Nurse aide (CNA)
The CNA exam, state by state
Independent site, not affiliated with the certifying body or the test vendor. Applications, payments and scheduling happen only on their own websites.
Choose your state to see its vendor, fees, format and attempt rule, each with its source. The table below compares ten states at once.
- Written exam
- $40
- Oral (audio) version
- $55
- Skills exam
- $80
- Retake, written
- $40
- Retake, skills
- $80
NNAAP: 70 questions in 2 hours; 5 skills in 30 minutes
Three attempts within two years of completing training.
Read on Credentia (California): NNAAP exam fees and California Department of Public Health.
First attempt, written and skills
$120
California, Credentia (NNAAP)
Training programs and employers often pay this fee. Check the vendor's current page before you pay.
There is no single national CNA exam. Federal rules (42 CFR 483.154) require every state to evaluate nurse aides with a knowledge test and a skills demonstration and to allow at least 3 attempts, but the state chooses the vendor, the form and the window for those attempts. According to Credentia's test taker pages, the National Nurse Aide Assessment Program is used in 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. Texas, Florida and New York use Prometric; Ohio and Michigan use D&S Diversified Technologies (Headmaster); Illinois uses Southern Illinois University Carbondale. California is unusual, approving three vendors at once. The attempt window also varies: one year after training in Georgia, 12 months in Illinois, two years in California, Pennsylvania and New York, 24 months in Texas and Michigan. This page compares ten states, each fact linked to the vendor or state page it was read on.
Waiting time before the next attempt
Wait before the next attempt
Set by the state
- Exam owner
- Credentia (NNAAP) and state programs
- Attempts left
- At least 3 by federal rule
Federal rule (42 CFR 483.154): at least 3 chances to pass; each state sets the window and the fee.
Questions, formats and fees by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method and sources
Ten states compared
Each state name links to the state agency or registry page; vendor fees and formats come from the vendor's own handbook or fee page.
| State | Vendor | Attempt rule |
|---|---|---|
| California | Credentia (NNAAP); (Headmaster); Regional Testing Center (Golden West College) | Three attempts within two years of completing training |
| Texas | Prometric | Three attempts at each part within 24 months |
| Florida | Prometric | Three attempts, then retraining (section 464.203(2), Florida Statutes); a candidate who finished an approved program within 6 months takes the written part only |
| New York | Prometric | Three attempts at each part within two years |
| Pennsylvania | Credentia (NNAAP) | Three attempts within two years of completing the training program |
| Illinois | Southern Illinois University Carbondale (INACE) | Three attempts within 12 months of completing the program |
| Ohio | (Headmaster) | Three attempts within two years |
| Georgia | Credentia (NNAAP) | Three attempts within one year of completing training |
| North Carolina | Credentia (NNAAP) | Within two years of training or three attempts, whichever comes first |
| Michigan | (Headmaster) | Three attempts within 24 months |
Three groups emerge. The NNAAP states share one format and one outline. The Prometric states use shorter written forms and score indirect care. The Headmaster states use their own lists of tasks and their own passing percentages. Illinois stands apart with a university run program.
The NNAAP group
The NNAAP was built by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing and is now owned by Credentia, which lists its states on its test taker pages. In Pennsylvania, Georgia and North Carolina, for example, the format reads: NNAAP: 70 questions in 2 hours; 5 skills in 30 minutes. Because the form is the same, an NNAAP candidate in Georgia and one in Pennsylvania prepare for the same outline. What differs is the fee, the registry and the attempt window: North Carolina's runs within two years of training or until three attempts are used, whichever comes first (North Carolina registry).
Prometric, Headmaster and the rest
Texas, Florida and New York test with Prometric. The written form there is shorter, and the skills part scores five items, three tasks plus handwashing and indirect care. Texas sets three attempts at each part within 24 months (Texas HHSC). The Prometric page covers these three states in detail.
Headmaster forms vary by state. Ohio: 79 questions in 90 minutes, 70% to pass; 3 or 4 skill tasks in 35 minutes. Michigan: 65 questions in 60 minutes, 74% to pass; 3 or 4 skill tasks in 30 minutes.
Illinois tests through Southern Illinois University Carbondale: written exam of 90 minutes (question count not published) and a skills exam, one fee per attempt. The state program allows three attempts within 12 months of completing the training (Illinois Department of Public Health), the shortest window in our table.
California, the three-vendor state
The California Department of Public Health approves three vendors. Your training program usually decides which one you take, and the formats are not the same:
- Credentia: NNAAP: 70 questions in 2 hours; 5 skills in 30 minutes.
- Headmaster: 75 questions in 60 minutes, 75% to pass; 3 or 4 skill tasks in 30 minutes.
- Regional Testing Center: 70 questions in 120 minutes, 70% to pass.
All three allow three attempts within two years of completing training. Practise on the format of the vendor your program uses; the content overlaps almost entirely.
Attempts, and what happens after the last one
The federal floor is 3 opportunities (42 CFR 483.154). States then add a deadline counted from the end of training, and some count attempts per part. When the attempts or the window run out, the usual path is to complete a new approved training program before testing again; Florida writes this into its statutes. The retake tool above shows where you stand after a failed attempt.
Moving between states
If you are already on a registry and move, you normally apply to the new state's registry rather than test again, as long as your listing is active and in good standing. Each state sets its own conditions, and some may ask you to test if your work history has a gap: federal rules require new training or a new evaluation after 24 consecutive months without paid nursing work. If you are still in training, plan to test in the state where your program is approved. For the steps of the exam itself, read the exam guide; for prices, the cost page.