CNA practice test: free questions, and why there is no single national exam

CNA at a glance, with the source for every line

Every row below is quoted from a document published by CMS and carries the date we checked it. Where CMS publishes nothing, the row says so instead of quoting a number from somewhere else.

Minimum training

A state-approved nurse aide training and competency evaluation program must consist of no less than 75 clock hours of training.Source: eCFR, 42 CFR 483.152 (nurse aide training and competency evaluation programs), verified 7 August 2026

Supervised practical training

At least 16 hours of supervised practical training, in which the trainee performs tasks under the direct supervision of a registered nurse or licensed practical nurse.Source: eCFR, 42 CFR 483.152 (nurse aide training and competency evaluation programs), verified 7 August 2026

Before any resident contact

At least 16 hours of training in communication and interpersonal skills, infection control, safety and emergency procedures including the Heimlich maneuver, promoting residents’ independence, and respecting residents’ rights, before any direct contact with a resident.Source: eCFR, 42 CFR 483.152 (nurse aide training and competency evaluation programs), verified 7 August 2026

Format

Two parts: a written or oral examination, which the aide may choose between, and a demonstration of randomly selected skills drawn from a pool of tasks nurse aides generally perform.Source: eCFR, 42 CFR 483.154 (nurse aide competency evaluation), verified 7 August 2026

Passing standard

The state establishes the standard. To complete the competency evaluation successfully an individual must pass both the written or oral examination and the skills demonstration.Source: eCFR, 42 CFR 483.154 (nurse aide competency evaluation), verified 7 August 2026

Number of questions

Not published by CMS. Federal rules set the structure of the competency evaluation but not the number of questions. Your state and its testing vendor decide that, so check your own state nurse aide registry.Checked against: eCFR, 42 CFR 483.154 (nurse aide competency evaluation), verified 7 August 2026

Exam fee

Not published by CMS. Federal rules do not set a fee. Costs are set by the state and its vendor, and 42 CFR 483.152(c) bars charging a nurse aide who is employed by, or has an offer from, a facility on the day training begins.Checked against: eCFR, 42 CFR 483.152 (nurse aide training and competency evaluation programs), verified 7 August 2026

Time limit

Not published by CMS. 42 CFR 483.154 sets what a nurse aide competency evaluation must cover and how it is administered, and does not set a time limit for the written or oral examination. Each state sets its own.Checked against: eCFR, 42 CFR 483.154 (nurse aide competency evaluation), verified 7 August 2026

How long it is valid

Not published by CMS. 42 CFR 483.152 and 483.154 set the federal training and competency-evaluation requirements for nurse aides and do not state how long a certification stays valid or what renewal requires.Checked against: eCFR, 42 CFR 483.152 and 483.154, verified 7 August 2026

Check your jurisdiction: your state nurse aide registry and its testing vendor decide the number of questions, the fee, the skills pool and the passing standard. The federal rules quoted on this page set minimums only, and many states require more than the federal floor, so confirm your own state’s requirements on its registry before you book anything.

What our CNA question bank covers

Scroll the table sideways to see every column.

What actually trips people up

The written test is only half of it

Federal rules require both a written or oral examination and a demonstration of randomly selected skills, and you must pass both. Candidates who drill questions and never rehearse handwashing, perineal care or a transfer out loud, in order, with the steps named, walk into the second half untrained. Practice the skills as a spoken sequence, not just as knowledge.

Sequence questions are graded on the order, not the outcome

Perineal care goes front to back with a clean area of the cloth for each stroke. The perineal area is washed last in a complete bed bath. In both cases the reasoning is the same, cleanest to dirtiest, and the exam and the skills evaluator both care about the order rather than the end state.

Resident rights and reporting are tested as scenarios with a tempting shortcut

A resident slides to the floor with no apparent injury. The correct action is to notify the nurse immediately and complete an incident report, not to help them up quietly and carry on. Rights, dignity and mandatory reporting appear across 65 questions in our bank and the wrong answers are always the convenient ones.

Scope of the aide role decides more questions than clinical knowledge

Members of the health care team is a small category, 65 questions in our bank, but it resolves a lot of items elsewhere: what you report versus what you record, what you may not do without a licensed nurse, and when the answer is to stop and get help rather than to solve it yourself.

The first 16 hours are a content area, not just a schedule

Federal rules require 16 hours of training in communication, infection control, safety and emergency procedures, promoting independence and respecting rights before a trainee touches a resident. Those five topics reappear all over the written test, because they are what the rule treats as the non-negotiable minimum.

A two-week study plan

Two weeks is enough after a state-approved training program. Split your time between the written questions and rehearsing skills out loud, because the evaluation has two halves and only one of them is a quiz.

Week 1: Skills, spoken and performed.

Work through your state’s skills list saying each step aloud, especially handwashing, perineal care, transfers with a gait belt and measuring vital signs. Say the step before you do it.

Week 1, alongside: Daily living and basic nursing.

Topic Drill on activities of daily living and basic nursing skills, which are 252 of our 655 questions. These map directly onto the skills you are rehearsing, so they reinforce each other.

Week 2: Rights, safety and reporting.

Drill resident rights, safety and emergency, infection control and the aide role. These carry the scenarios where the convenient answer is wrong, and they’re the cheapest points to secure.

Final days: Simulate.

Run the fixed-length 70-question timed simulation, review every miss, and rehearse the full skills sequence one more time under someone else’s eyes.

The day before: Nothing new.

Re-read the explanations on anything you got right by luck, then stop. The skills half rewards a rested candidate far more than one extra hour of question drilling.

Is the CNA exam hard?

The written portion is the most approachable exam in our health family: our whole bank is single-answer questions and 355 of the 655 sit at difficulty 1 or 2. What catches people is the skills demonstration, which is scored on a checklist by an evaluator watching you, with the skills drawn at random from a pool.

Because your state sets the standard, there’s no national number to aim at and no national comparison to make. The practical target is simple: be able to state and perform every personal care skill in your state’s pool without prompting, and be consistent on the written questions across all eight of the areas our bank covers.

The other reason people underestimate it is that the job teaches you shortcuts and the evaluation doesn’t accept them. Habits that a busy floor tolerates, like skipping a step of hand hygiene or moving a resident before locking the wheels, are exactly what a checklist is built to catch.

How the CNA differs from the exams beside it

The CNA evaluation is the only assessment in our health family that is not one exam at all. Federal rules set a floor and every state builds its own evaluation on top, with its own vendor, question count and fee, and half the assessment is a hands-on skills demonstration rather than a question paper. That is why this page publishes the federal minimums and points you at your state registry for everything else, instead of quoting one national format that does not exist.

Questions people actually ask about the CNA

How many questions are on the CNA exam?

It depends on your state and its testing vendor. Federal rules set the structure of the competency evaluation, not the item count, so check your own state nurse aide registry for the exact format.

What score do you need to pass the CNA exam?

Your state sets the standard. Federal rules only require that you pass both parts: the written or oral examination and the skills demonstration. One good half doesn’t carry the other.

Is the CNA exam hard?

The written half is the most approachable assessment we cover, and our whole bank is single-answer questions. The skills demonstration is what catches people: an evaluator watches you perform skills drawn at random and marks a checklist, so the order of the steps counts as much as the result.

How long should I study for the CNA exam?

Two weeks of steady work is usually enough once a state-approved course is behind you. Split it in half: drill the written questions to consistency, and rehearse every personal care skill out loud, naming each step before you perform it. The second half is the one candidates skip.

Is there a national CNA exam?

No. Nurse aide competency evaluations are administered by states under federal minimum standards in 42 CFR 483.152 and 483.154. Your state decides the vendor, the question count, the fee and the passing standard.

What is on the CNA skills test?

A demonstration of randomly selected skills drawn from a pool of tasks nurse aides generally perform, which must include all the personal care skills listed in the federal training rules. Your state publishes its own list.

How many hours of training does a CNA need?

Federal rules require a state-approved program of no less than 75 clock hours, including at least 16 hours of supervised practical training. Many states require more, so check your own state’s minimum.

Are these real CNA exam questions?

No. They’re original questions written to the same content areas and difficulty as a state competency evaluation, each with a full explanation of why the right answer is right.