How to Pass Your BLS Skills Test on the First Try
Five things instructors actually watch for during the BLS skills check — and the small habits that separate a pass from a re-test.
The HSF BLS skills test isn't designed to trip you up — but every class has someone who has to repeat a station. Here's what instructors are quietly checking for, from someone who teaches the course every week.
1. Compression depth and rate, every time
Aim for 5–6 cm depth at 100–120 per minute. The metronome in your head should be "Stayin' Alive" tempo. Shallow compressions are the #1 reason people get sent back for a re-do.
2. Full recoil
Let the chest come all the way back up between compressions. Leaning on the chest cuts cardiac output dramatically — and it's visible to the instructor across the room.
3. Minimise pauses
You should be compressing more than 60% of the code. Practice handoffs that take less than 5 seconds: the next compressor is kneeling on the opposite side with hands hovering before you stop.
4. Verbalize the algorithm
"Scene safe, gloves on. Unresponsive — calling code, getting AED." Saying it out loud signals to the instructor that you know the sequence, even if you fumble a step.
5. Bag-valve-mask technique
The two-handed E-C grip with a partner squeezing the bag is what's tested. One-handed BVM is for solo rescuers only and almost always leaks. Practice the seal before class.
We build all five into our BLS course with low student-to-manikin ratios so you get real reps, not just a watch-and-nod.