ECS WEEK 3 TCCC EXAM BANK: 150 Q&AS WITH
VERIFIED ANSWERS & RATIONALES (MARCH
PAWS / 2026 EDITION)
This comprehensive exam preparation bundle contains 150 verified
multiple-choice questions with italicized answers and detailed, bold-
italic rationales covering the 2026 ECS Week 3 Tactical Combat
Casualty Care (TCCC) curriculum. It provides a complete study
resource tracking the MARCH PAWS framework, Care Under Fire
protocols, and advanced Tactical Field Care interventions. Each
question is specifically formatted to mirror actual military medical
assessments, ensuring high-utility mastery over life-saving battlefield
medicine. Perfect for nursing, military science, and emergency
medical services students, this document serves as a premier test-
bank alternative for maximizing exam scores. It guarantees absolute
clarity on critical topics like hemorrhagic shock resuscitation, needle
chest decompression landmarks, and tactical medication dosages.
1. What is the primary focus of Tactical Combat
Casualty Care (TCCC) during the Care Under
Fire (CUF) phase?
A) Detailed physical assessment
B) Suppression of enemy fire and hemorrhage
control
C) Advanced airway management
D) Initiation of intravenous fluids
Answer: B
Rationale: During Care Under Fire, the
civilian medical priority is superseded by
, tactical necessity. The best medicine on the
battlefield is fire superiority. The only
medical intervention performed in this phase
is the application of a limb tourniquet to
control life-threatening hemorrhage.
2. Which tourniquet application is considered
correct during the Care Under Fire (CUF)
phase?
A) Directly over the wound, under the clothing
B) 2–3 inches above the wound, directly on the
skin
C) High and tight over the clothing
D) Distal to the wound to preserve joint mobility
Answer: C
Rationale: In the Care Under Fire phase, time
is critical and exposure is limited.
Tourniquets should be placed high and tight
over the clothing to rapidly halt catastrophic
bleeding until the casualty can be moved to
safety.
3. What is the preferred first-line option for
controlling life-threatening extra-junctional
hemorrhage in Tactical Field Care (TFC)?
A) Standard gauze packing
B) Periodic direct pressure without gauze
, C) CoForm bandaging
D) Hemostatic dressing with 3 minutes of direct
pressure
Answer: D
Rationale: Tactical Field Care guidelines
recommend using a CoTCCC-approved
hemostatic dressing (such as Combat
Gauze) combined with at least 3 minutes of
direct manual pressure for wounds not
amenable to limb tourniquets.
4. During which phase of TCCC care is
comprehensive airway management first
addressed?
A) Care Under Fire (CUF)
B) Tactical Field Care (TFC)
C) Tactical Evacuation Care (TACEVAC)
D) Combat Medic Deployment Phase
Answer: B
Rationale: Airway interventions, ranging
from recovery position to cricothyroidotomy,
are deferred until the casualty and responder
are in the Tactical Field Care phase and no
longer under active, effective enemy fire.
5. Which of the following represents the correct
sequence of interventions according to the
, MARCH PAWS algorithm?
A) Airway, Massive Bleeding, Circulation,
Respiration
B) Massive Bleeding, Airway, Respiration,
Circulation, Head/Hypothermia
C) Hypothermia, Airway, Respiration,
Circulation, Massive Bleeding
D) Massive Bleeding, Respiration, Airway,
Circulation, Pain
Answer: B
Rationale: MARCH PAWS prioritizes life-
threatening injuries sequentially: Massive
Bleeding, Airway, Respiration, Circulation,
Head injury/Hypothermia, followed by Pain
management, Antibiotics, Wounds, and
Splinting.
6. What is the immediate treatment for a casualty
presenting with bilateral progressive respiratory
distress and suspected tension pneumothorax?
A) Endotracheal intubation
B) Immediate needle decompression
C) High-flow oxygen via non-rebreather mask
D) Emergency tube thoracostomy
Answer: B
Rationale: Needle decompression of the
VERIFIED ANSWERS & RATIONALES (MARCH
PAWS / 2026 EDITION)
This comprehensive exam preparation bundle contains 150 verified
multiple-choice questions with italicized answers and detailed, bold-
italic rationales covering the 2026 ECS Week 3 Tactical Combat
Casualty Care (TCCC) curriculum. It provides a complete study
resource tracking the MARCH PAWS framework, Care Under Fire
protocols, and advanced Tactical Field Care interventions. Each
question is specifically formatted to mirror actual military medical
assessments, ensuring high-utility mastery over life-saving battlefield
medicine. Perfect for nursing, military science, and emergency
medical services students, this document serves as a premier test-
bank alternative for maximizing exam scores. It guarantees absolute
clarity on critical topics like hemorrhagic shock resuscitation, needle
chest decompression landmarks, and tactical medication dosages.
1. What is the primary focus of Tactical Combat
Casualty Care (TCCC) during the Care Under
Fire (CUF) phase?
A) Detailed physical assessment
B) Suppression of enemy fire and hemorrhage
control
C) Advanced airway management
D) Initiation of intravenous fluids
Answer: B
Rationale: During Care Under Fire, the
civilian medical priority is superseded by
, tactical necessity. The best medicine on the
battlefield is fire superiority. The only
medical intervention performed in this phase
is the application of a limb tourniquet to
control life-threatening hemorrhage.
2. Which tourniquet application is considered
correct during the Care Under Fire (CUF)
phase?
A) Directly over the wound, under the clothing
B) 2–3 inches above the wound, directly on the
skin
C) High and tight over the clothing
D) Distal to the wound to preserve joint mobility
Answer: C
Rationale: In the Care Under Fire phase, time
is critical and exposure is limited.
Tourniquets should be placed high and tight
over the clothing to rapidly halt catastrophic
bleeding until the casualty can be moved to
safety.
3. What is the preferred first-line option for
controlling life-threatening extra-junctional
hemorrhage in Tactical Field Care (TFC)?
A) Standard gauze packing
B) Periodic direct pressure without gauze
, C) CoForm bandaging
D) Hemostatic dressing with 3 minutes of direct
pressure
Answer: D
Rationale: Tactical Field Care guidelines
recommend using a CoTCCC-approved
hemostatic dressing (such as Combat
Gauze) combined with at least 3 minutes of
direct manual pressure for wounds not
amenable to limb tourniquets.
4. During which phase of TCCC care is
comprehensive airway management first
addressed?
A) Care Under Fire (CUF)
B) Tactical Field Care (TFC)
C) Tactical Evacuation Care (TACEVAC)
D) Combat Medic Deployment Phase
Answer: B
Rationale: Airway interventions, ranging
from recovery position to cricothyroidotomy,
are deferred until the casualty and responder
are in the Tactical Field Care phase and no
longer under active, effective enemy fire.
5. Which of the following represents the correct
sequence of interventions according to the
, MARCH PAWS algorithm?
A) Airway, Massive Bleeding, Circulation,
Respiration
B) Massive Bleeding, Airway, Respiration,
Circulation, Head/Hypothermia
C) Hypothermia, Airway, Respiration,
Circulation, Massive Bleeding
D) Massive Bleeding, Respiration, Airway,
Circulation, Pain
Answer: B
Rationale: MARCH PAWS prioritizes life-
threatening injuries sequentially: Massive
Bleeding, Airway, Respiration, Circulation,
Head injury/Hypothermia, followed by Pain
management, Antibiotics, Wounds, and
Splinting.
6. What is the immediate treatment for a casualty
presenting with bilateral progressive respiratory
distress and suspected tension pneumothorax?
A) Endotracheal intubation
B) Immediate needle decompression
C) High-flow oxygen via non-rebreather mask
D) Emergency tube thoracostomy
Answer: B
Rationale: Needle decompression of the
