Nurse aide (CNA)
The CNA exam from training to the registry
Independent site, not affiliated with the certifying body or the test vendor. Applications, payments and scheduling happen only on their own websites.
What federal law requires, who runs the test in your state, how a test day unfolds and what happens once you pass or fail a part.
Time per question on the real exam
Seconds per question
94
- Questions
- 70
- Time allowed
- 2 h
- Average with no review
- 103 s
CNA: 70 questions, of which 60 count toward the score.
The CNA exam is the nurse aide competency evaluation that federal rules require before someone can work as a nurse aide in a nursing facility certified for Medicare or Medicaid. Under 42 CFR 483.154 it has two parts: a knowledge test, written or oral at the aide's choice, and a demonstration of skills drawn at random from the tasks nurse aides perform, and each state must give at least 3 chances to pass. Training comes first under 42 CFR 483.152: at least 75 hours, including 16 hours of supervised practical work and 16 hours before any direct contact with residents. Each state picks its vendor. Most use the National Nurse Aide Assessment Program, owned by Credentia, with 70 written questions in 2 hours and 5 skills in 30 minutes; Texas, Florida and New York use Prometric, and Ohio, Michigan and part of California use Headmaster. Passing both parts places the aide on the state nurse aide registry.
CNA · practice
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| Study target: 4 of 5 (80%), not the official passing score |
Practice questions written by Radif Partners from the public outline; not questions from the real exam. Progress stays in this browser.
Questions, formats and fees by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method and sources
Why there is a CNA exam at all
The exam is not a private credential that employers happen to like. It comes from federal law on long term care facilities: nurse aides in a facility certified for Medicare or Medicaid must show their competence, and the federal rules define both the training and the evaluation that prove it (42 CFR 483.152 and 42 CFR 483.154). The federal text sets the frame and each state fills it in: it chooses the vendor, sets the fee and decides how attempts are counted.
Three federal rules apply everywhere. The aide chooses between a written and an oral knowledge test. The skills are selected at random from a pool of tasks aides usually perform. The state must offer at least 3 opportunities to complete the evaluation.
The path, step by step
- Training. Finish a state approved program of at least 75 hours, 16 of them supervised practical work.
- Application. Your program, or you, submits the application to the state's testing vendor, with proof of training and identity.
- Scheduling. You get a date at a regional test site, often a school or a college. Your handbook says whether both parts fall on the same day.
- Test day. Bring the identification your handbook requires, arrive early, and expect the skills part to take place in a room set up like a resident's room.
- Results. Each part is reported as pass or fail. A failed part is retaken within the window your state sets.
- Registry. Once you pass both parts, the state lists you on its nurse aide registry, which is what employers check.
Who writes and delivers the test
The National Nurse Aide Assessment Program was created by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing and is now owned by Credentia (NCSBN notice). Credentia's test taker pages list the NNAAP states, including Alaska, Alabama, California, Colorado, the District of Columbia, Georgia, Iowa, Maryland, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and Washington, plus several territories. Other states contract with another vendor and use their own forms. Here is how the main formats compare:
| Vendor | Written test | Skills test | Example states |
|---|---|---|---|
| Credentia (NNAAP) | 70 questions, 2 hours | 5 skills, 30 minutes | Pennsylvania, Georgia, North Carolina |
| Prometric | 60 questions in 90 minutes | Five scored, incl. handwashing and indirect care | Texas, Florida, New York |
| Headmaster | 79 questions in 90 minutes, 70% to pass | 3 or 4 skill tasks in 35 minutes | Ohio, Michigan, California |
The content is close everywhere because the duties are the same: personal care, safety, infection control, measurements, residents' rights and communication. What changes is the count, the time and the way skills are drawn. Check the state by state guide before you study a specific format.
The two parts in short
The knowledge test is a set of multiple-choice questions, mostly short scenarios about a resident. In the NNAAP it has 70 questions, 10 of which are unscored pretest items (Credentia). The oral version replaces reading with listening and adds word recognition items; the written exam page details both.
The skills test asks you to perform a few tasks on a person acting as the resident while an evaluator follows a checklist. Hand hygiene is always included in the NNAAP, along with one task where you measure and record a value. The skills test guide explains how a step is scored.
Reading a result
Keep your score report until your registry entry appears. A pass on both parts needs no further step from you in most states, since the vendor reports to the registry. A fail on one part often comes with feedback, such as the areas of the written test or the skills where you fell short. Use it to target your practice before the retake rather than starting again from the beginning, and book the new attempt early enough to stay inside your state's window.
After the exam
Passing is not the end of the rules. If you go 24 consecutive months without paid nursing work, federal rules require new training or a new evaluation before you work as an aide again. Many states also set their own renewal cycle with proof of employment. For fees and who pays them, see the cost page.
This site is independent: it is not affiliated with Credentia, Prometric, Headmaster or any state program, and it plays no part in applications, scheduling or results.