Sort the blood pressure readings.
Drop each reading into its 2017 ACC/AHA category — Normal, Elevated, Stage 1, Stage 2, or Crisis. The catch the boards love: when the systolic and diastolic land in different categories, the higher one wins. Sort them all, then check your work with a rationale on every reading.
- ✓Tap a reading, tap its category. Twelve real readings across all five ACC/AHA bands — including the ones designed to trip you.
- ✓The higher number wins. 128/82 is Stage 1, not Elevated. 126/92 is Stage 2. The drill drills exactly that.
- ✓Feeds your dashboard. Your score rolls into your Clinical readiness.
12 readings · about 6 minutes
Every reading in the right band on the first drop — the higher-number-wins cases included. This is exactly the instant classification the boards reward.
—
—
Keep this · the numbers that matter
| Normal | Less than 120 and less than 80 mmHg |
| Elevated | 120–129 systolic and under 80 diastolic |
| Stage 1 HTN | 130–139 systolic or 80–89 diastolic |
| Stage 2 HTN | 140+ systolic or 90+ diastolic |
| Crisis | Over 180 systolic and/or over 120 diastolic — urgent |
| Adult pulse | 60–100 beats/min at rest |
| Adult resps | 12–20 breaths/min at rest |
This drill is a study aid, not clinical guidance for treating real patients. Blood pressure categories follow the 2017 ACC/AHA guideline; when systolic and diastolic fall in different categories, the higher category applies. Defer-or-treat thresholds vary by office protocol, the supervising dentist, and the patient's medical history. The House of Hygiene is not affiliated with or endorsed by the JCNDE.