The CNA exam is taken by individuals who wish to become a Certified Nurse Assistant.
We will review everything you need to know about the exam in our guide below. If you want to start prepping for your exam, enroll in our CNA prep course.
What is the CNA Exam?
CNA stands for certified nurse assistant. The CNA exam allows individuals to become a certified nurse assistant.
This exam is used by states to validate an individual’s skills and confirm they have the necessary skills to be a nurse assistant. The only way to become certified is by taking and passing this exam.
What is Tested on the CNA Exam?
There will be two portions on your exam. Those two portions are:
- Written Test
- Skills Test
The written test will consist of multiple-choice questions. The skills test will consist of you demonstrating various CNA skills in front of an evaluator.
The number of questions on the written test will vary depending on your provider (read below for more information on that).
For the skills test, you will be asked to demonstrate 5 CNA skills. You will not know which CNA skills you will be asked to demonstrate until you are taking the exam.
Who Provides the CNA Exam?
The providers of the exam are:
The provider of your exam will depend on the state in which you reside in. In addition, each provider has a slightly different test outline.
With that being said, all 3 providers include both a written test and a skills test.
NNAAP is the biggest provider of the exam, and the most states use NNAAP as their test provider.
NNAAP CNA Exam
The NNAAP CNA exam consists of the following:
- Written Test: 70 questions (10 are not scored). 2 hours long.
- Skill Test: Demonstration of 5 CNA skills.
The written test includes the following topics:
- Physical Care Skills
- Activites of Daily Living – 9
- Basic Nursing Skills – 23
- Restorative Skills – 5
- Psychosocial Care Skills
- Emotional and Mental Health Needs – 6
- Spiritual and Cultural Needs – 2
- Role of the Nurse Aide
- Communication – 4
- Client Rights – 4
- Legal and Ethical Behavior – 2
- Member of the Health Care Team – 5
You can take our CNA practice test to prepare, or you can use our complete CNA prep course.
Prometric CNA Exam
The Prometric CNA exam consists of the following:
- Written Test: 60 questions. 1.5 hours long.
- Skills Test: Demonstration of 5 CNA skills.
The written test includes the following topics:
- Role of the Nurse Aide – 18%
- Promotion of Safety – 18%
- Promotion of Function and Health of Residents – 24%
- Basic Nursing Care Provided by the Nurse Aide – 26%
- Providing Specialized Care for Residents with Changes in Health – 14%
Headmaster CNA Exam
The Headmaster CNA exam consists of the following:
- Written Test: 75 questions. 1.5 hours long.
- Skills Test: Demonstration of 5 CNA skills.
The written test includes the following topics:
- Safety – 7
- Infection Control – 8
- Personal Care – 9
- Mental Health – 4
- Care Impaired – 4
- Resident Rights – 5
- Communication – 7
- Data Collection – 7
- Basic Nursing Skills – 9
- Role and Responsibility – 7
- Disease Process – 4
- Older Adult Growth & Development – 4
Skills Test for All 3 Providers
The skills test is given by all 3 providers. You will be asked to demonstrate 5 skills. You will not know which skills you will be asked to demonstrate until you are taking the exam.
The list of skills includes:
- Handwashing
- Indirect care
- Measuring blood pressure
- Measuring body temperature
- Measuring and recording pulse
- Measuring and recording respiration
- Measuring the output from a urinary bag
- Ambulation with a gait belt
- Feeding
- Mouth care
- Mouth care with dentures
- Mouth care for unconscious patient
- Toileting with a bedpan
- Hand and nail care
- Foot care
- Transferring to a wheelchair
- Change of position in bed
- Changing an occupied bed
- Perineal care: female
- Perineal care: male
- Catheter care
- Partial bed bath
- Dressing a resident with a weak arm
- Applying elastic support stockings
- Body positions: supine, prone, lateral, Sim’s, and Fowler’s
- Range of motion exercises (shoulder)
- Range of motion exercises (elbow, wrist)
- Range of motion exercises (hip, knee, ankle)
You can review these skills (and what the evaluator will be looking for) with our CNA prep course.
Requirements to Take the Exam
The specific requirements vary from state to state. However, the general requirements are typically the same. Those include:
- Completion of a state-approved CNA program through an accredited institution
- Background check
CNA Exam FAQs
The exam cost will vary from state to state, but it typically will cost you $100 to take the exam.
You should also factor in the cost of your state-approved CNA program when thinking about expenses.
Each state has their own minimum requirements. Most states will be around 75% for the written test.
Most states will require you to receive a “satisfactory” mark for all 5 CNA skills you demonstrated.
Yes, you will be able to retake the exam. You can retake the exam up to 3 times (within 2 years of you completing your state-approved CNA course). You will only have to retake the portion of the exam that you failed.
Many individuals find the skills portion to be harder. This portion of the exam is hard because you will need to know all the skills, since you do not know which skills you will be asked to perform.
You can use our online CNA prep course to review those skills.
Yes, the questions on the written test are multiple-choice questions.
