PADI Practice IDC Exams
Example Questions and Answers
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Note these are not official PADI questions but are similar to the ones that you would be expected to know, they have been created by us to give to give to students when they wanted more example / sample exam and test questions. There are plenty of multiple choice test questions in your open water manuals and in the Knowledge Development Workbooks if you have a copy of them. I would also recommend looking at the dive master exams again.
Here is a selection of exam questions and answers that you should tackle in exam conditions to test your dive knowledge. Remember dive theory wont take up 100% of your time when you are a PADI Dive Instructor (OWSI) but you need to know it 100% and actively encourage people to learn more about it.
A good teaching tip is to reference what your students have learned in class when they are in the water, for example when you talk about descending, say something like “remember we learned about water pressure and the effects it has on our body today in the classroom? well when we descent the increasing weight of the water will have the following effects on us…”.
Some are common dive knowledge and some are multiple choice questions (Metric and Imperial). Use either metric or imperial numbers when figuring out your answers. Some RDP questions are listed twice (metric and imperial versions).
Example PADI IDC and IE Exam Questions
5 and 4.
Read / Sign a Liability release and assumption of risk form.
200 bar / 3000 PSI (there are 15 psi per bar)
200 bar / 3000 PSI (there are 15 psi per bar)
1 Bar (most people think 0 Bar, but unless you live in a vacuum it’s the normal atmospheric pressure at sea level which is 1 Bar)
Salty water
Pressure
Density
Lung Capacity
The two basic parts of a regulator are called the first and second stage.
- Salty water
- Pressure
- Density
- Lung Capacity
33ft or 10m.
a) ascend (go up) to a shallower depth if you feel dizzy and thirsty.
b) have your tank filled only at a dive center you trust.
c) breathe more slowly than normal using Nitrox.
d) make a safety stop at 5 metres (15 feet) at the end of each dive.
e) use Nitrox / Enriched Air on every dive.
a) 36 hours.
b) 24 hours.
c) You do not have to wait.
d) 18 hours.
4 DSD Programs.
Look this one up but its basically a pool or a body of water with pool like conditions.
a) make a controlled emergency swimming ascent (CESA – swim up to the surface saying the ah-h-h sound).
b) buddy breathe (share a single regulator with your buddy).
c) switch to your buddy’s alternate air source – Remember to do the out of air sign.
d) panic and rush to the surface.
e) use the air in your BCD.
Note: if you answered d then this is obviously wrong and dangerous.
Don’t exceed an oxygen PP of 1.4 ata.
Weak, rapid breathing, weak rapid pulse, profuse sweating, skin cool and clammy, nausea.
Checks for damage and wear / allows for maintenance and lubrication – is a dive industry standard.
Varying an electrical current depending on the pressure exerted on it – Dive Computers have transducers in them.
Waves Break when approaching the shore – When the depth is the same height as the wave.
Due to adjusting the band while it was dry.
Only as far as it has been shown to work in test and by field experience.
Gravitational pull of the Earth and the Moon.
Did you know that – Pressure Gradient is greater at Altitude that’s why different procedures must be adopted over 300m.
VENTID – Don’t know what that means ? carry on reading your books 🙂 Once you get your Instructor Manual look through the Standards section (at the front) and familiarise yourself with its layout and content, look up stuff like ages for courses, depths etc.
a) Descend (go down) and try to swim against the current near the bottom
b) Make yourself buoyant / float, then signal the boat for help, and try to swim against the current.
c) Make yourself positively buoyant and float, signal for help, rest and wait for the boat to pick you up.
d) Try to swim against the current by staying just below the surface.
a) the marine animal is trying to protect itself and is scared of you.
b) the animal is aggressive and wants to hurt you.
c) the animal wants to mate with you.
d) the animal thinks you are dinner!
Decompression Sickness types and general areas affected?
DCS1 Pain Only.
DCS2 Nervous System.
a) breathe slowly and deeply.
b) ascend (go up) to a shallower depth.
c) signal their buddy for help.
d) All of the above.
It is possible that your chance of getting decompression sickness (DCS) is increased if:
a) you do not look after your equipment.
b) you are tired, cold, sick, thirsty or overweight.
c) you dive in poor visibility, strong moving water, and rough seas.
d) All of the above. e) a and c only
- a) you do not look after your equipment.
- b) you are tired, cold, sick, thirsty or overweight.
- c) you dive in poor visibility, strong moving water, and rough seas.
- d) All of the above. e) a and c only
- a) 10 minutes
- b) 52 minutes
- c) 61 minutes
- d) 27 minutes.
- a) 9 minutes.
- b) 18 Minutes
- c) 29 minutes.
- d) Instructors do not need to wait between dives
- a) Ascend (go up) right away to 5 metres and stay there for 8 minutes before going to the surface.
- b) Go to the surface right away and contact the nearest recompression chamber.
- c) Ascend (go up) right away to 5 metres and stay there for 3 minutes before going to the surface then drink lots of fizzy drinks on the boat.
- d) Ascend (go up) to 3 metres and stay there until you use up your air.
- a) 10 minutes.
- b) 61 minutes.
- c) 29 minutes.
- d) 59 minutes.
- a) 49 minutes.
- b) 1 hour and 4 minutes.
- c) 2 hour and 32 minutes.
- d) Instructors do not need to wait between dives.
- a) Ascend (go up) right away to 5 metres and stay there for 8 minutes before going to the surface.
- b) Go to the surface right away and contact the nearest recompression chamber.
- c) Ascend (go up) right away to 5 metres and stay there for 3 minutes before going to the surface then drink lots of fizzy drinks on the boat.
- d) Ascend (go up) to 3 metres and stay there until you use up your air.
- a) your air spaces are equalized (cleared).
- b) your mask strap is too tight.
- c) you are feeling a squeeze and need to equalize.
- d) your mask is too small.
- e) hurting ears are fine and you should get used to it as a diver.
- a) you will get your Doctor in trouble for clearing you to dive.
- b) you may become tired or seasick easily.
- c) you may not be able to equalize pressure in your body air spaces.
- d) you will use your air up too fast.
- e) you may become unconscious (dazed, out cold) without warning.
- a) damage your lungs.
- b) preserve your air so you can dive for longer.
- c) push air into the blood stream and chest area.
- d) give yourself life threatening injuries.
- e) a, c and d.
- a) you want to preserve your air.
- b) your buddy is better at preserving his or her air.
- c) tank refils are expensive in your area.
- d) never.
Cool diver and get him to medical aid station.
Hypothermia and heat stroke.
Ear – Round window rupture.
- a) diving is great at getting rid of hangovers.
- b) Always perform a pre dive safety check.
- c) Establish positive buoyancy and relax when at the surface.
- d) Never dive alone.
- e) Breathe continuously and never hold your breath.
- f) find cool people to dive with.
a) get to the surface quickly by inflating your BCD. b) stop your diving and rest, hold onto something for support if possible. c) swim right away to your buddy and signal for help. d) do a controlled emergency swimming ascent (CESA – swimming up to the surface giving it the the ahhhh sound). e) try a different hobby like ping pong. f) dont let anyone see as its embarrasing to suck at diving.
- a) are the first to the reef from the boat.
- b) sink slowly holding a normal breath of air and an empty BCD.
- c) float at eye level holding a normal breath of air with an empty BCD.
- d) float at neck level with your BCD about half full and you are holding a normal breath of air.
- e) desend as slowly as the largest person in your dive party.
- a) Check your air and tailor your search pattern depending on how much you have left.
- b) Find your buddy’s bubbles and follow the bubbles to find your buddy.
- c) Go up right away, wait a minute and then go back down underwater.
- d) Search for a minute underwater and then go up to find your buddy.
- e) Go to the surface right away and get out of the water.
- a) Drink lots of coffee and fluids as your in for a tough dive.
- b) Dive against or into the current.
- c) Never dive with a current.
- d) Dive in the direction of the current (taking it easy 🙂 )
- e) Dive across the current.
Slack tide after a high tide.
Absolute and Ambient 4.3 ATA / Gauge 3.3 ATM
Answer: 2.2 liters.
Answer: .84 ata.
- Oxygen toxicity.
- Nitrogen narcosis.
- Decompression sickness.
- Arterial gas embolism.
- a. four times its original volume.
- b. one-fourth its original volume.
- c. unchanged.
- d. one-half its original volume.
For Your Information
- For your information: Most countries apart from the US use Bar as a measurement of pressure for tanks.
- Divers are most affected by CONDUCTION. Least affected by RADIATION.
- Shallow Water Blackout caused by Hypocapnia due to a falling oxygen partial pressure.
- Eustachian tube leads to the middle ear (from the throat)
You should be able to answer these simple open water questions without the answers, if you cannot then re-read the open water manual, you should also be able to explain why the wrong answers are not correct to someone that thinks that they are correct!
Still want more questions? good, have a look here for more general knowledge and some sample PADI IDC / IE quiz / exam questions and answers I am a great believer on the fact that you don’t really know something until you can teach someone else about that subject, think about describing water pressure on ears or air consumption at depth to a student. Practice this often with fellow students, start by saying ‘teach me about…’ and then ask each other questions, it’s the best way to learn.
Now you are at the end, hopefully you will have a better understanding of Dive Theory, if you can answer all your PADI quizzes and exams and complete the Knowledge development workbooks and your ‘mock’ exams in the Instructor Manual then you will be fine on the theory, if you are worried about the practical skills and demonstrations / teaching presentations then get help from your local dive center and perhaps you want to consider doing a pre-idc preparation courses that most Course Directors offer.
Good Luck, Dive safe and look after yourself and your future divers, you always remember your first certification and I hope you get as much out of it as we did.
The IDC Guide Team of PADI Professionals.
Our preparation, practice, mock and sample exams, quizzes and answers are create by us and are not official PADI Materials. Our practice materials helps you to prepare for the PADI IE only.
If you got to the bottom of this page you deserve a helping hand, have a look at some of the sample exams below:
PADI Practice Exams
Dive Theory Exam A as well as PADI Dive Standards Exam A
Buy the complete IDC revision packs that now include lots more practice exams (questions and answers).