Question 1
Which action is the single most important way a nurse aide can prevent the spread of infection between clients?
The CNA exam, explained
In states that use the NNAAP exam, the nurse aide exam has two parts: a written (or oral) test of 70 multiple-choice questions in 2 hours, and a skills evaluation of five hands-on skills in 30 minutes. You must pass both to join your state's nurse aide registry.
| Written exam | 70 multiple-choice questions: 60 scored, 10 unscored |
|---|---|
| Time | 2 hours |
| Oral option | 60 multiple-choice and 10 word-recognition questions |
| Skills evaluation | 5 skills in 30 minutes; all 5 must pass |
What the written exam covers
The 2024 content outline, used in the Credentia handbooks, splits the 60 scored questions into nine areas in three groups: physical care skills, psychosocial care skills and the role of the nurse aide.
- Activities of Daily Living: 22% (13 questions)
- Basic Nursing Skills: 35% (21 questions)
- Self-Care and Independence: 7% (4 questions)
- Emotional and Mental Health Needs: 8% (5 questions)
- Spiritual and Cultural Needs: 2% (1 question)
- Communication: 7% (4 questions)
- Client Rights: 8% (5 questions)
- Legal and Ethical Behavior: 5% (3 questions)
- Member of the Health Care Team: 6% (4 questions)
How the written exam works
Ten of the 70 questions are pretest questions that do not count, and you cannot tell which ones they are, so answer every question. In Pennsylvania's handbook you are told when 15 minutes are left. If you have difficulty reading English, you can ask for the oral version when you apply.
How the skills evaluation works
A nurse aide evaluator gives you a card with five skills. Hand hygiene is always one, and one of the other four is a measurement such as a pulse, respirations, blood pressure, weight or urinary output. Another candidate plays the client. Some steps are critical element steps: miss one and you fail that skill.
Try 3 questions
Question 2
A nurse aide is giving perineal care to a female client. In which direction should the aide wash the genital area?
Question 3
A resident says she does not want her shower today. What should the nurse aide do?
Next step
The 2024 NNAAP written exam content outline (Credentia handbook)
Questions people ask
How many questions are on the CNA written exam?
70 multiple-choice questions on the NNAAP written exam. 60 are scored and 10 are unscored pretest questions.
How long is the CNA written exam?
2 hours, according to the Pennsylvania candidate handbook.
How many skills are on the CNA skills test?
Five, in 30 minutes. Hand hygiene is always one of them, and you must pass all five.