Prometric CNA Practice Test: 40 Free Questions With Answers

Prometric runs the nurse aide exam in Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Louisiana, New York, Oklahoma and Texas. Other states use another test company; see the CNA practice test for those.

The exam has two parts. The written test (or an oral version) has 60 multiple-choice questions with a 90-minute limit in Texas and Florida. The clinical skills test is timed: you perform three assigned skills and are scored on five, and you must pass all five.

The written test covers five content areas:

Answer 10 questions at a time and read the reason after each pick. Every question is original; none is copied from the Prometric handbooks or the real exam.

Practice the skills test out loud too: the CNA skills list has the Prometric steps.

You are added to your state's nurse aide registry. Then: CNA jobs near you, the CNA resume guide and the CNA interview questions.

1. Mrs. Okonkwo moved in yesterday. She is crying and says she misses her home. Which action helps her adjust?
   Answer: Invite her to bring photos and small items from home. Residents have the right to keep personal belongings. Familiar items help a new resident feel at home and in control.
2. When should you wash your hands with soap and water instead of using alcohol hand rub?
   Answer: When your hands are visibly dirty. CDC prefers alcohol hand rub in most care situations, but hands that are visibly soiled must be washed with soap and water.
3. You need to lift a box of supplies off the floor. Which method protects your back best?
   Answer: Bend your knees, keep your back straight, and hold it close. Good body mechanics means bending the knees, keeping the back straight, holding the load close, and turning with your feet instead of twisting.
4. Ms. Alvarez tells you her left hip has hurt since she slid off the toilet seat last night. No one else knows. What should you do first?
   Answer: Tell the nurse what she said right away. A possible fall or injury must be reported to the nurse promptly so the resident can be checked. The nurse aide reports and does not decide how serious it is.
5. Mr. Wallace is hard of hearing. How should you talk to him?
   Answer: Face him, speak clearly, and cut down background noise. Facing the resident lets him see your lips and face. Clear speech and a quiet room help him hear.
6. Before you help Mrs. Nakamura stand up from her wheelchair, what must you do?
   Answer: Lock both wheelchair brakes. Locked brakes keep the wheelchair from rolling away while the resident stands or sits.
7. A resident starts having a seizure while sitting in a chair. What should you do?
   Answer: Lower her to the floor and protect her head. Keep the person from injury, protect the head, and never put anything in the mouth or hold the person down.
8. Mrs. Russo has dementia. She keeps saying she must go home to feed her baby. What is the best response?
   Answer: Calmly comfort her and guide her to an activity. Arguing upsets a person with dementia. Acknowledging feelings and redirecting is calmer and safer.
9. When you use a fire extinguisher, what does the letter A in PASS stand for?
   Answer: Aim at the base of the fire. PASS means Pull the pin, Aim at the base of the fire, Squeeze the handle, and Sweep side to side.
10. Which water should you use to clean and rinse a resident's dentures?
    Answer: Cool or lukewarm running water. Hot water can warp dentures. Cool or tepid water is safe for cleaning and rinsing them.
11. You are feeding Mrs. Kim, who is sitting in a chair. Which action is correct?
    Answer: Sit at her eye level and offer a drink every few bites. Sitting at eye level, letting her swallow each bite, and offering fluids often makes eating safer and more pleasant.
12. When you give perineal care to a female resident, which way should you wipe?
    Answer: From front to back. Wiping front to back keeps germs from the rectal area away from the urethra, which lowers the risk of urinary infection.
13. How long should you count a resident's radial pulse?
    Answer: One full minute. Counting for one full minute gives the most accurate rate and catches an irregular rhythm. The Prometric skills checklist requires a full minute.
14. A wastebasket catches fire in a room where a resident is lying in bed. What should you do first?
    Answer: Move the resident away from the fire. In RACE, the first step is Rescue: remove anyone in immediate danger. Then sound the alarm, contain the fire, and extinguish or evacuate.
15. At breakfast, Mr. Delgado drank 8 ounces of milk and 4 ounces of juice. How many milliliters should you record? (1 ounce = 30 mL)
    Answer: 360 mL. 8 + 4 = 12 ounces, and 12 x 30 mL = 360 mL.
16. Mr. Booker usually loves card games. For two days he has stayed in bed and refused his meals. What should you do?
    Answer: Report the change in behavior to the nurse. A sudden change in mood, activity, or eating should be reported. It can be a sign of depression or illness.
17. Which of these is a normal change of aging?
    Answer: Skin gets thinner and drier. Thinner, drier skin is a normal aging change. Severe memory loss, sudden incontinence, and chest pain are not normal and should be reported.
18. You wrote the wrong amount of lunch eaten in a resident's paper record. How should you fix it?
    Answer: Draw one line through it, initial it, and write the right entry. A charting error is corrected with a single line so the first entry can still be read, plus your initials. Errors are never erased, covered, or removed.
19. You see a coworker slap a resident's hand during care. What should you do?
    Answer: Make sure the resident is safe and report it to the nurse at once. Suspected abuse must be reported immediately. Federal rules require facilities to report abuse allegations to the administrator and state agency within 2 hours.
20. Which oral temperature is in the normal adult range?
    Answer: 98.4 F. A normal adult oral temperature is about 96.4 F to 99.1 F. 98.4 F is inside that range. The other readings are too high or too low.
21. Mrs. Liu has hearing aids. What should you do when you take them out at bedtime?
    Answer: Turn them off and store them in their case. Hearing aids should be turned off to save the battery and stored dry in their case. Water damages them.
22. Mr. Duarte has terminal cancer. He says, "If I can just live until my grandson graduates, I will be ready." Which stage of grief is this?
    Answer: Bargaining. Bargaining is trying to make a deal for more time or to change the outcome.
23. Which respiratory rate is normal for an adult at rest?
    Answer: 16 breaths per minute. A normal adult resting respiratory rate is about 12 to 20 breaths per minute. Some sources say 10 to 20. A rate of 16 is normal under every source.
24. Mrs. Petrov has a weak right arm. When you help her put on a shirt, which arm goes in first?
    Answer: Her right arm. Dress the weak (affected) arm first and undress it last. This needs less bending of the weak joint.
25. Mr. Abbott's blood pressure is usually 124/78. Today you measure 168/98. What should you do?
    Answer: Report the reading to the nurse promptly. A big change from a resident's usual reading must be reported to the nurse. The aide does not diagnose.
26. Which sign may appear as a resident gets close to death?
    Answer: Cool, blotchy skin on the hands and feet. As death nears, circulation slows. Hands and feet often become cool and mottled, and urine output drops.
27. Mrs. Banerjee coughs and chokes during meals. Her care plan says a therapist will check how she swallows. Which team member does this?
    Answer: Speech therapist. Speech therapists (speech-language pathologists) assess and treat swallowing and communication problems.
28. You find Mrs. Castillo sitting on the floor next to her bed. What should you do first?
    Answer: Stay with her and call for the nurse. Do not move a resident after a fall until the nurse checks for injury. Stay with her and call for help.
29. Mr. Lindqvist has been quiet all morning. Which question best invites him to share how he feels?
    Answer: "How has your morning been going?". An open-ended question cannot be answered with yes or no, so it invites the resident to talk. "Why" questions can sound like blame.
30. Mrs. Haddad uses oxygen and wants to light a candle while she prays. What should you do?
    Answer: Say flames are unsafe near oxygen and offer a battery candle. Oxygen makes fire burn faster, so open flames are not allowed near it. The aide never turns oxygen off, but can offer a safe option.
31. Mr. Ferreira is on airborne precautions for possible active tuberculosis. What should you wear over your nose and mouth when you enter his room?
    Answer: A fit-tested N95 respirator. Airborne precautions require a fit-tested N95 or higher-level respirator because TB germs stay in the air.
32. A caller says she is Mr. Tran's niece and asks you how his blood tests came out. What should you do?
    Answer: Say you cannot share that and transfer her to the nurse. Resident health information is confidential. The nurse aide does not give out test results and refers the caller to the nurse, who follows privacy rules.
33. In what order should you put on a gown, mask, goggles, and gloves?
    Answer: Gown, mask, goggles, gloves. CDC teaches gown first, then mask or respirator, then goggles or face shield, and gloves last so they cover the gown cuffs.
34. What information does a state Nurse Aide Registry keep?
    Answer: Certified aides and findings of abuse, neglect, or theft. The registry lists people who completed the nurse aide competency program and records findings of resident abuse, neglect, or misappropriation of property.
35. Mr. Obi has diabetes. Before lunch he is shaky, sweaty, and confused. What should you do?
    Answer: Stay with him and call the nurse right away. Shaking, sweating, and confusion can mean low blood sugar, which is an emergency. Stay with him and get the nurse.
36. You are a nurse aide with no medication aide training. A busy nurse asks you to hand Mrs. Okafor her morning pills. What should you do?
    Answer: Tell the nurse this task is outside your role. Giving medication is not part of the nurse aide role. You may refuse a task you are not trained or allowed to do and tell the nurse why.
37. Mrs. Huang suddenly has a drooping face on one side and slurred speech. What should you do?
    Answer: Stay with her, call the nurse now, and note the time. These are warning signs of a stroke. Fast treatment matters, so get the nurse at once and note when the signs began.
38. Mr. Kowalski often tries to climb out of bed at night and has fallen before. Which restraint alternative might his care plan include?
    Answer: A low bed, a floor mat, and frequent checks. Low beds, mats, alarms, and frequent rounding lower fall risk without restricting movement. Tight sheets, full side rails, and ties can all act as restraints.
39. Mr. Silva cannot turn himself in bed. Unless his care plan says otherwise, how often should he be repositioned?
    Answer: At least every 2 hours. Turning at least every 2 hours relieves pressure on bony areas and helps prevent pressure injuries.
40. At lunch, Mrs. Greene grabs her throat. She cannot speak, cough, or breathe. What should you do?
    Answer: Call for help, then give back blows and thrusts. A person who cannot speak, cough, or breathe has a blocked airway. Call for help. Give 5 back blows, then 5 abdominal thrusts, and repeat until it clears. The 2025 AHA steps and the Red Cross both teach this.

• Prometric: Texas Nurse Aide Candidate Information Bulletin
• Prometric: Florida Nurse Aide Candidate Information Bulletin
• Prometric: New York Nurse Aide Bulletin