CNA Training Practice Test 2026 - Free Certified Nursing Assistant Exam Questions and Study Guide

The term for how fast the heart is beating per minute is the pulse, also known as the heart rate. You determine it by counting the beats at a pulse site (like the wrist or neck) for a full 60 seconds. This rate reflects cardiac activity and can vary with fitness, age, stress, medications, and illness. Respiration is the rate of breathing, and blood pressure is the force of the blood against artery walls—neither describes how quickly the heart is beating. So the best term is pulse (heart rate).