Free CNA Practice Test: 40 Questions With Answers

Every state uses a two-part exam. The first part is a multiple-choice knowledge test. You take it in writing, or as an oral test with the questions read aloud if reading English is hard for you. The second part is a skills test, where a nurse evaluator watches you do real nurse aide tasks. You must pass both parts to be listed on your state's nurse aide registry.

The company that runs the test depends on your state, and the format changes with it.

Your state's test company, fees, training hours and renewal rules are on its own page: CNA requirements by state. Moving? See CNA reciprocity. En español: examen de práctica de CNA.

In the handbooks we checked, you get three tries at each part. Colorado and Texas make you retrain after three failed tries, and Texas and New York give you two years to pass both parts. Read your own state's handbook for its exact rules.

The skills test needs its own practice. Our CNA skills list walks through each skill step by step. The free practice test below covers the written part: pick an answer to see if you got it right and why.

The NNAAP written test follows a content outline that Credentia updated in October 2024. Prometric and Headmaster tests cover the same kinds of tasks with their own outlines. About two thirds of the scored questions are about hands-on physical care.

Basic nursing skills is the biggest area. It covers infection control, safety and emergencies, procedures such as vital signs, and what to report to the nurse. If you only have a few hours, study those first.

Most questions are short scenarios. They ask what you should do first, what to report, or what keeps the resident safe. The right answer is usually the one that protects the resident, respects their rights, and stays inside a CNA's duties.

1. Take all 40 questions in one sitting, without notes. That shows you where you stand today.
2. Read the reason under every answer, including the ones you got right. A lucky guess will not help you on test day.
3. Write down the topic of every question you missed. Each question shows its topic.
4. Study those topics in your class notes or textbook. Take the test again two days later.

Aim for 36 out of 40 or better before your test date. The real exam uses different questions, so a strong score here gives you room to spare.

We wrote every question on this page ourselves, in the style of the state exam. The test companies keep their real questions private and do not allow anyone to share them.

• Day 1: Take the practice test. List the topics you missed.
• Day 2: Infection control and safety. Hand hygiene, the order to take off PPE, standard precautions, the RACE fire steps, and what to do if a resident falls.
• Day 3: Basic nursing skills. Normal adult vital signs (pulse 60 to 100, breathing 12 to 20, blood pressure under 120/80), intake and output in milliliters, and what to report to the nurse right away.
• Day 4: Personal care, positioning and transfers. Say the steps out loud the way you will on the skills test.
• Day 5: Resident rights, communication, dementia care and care of the dying.
• Day 6: Retake the practice test. Then read your state's candidate handbook from start to finish, including what to bring.
• Day 7: Rest. Lay out your ID and clothes, and confirm your test time and place.

Still looking for a program? WIOA, the federal job training law, can pay for approved CNA training. See how WIOA pays for CNA training. For the skills test, Capstone Careers has spoken skills practice. It comes with interview practice: $10 a month added to the Apply plan, or included in the Full plan.

Arrive at least 30 minutes early. Credentia and Prometric both ask for this, and Credentia's handbook says late candidates are not allowed to test and do not get their fee back.

Bring the ID your handbook asks for. Credentia asks for two forms of current ID with a signature, and one must be a government photo ID. Prometric requires flat, non-skid shoes for the skills test.

On the written test, read the whole question and every choice before you answer. Watch for words like first, best and most important. If two choices both look right, pick the one that keeps the resident safest or brings in the nurse.

On the skills test, start every task the same way: wash your hands, knock, introduce yourself, explain what you will do, and give privacy. Prometric scores handwashing and these care steps on every test.

Your score report shows pass or fail. Credentia posts results to your online account, usually within a few hours after the day's testing ends.

Once you pass both parts and finish any state paperwork, your name goes on the state nurse aide registry. Employers check the registry before they hire you, so you can start applying as soon as you are listed.

Keep your listing active. In Texas, your registration expires if you go 24 months without nursing or nursing-related work and the required in-service training. Other states have similar rules, so read your state's renewal page.

If a nursing home hires you within 12 months of finishing your training and exam, federal rules say you can get back what you paid for training and testing, in whole or in part. The Florida and New York bulletins explain how it works in those states. Ask your new employer about it.

Next, get ready for the job interview. See common CNA interview questions and how to answer them.

1. A nurse who is busy asks you to give a resident her morning pills. You are a CNA and do not hold a medication aide certificate. What should you do?
   Answer: Politely tell the nurse that giving medicine is outside your duties. Giving medicine is outside a CNA's duties unless you hold a separate medication aide certificate. Tell the nurse politely and offer to help with a task you are trained to do.
2. Who writes the care plan that tells you what care each resident needs?
   Answer: The nurse, working with the care team. The licensed nurse builds the care plan with the rest of the care team. You follow it and report changes that might mean it needs an update.
3. What is the single most important way to stop germs from spreading in a nursing home?
   Answer: Cleaning your hands before and after every resident contact. Hands carry most germs from one person to the next. Hand hygiene before and after every contact is the first rule of infection control.
4. A resident has diarrhea from C. diff. After giving care, how should you clean your hands?
   Answer: Wash with soap and water. Alcohol rub does not kill C. diff spores well. Washing with soap and water and rubbing your hands together removes them.
5. You are wearing a gown, a mask, goggles and gloves. Which do you take off first when you leave the room?
   Answer: Gloves. Gloves are the most soiled item, so they come off first. The mask comes off last, after you are away from the resident.
6. Standard precautions tell you to treat which of these as if it could spread infection?
   Answer: Blood, body fluids, broken skin and mucous membranes of every resident. You cannot tell who carries a germ by looking. Standard precautions apply to every resident, every time.
7. You find a small fire in a resident's room. Using the RACE steps, what do you do first?
   Answer: Rescue anyone in immediate danger. RACE stands for Rescue, Alarm, Contain, Extinguish. Moving people out of danger comes first.
8. A resident you are walking with starts to fall. What should you do?
   Answer: Ease her down to the floor and protect her head. Trying to stop a fall can hurt both of you. Guide her gently to the floor, protect her head, stay with her, and call for the nurse.
9. A visitor says she is a resident's neighbor and asks what his diagnosis is. What should you do?
   Answer: Do not share the information, and refer her to the nurse. A resident's health information is private under HIPAA. Only people with a right to know may get it, and the nurse handles those requests.
10. A resident tries to give you $20 for being kind to her. What should you do?
    Answer: Thank her and politely decline, following facility policy. Taking money or gifts from residents can look like taking advantage of them. Decline kindly and follow your facility's policy.
11. A resident says she does not want her shower today. What should you do?
    Answer: Respect her choice, ask if later would work, and tell the nurse. Residents have the right to refuse care. Respect the choice, offer another time, and report the refusal so the nurse knows.
12. Which action best protects a resident's privacy during perineal care?
    Answer: Close the door, pull the curtain, and keep the resident covered except the area you are washing. Privacy is a resident right. Closing the door and curtain and keeping the body covered protects dignity during personal care.
13. You see a coworker slap a resident. What should you do?
    Answer: Make sure the resident is safe and report it to the nurse or supervisor right away. Abuse must be reported right away. You are a mandated reporter, and waiting puts the resident at risk.
14. A resident is hard of hearing. What helps the most when you talk with her?
    Answer: Face her and speak clearly in a normal or slightly lower tone. Facing her lets her see your lips and face. Shouting distorts words, and a lower pitch is often easier to hear.
15. A resident who is blind feeds himself. How can you help him find the food on his plate?
    Answer: Describe where each food is using the numbers on a clock face. The clock method, such as "chicken at 6 o'clock," lets him find each food and keep eating on his own.
16. Which of these is an open-ended question?
    Answer: How are you feeling this morning? An open-ended question cannot be answered with yes or no. It invites the resident to tell you more.
17. Which resting adult pulse should you report to the nurse right away?
    Answer: 112 beats per minute. A normal adult resting pulse is 60 to 100 beats per minute. 112 is too fast and needs to be reported.
18. Which adult breathing rate is outside the normal range and should be reported?
    Answer: 8 breaths per minute. Normal adult breathing at rest is about 12 to 20 breaths per minute. A rate of 8 is too slow.
19. Which blood pressure reading is in the normal range for an adult?
    Answer: 116/76. Normal adult blood pressure is under 120 on top and under 80 on the bottom. The other readings are high.
20. Where do you usually check the pulse when taking routine vital signs?
    Answer: The radial artery, on the thumb side of the wrist. The radial pulse is easy to reach and comfortable for the resident. Use your first two fingers, never your thumb, because your thumb has its own pulse.
21. When should you write down the care you gave?
    Answer: Right after you give it, recording only what you did and saw. Charting is a legal record. Write it after the care is done, and only write what you did and observed yourself.
22. A resident is in Fowler's position. How is she placed?
    Answer: Sitting up with the head of the bed raised about 45 to 60 degrees. Fowler's position is a sitting-up position with the head of the bed raised about 45 to 60 degrees. It helps with breathing and eating.
23. A resident cannot change position on her own. Unless the care plan says otherwise, how often should she be repositioned?
    Answer: At least every 2 hours. Pressure on the same spot for long periods causes pressure injuries. Turning at least every 2 hours is the usual rule unless the care plan sets a different schedule.
24. You are about to move a resident from the bed to a wheelchair. Where should the wheelchair go?
    Answer: On the resident's stronger side, with the brakes locked. The resident pivots and leads with the stronger side. Locked brakes keep the chair from rolling away during the move.
25. You are helping a resident with weakness on one side walk with a gait belt. Where do you stand?
    Answer: On her weaker side, slightly behind her. She is most likely to lose balance toward her weak side. Standing there, slightly behind with a hand on the gait belt, lets you support her.
26. A resident has a weak right arm. When you help her put on a shirt, which arm goes in first?
    Answer: The weak right arm. Dress the weak side first and undress it last. That way the weak arm moves the least.
27. During a bed bath, how should you wash the resident's eyes?
    Answer: From the inner corner to the outer corner, using a clean part of the washcloth for each eye. Wiping inner to outer moves germs away from the tear duct. A clean part of the cloth for each eye keeps germs from passing between them.
28. During perineal care for a female resident, which direction do you wash?
    Answer: Front to back. Washing front to back keeps germs from the rectal area away from the urinary opening, which helps prevent infection.
29. How should a resident be positioned before you help her eat?
    Answer: Sitting upright, as close to 90 degrees as she can. Sitting upright helps food go down the right way and lowers the risk of choking.
30. While you help a resident eat, she coughs often and her voice sounds wet. What should you do?
    Answer: Stop feeding her and tell the nurse. Coughing and a wet voice while eating can mean food or drink is going into the airway. Stop and report it so the nurse can check her swallowing.
31. A resident drank one full 8-ounce cup of milk. How many milliliters do you record on the intake sheet?
    Answer: 240 mL. One ounce is 30 mL. Eight ounces times 30 is 240 mL.
32. Where should the drainage bag of a urinary catheter be kept?
    Answer: Below the level of the bladder, hung on the bed frame. Urine drains down. Keeping the bag below the bladder stops urine from flowing back in, and off the floor keeps it clean.
33. What is the right way to clean around a urinary catheter?
    Answer: Start where the tube enters the body and wipe away from it, down the tube. Wiping away from the opening moves germs away from the body. Never pull the tube or open the closed drainage system.
34. A resident with dementia is upset and says she has to go home to cook dinner for her kids. What is the best response?
    Answer: Stay calm, listen to her feelings, and gently steer her to an activity. Arguing with a person who has dementia raises stress. Respond to the feeling behind the words and redirect her calmly.
35. A resident with Alzheimer's disease gets more confused and restless in the late afternoon and evening. What is this called?
    Answer: Sundowning. Sundowning is confusion and restlessness that gets worse late in the day. A calm room, good lighting and a set routine can help.
36. A resident tells you she feels hopeless and has stopped eating. What should you do?
    Answer: Tell the nurse what she said right away. Hopelessness and not eating can be signs of depression. Report them to the nurse right away so the resident gets help.
37. A dying resident no longer responds to you. Which sense is thought to be the last one lost?
    Answer: Hearing. Hearing is believed to last the longest. Keep speaking to the resident kindly and explain what you are doing.
38. A dying resident says, "If I can just see my grandson graduate, then I will be ready." Which stage of grief does this show?
    Answer: Bargaining. Bargaining is trying to make a deal for more time. It is one of the five stages of grief described by Dr. Kubler-Ross.
39. Which of these is objective data, something you can see or measure?
    Answer: The skin over the resident's tailbone is red. Objective data is what you observe with your senses, like red skin. What the resident tells you is subjective data, and you report it in her words.
40. Which of these should you report to the nurse right away?
    Answer: The resident says she has chest pain. Chest pain can be a sign of a heart attack. Stay with the resident and get the nurse at once.

• Credentia, Colorado NNAAP handbook: Exam Overview
• Credentia, 2024 NNAAP content outline (California handbook site)
• Credentia, Colorado NNAAP handbook: Exam Results
• Credentia, Colorado NNAAP handbook: Exam Day Test Center
• Credentia, Colorado NNAAP handbook: FAQ
• Credentia, candidate handbooks by state
• Pennsylvania Department of Health, Nurse Aide Testing
• Prometric, Texas Nurse Aide Candidate Information Bulletin
• Prometric, Florida CNA Candidate Information Bulletin
• Prometric, New York Nurse Aide Bulletin
• D&S Diversified Technologies (Headmaster), nurse aide testing
• Open RN, Nursing Assistant: Normal Ranges for Vital Signs