Pearson vue california nurse assistant candidate handbook

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The Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) test may be challenging. Our free CNA practice tests let you know how well you are prepared for the actual exam, so that you can concentrate on the areas you need to work on. Try measuring your knowledge with some of our sample CNA test questions!

Summary: We have free CNA practice tests to help you prepare for the CNA exam.

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Using our practice CNA exam questions is a proven method to prepare for your upcoming CNA exam. The best part about our sample CNA practice tests is that they require no payment or registration – they are completely free!

Our CNA example questions are categorized based on the official CNA outline. Once you have completed Test-Guide’s quizzes, your answers will be immediately graded. The score report you receive after completing our CNA practice tests will not only include your grade, but also a complete explanation for all of your wrong answers, letting you see where you need to improve.

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  • Becoming comfortable with the test format - The CNA exam, like most standardized tests, has its own unique format and structure. As you take more and more free CNA practice tests, you will begin to see a pattern in the way the questions are written. Once the actual test day comes, you will feel comfortable and have no surprises.
  • Focusing your study time - Using free sample tests or CNA study guides is a very effective prep strategy. One of the biggest advantages of taking practice tests is learning what you are good at and what you are weak at. You can then concentrate your study time on your weakest areas.
  • Helping you retain information - When you take sample tests like our free CNA practice tests you don't just measure what you already know, you reinforce the learning and make it more likely that you will be able to retrieve the information later.

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What is the CNA Exam?

In 1987, Congress adopted the Nursing Home Reform Act which was intended to improve the quality of care in long-term care facilities. One of the major components of the act was to define training and evaluation standards for nursing assistants who work in nursing homes. Each state is responsible for running nursing aide programs that meet these federal standards.

Every state administers a CNA certification exam which consists of a written/knowledge test and a skills evaluation. Most states work with a third-party test administrator to manage the examination process. The three largest CNA exam providers are: NNAAP/Pearson Vue, Prometric, and HDMaster.

The details on these exams are provided below:

NNAAP (Pearson Vue) CNA Exam

The National Nurse Aid Assessment Program (NNAAP) is an examination program that is used by over 25 states and territories to assess competency for certified nurse assistants (CNAs).

The NNAAP certification exam is the largest nurse aide exam program and is given to over 200,000 students per year. The National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) developed the NNAAP certification program to meet both federal and state laws and regulations. The exam is administered by Pearson Vue.

The NNAAP certification covers the following states and territories:

  • Alabama
  • Alaska
  • California
  • Colorado
  • District of Columbia
  • Georgia
  • Guam
  • Louisiana
  • Mariana Islands
  • Maryland
  • Minnesota
  • Mississippi
  • New Hampshire
  • North Carolina
  • North Dakota
  • Pennsylvania
  • Rhode Island
  • South Carolina
  • Texas
  • Vermont
  • Virginia
  • Virgin Islands
  • Washington
  • Wisconsin
  • Wyoming

The CNA exam consists of two parts: a written portion and a portion focused on skills. The written portion of the test has 70 multiple-choice questions based off of the 2014 Job Analysis and Knowledge, Skill, and Ability Study of Nurse Aides. For the skills examination, candidates will need to perform five randomly selected nurse assistant skills. Candidates are given 25 minutes to complete the five skills.

The CNA practice tests provided by Test-Guide cover key aspects of the final test, giving you thorough prep for your final CNA exam.

NNAAP Written Exam Outline

Topic % of Exam # of Questions
I. Physical Care Skills    
A. Activities of Daily Living
1. Hygiene
2. Dressing and Grooming
3. Nutrition and Hydration
4. Elimination
5. Rest/Sleep/Comfort
14% 9
B. Basic Nursing Skills
1. Infection Control
2. Safety/Emergency
3. Therapeutic/Technical Procedures
4. Data Collection and Reporting
39% 23
C. Restorative Skills
1. Prevention
2. Self Care/Independence
8% 5
II. Psychosocial Care Skills    
A. Emotional and Mental Health Needs 11% 6
B. Spiritual and Cultural Needs 2% 2
III. Role of the Nurse Aide    
A. Communication 8% 4
B. Client Rights 7% 4
C. Legal and Ethical Behavior 3% 2
D. Member of the Health Care Team 8% 5

NNAAP Skills List

For the skills evaluation, you will be asked to perform five randomly selected skills from the following list:

  1. Hand Hygiene (Hand Washing)
  2. Applies one knee-high elastic stocking
  3. Assists to ambulate using transfer belt
  4. Assists with use of bedpan
  5. Cleans upper or lower denture
  6. Counts and records radial pulse
  7. Counts and records respirations
  8. Donning and removing PPE (gown and gloves)
  9. Dresses client with affected (weak) right arm
  10. Feeds client who cannot feed self
  11. Gives modified bed bath (face and one arm, hand and underarm)
  12. Measures and records blood pressure
  13. Measures and records urinary output
  14. Measures and records weight of ambulatory client
  15. Performs modified passive range of motion (PROM) for one knee and one ankle
  16. Performs modified passive range of motion (PROM) for one shoulder
  17. Positions on side
  18. Provides catheter care for female
  19. Provides foot care on one foot
  20. Provides mouth care
  21. Provides perineal care (PERI-CARE) for female
  22. Transfers from bed to wheelchair using transfer belt

Prometric CNA Exam

Eleven states use the assessment company Prometric to administer their Certified Nursing Aide examination. The CNA exam has two components: a written exam and a clinical skills exam. The written exam consists of 60 multiple-choice questions.

Candidates are given 90 minutes to take the exam.

During the clinical skills exam candidates are expected to perform five clinical skills from a list of twenty skills. Two of the skills will include handwashing and indirect care. The time limit for the skills test ranges from 31 minutes to 40 minutes based on your selected skills.

The Prometric CNA test outline covers the following states:

  • Alabama
  • Arkansas
  • Connecticut
  • Delaware
  • Florida
  • Hawaii
  • Idaho
  • Michigan
  • New Mexico
  • New York
  • Oklahoma

Prometric CNA Written Outline

Topic % of Exam
(approximate)
# of Questions
(approximate)
I. Role of the Nurse Aide
A. Personal responsibility
B. Nurse aide as a member of the healthcare team
C. Interpersonal relations/communication skills
20% 12
II. Promotion of Safety
A. Potential hazards in the healthcare environment
B. Common injuries of residents
C. Risks related to common injuries
D. Safety and comfort
E. Safety devices (e.g., wanderguard, alarms)
F. Infection prevention and control
G. Emergencies
H. Fire prevention and safety
22% 13
III. Promotion of Function and Health of Residents
A. Personal care skills
B. Health maintenance/restoration
C. Age-related changes
D. Psychosocial needs of residents
20% 12
IV. Basic Nursing Care Provided by the Nurse Aide
A. Routine, chronic, non-life threatening situations
B. Acute emergency situations
24% 14
V. Providing Specialized Care for Residents with Changes in Health
A. Physical problems
B. Psychological problems
C. Care of the dying resident and post-mortem care
14% 9

Prometric Skills List

Your CNA exam skills evaluation will require you to perform five skills from the following list of twenty skills. You will also be evaluated on your handwashing technique at the beginning of the test, but you will not be prompted.

  1. Ambulate the resident using a transfer/gait belt
  2. Assist resident needing to use a bedpan
  3. Change bed linen while the resident remains in bed
  4. Change resident’s position to a supported side lying position
  5. Dress a resident who has a weak arm
  6. Empty contents of resident’s urinary drainage bag, and measure and record urine output on an Intake and Output (I&O) form
  7. Feed a resident who is sitting in a chair
  8. Measure and record a resident’s radial pulse
  9. Measure and record a resident’s respirations
  10. Provide catheter care to a female resident who has an indwelling urinary catheter
  11. Provide foot care to a resident who is sitting in a chair
  12. Provide mouth care to a resident who has a denture
  13. Provide mouth care to a resident who has teeth
  14. Provide perineal care to a female resident who is incontinent of urine
  15. Provide resident hand and nail care
  16. Provide resident a partial bed bath and back rub
  17. Provide resident with passive range of motion(ROM) exercises to one elbow and wrist
  18. Provide resident with passive range of motion (ROM) exercises to one shoulder
  19. Provide resident with passive range of motion (ROM) exercises to one hip, knee and ankle
  20. Transfer the resident from the bed into a wheelchair using a pivot technique and a transfer/gait belt

Headmaster/HDMaster CNA Exam

Eleven states have their CNA exams administered by D&S Diversified Technologies LLP, commonly referred to as Headmaster (www.hdmaster.com). Like the other test providers, the headmaster CNA exam consists of two components, a written exam and a manual skills exam. Our free CNA practice tests will help you prepare for the Headmaster exam.

The written CNA exam has 75 multiple-choice questions. The manual skill test consists of three or four selected skills. One of the skills will be selected from the following: perineal care of a female, bedpan and output, or perineal care of a male with changing a soiled brief.

The HDmaster test is given in the following states:

  • Arizona
  • Montana
  • New Hampshire
  • North Dakota
  • New Jersey
  • Nevada
  • Ohio (STNA)
  • Oklahoma
  • Oregon
  • South Dakota
  • Tennessee
  • Utah

HDMaster CNA Written Exam Outline

Topic Approximate Questions
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

HDMaster Skills List

You will be tested on handwashing and four additional skills from the list below:

  1. Handwashing
  2. Ambulation with gait belt
  3. Ambulation with walker
  4. Backrub
  5. Bedpan and output
  6. Blood pressure
  7. Catheter care
  8. Denture care
  9. Dressing resident
  10. Emptying a urinary drainage bag
  11. Feeding the dependent resident
  12. Hair care
  13. Isolation gown and gloves
  14. Making an occupied bed
  15. Making an unoccupied bed
  16. Mouth care
  17. Mouth care comatose resident
  18. Nail care one hand
  19. Partial bed bath-face, arm, hand and underarm
  20. Perineal care for a female
  21. Position resident on side
  22. Range of motion hip & knee
  23. Range of motion one shoulder
  24. Stand, pivot & transfer with gait belt
  25. Vital signs - oral temperature, pulse and respiration
  26. Vital signs - axillary temperature, pulse and respiration
  27. Weighing and ambulatory resident

What Does a CNA Do?

CNAs are sometimes referred to as nursing assistants or nurse aides. CNAs provide help and basic care to patients in hospitals and residents of long term care facilities (nursing homes).

Typical responsibilities of a CNA include:

Pearson vue california nurse assistant candidate handbook

  • Bathing and cleaning patients/residents
  • Serving meals and helping patients eat
  • Assisting residents and patients with going to the bathroom
  • Helping dress residents
  • Listening to and recording patients' concerns about their health - and relaying to the appropriate nursing/medical staff
  • Taking residents' blood pressure and temperature

In addition, some CNAs may be allowed to dispense medicine depending on the state that they are licensed in, and their training level.

CNAs are typically regulated and licensed by individual states, which will specify training/education requirements. Most CNAs are trained in state-approved programs delivered by a community college, trade/vocational school, the American Red Cross, or in a nursing home/hospital.

After completing an education program, nurse aides will have to take a competency exam which will allow them to use a state-specific title (such as Certified Nursing Assistant) and be placed on the state registry. Some states may have additional requirements such as background checks and continuing education.

Nurse aides may be able to gain additional credentials, such as the Certified Medical Assistant (CMA), which will allow them to dispense medication. Additionally, CNAs may choose to specialize in certain areas such as geriatrics.

The job prospects for nurse aides are good. Overall employment of CNAs is expected to rise over 20% through 2022. There are over 1.5 million nursing assistants currently employed. The average CNA salary (from May 2012) was $24,420. Nursing assistants often choose to advance their career by furthering their education. Nursing assistants can become Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs) or Registered Nurses (RNs).

CNA FAQS

Is the CNA exam hard?

As with any test, the better you prepare, the better you will do. Free practice tests are a great way to prepare for the CNA. Our free practice tests have detailed answer explanations to help you learn the material.

How many questions are on the CNA exam?

The CNA exam consists of 60 questions that are spread out over 5 sections. The 5 sections are role of the nurse aid, promotion of safety, promotion of function and health of residents, basic nursing care, and providing specialized care for residents with changes in health.

What are some questions on the CNA test?

The questions on the CNA are asked about 5 different topics. Do get tested in all 5 topics, take one of our free practice tests with answer explanations to help you best prepare for the CNA test.

Best of Luck with Your CNA Practice Exams!

By utilizing Test-Guide’s in-depth and free CNA practice tests, you’ll be able to hone and develop key skills that you’ll need during your ultimate CNA exam. We wish you luck moving forward as you take our CNA practice exams, and hope you succeed on the big day!

And if you know of any other resources for CNA practice tests, or CNA exam study guides or prep materials, please let us know and we can include them on our site.

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How many questions are on the California CNA exam?

Exam Details: There will be a total of 70 multiple choice questions. You will have 2 hours to complete the exam. You will be told when 15 minutes remain in order to finish.

What is the passing score for CNA written exam California?

The examination will consist solely of a Training and Experience Evaluation. To obtain a position on the eligible list, a minimum score of 70% must be received.

Is the CNA test hard to pass?

Is the CNA Exam Hard? The exam can be hard if Nursing Assistants do not have the knowledge and skills needed to pass the exam. The written or oral section of the exam may consist of approximately 70 questions, but the exact number of questions varies by state.

How do I pass the nursing aide exam?

How to Pass Your Multiple-Choice CNA Test: 6 Important Tips to Get You Through the Exam.
Read the question..
Think of the answer before you read the options..
Watch out for exceptions..
Choose the best answer among the options..
Be careful with “***** of the above”.
Come down to two choices..