New Jersey certifies EMTs through the Department of Health's Office of Emergency Medical Services (OEMS), and the National Registry exam is the only exam it recognizes. Everything below comes from the OEMS education pages and its EMT rules, N.J.A.C. 8:40A, checked October 18, 2026. Confirm with your program before you pay.
Study aid, not a protocol. Nothing on this site replaces your course, your medical director or your agency's protocols. Built by an RN and former EMT. Headed In LLC is not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT) or any state EMS office; their names appear here only to point you to the real thing.
The national steps, briefly
A state-approved EMT course
Every state approves its own programs, all taught to the National EMS Education Standards. Most run 150 to 300 hours over three to six months.
A healthcare-provider CPR card
AHA BLS or an equivalent your state accepts, usually before clinicals.
The cognitive exam
The National Registry (NREMT) EMT exam: 70 to 120 adaptive questions in 2 hours, $104 per attempt, six attempts within two years of your course.
Your state's license or certification
The card comes from the state, not the Registry. The state's own steps are below.
New Jersey Department of Health, Office of Emergency Medical Services
Course: an approved EMT training program, with a 10-hour clinical. You can enroll at 16 by the first day, with parental consent if you are a minor, and you need a CPR card to enroll, kept current until you are certified. Volunteers with eligible agencies can have training paid through the state's EMT Training Fund.
Skills: your program coordinator gives a practical skills verification exam on the Core 13 standards, then issues your certificate of eligibility and asks OEMS to schedule your exam.
Exam: the National Registry cognitive exam at a Pearson VUE center. Three attempts, then a Core 13 retraining program for three more; all attempts within 12 months of the scheduled end of your program. Once the Registry certifies you, New Jersey generates your EMT card automatically.
Age: certification at 18. Under 18, you take the Registry's non-certifying assessment exam and get provisional status: you work only beside a certified EMT, never as part of the minimum crew, and may not drive the ambulance until 18.
Background: every student files an OEMS application. Answer yes to the criminal background question and you file a State Police criminal history request (SBI 212B) at least 30 days before the exam, with the State Police fee. Crimes and many disorderly persons offenses bar certification unless OEMS grants a waiver.
Certification: one card free; it runs 36 to 42 months and expires June 30 or December 31, with no grace period. Recertify with 48 continuing education hours in the 36 months before (24 core, two from each of 12 core sessions, and 24 elective) plus a current CPR card.
From another state: OEMS reciprocity for EMTs certified by another state or the National Registry: a current CPR card, the EMS-64 application with license and education verifications sent straight to OEMS, and New Jersey EMT refresher classes A, B and C taken in New Jersey (fully online refreshers do not count).