during ABCDE, what should you do next?
ABCDE is a continuous loop. After any intervention you reassess the same parameter to check it has worked before moving on. Assuming success, or leaving reassessment to the end, risks missing a patient who is not responding.
4
What does the D in ABCDE prompt you to check?
D is Disability, a rapid neurological check: level of consciousness (using AVPU or GCS), pupils, and crucially blood glucose, since hypoglycaemia is a quickly reversible cause of reduced consciousness. It is not about diet or discharge.
5
A nurse recognises an acutely deteriorating patient during ABCDE. What should happen alongside assessment?
ABCDE and calling for help go together. Summoning senior help early means treatment starts sooner and you are not managing a deteriorating patient alone. Waiting until the assessment is complete, or until arrest, delays the response dangerously.