ACLS written test tomorrow

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I have my ACLS test tomorrow and was curious to see if anyone had any tips on interpreting the EKG strips, some 'easy' way to memorize the algorithms. I have been working on these for the past week, but it is NOT sinking in for me. Any and all help will be appreciated!

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The good news is; there are very few rhythm interpretations on the actual exam and the ones they show you are very basic. Which rhythms are you having trouble with?

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Any and all, honestly. I can recognize normal sinus, sinus brady, sinus tachy. A-fib and coorifice v-fib look the same to me, as do v-tac (I think), & Torsades. I am so lost when it comes to this, and honestly didn't do all that well when it came to the strip interpretation part of the cardiac test during nursing school.

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Hmmm, most people have trouble with the junctional rhythms. Do you have trouble interpreting the rhythms on a monitor or on paper? If it is on the monitor, adjust the gain so you can see a clearer distinction between the complexes. If it is on paper, the ACLS exam makes it very clear so you can distinguish the morphology and rate of the complexes.

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