Prep sized to the breaks between shifts
Free CNA test prep for the written exam and skills test
CNA test prep here covers both halves of the nurse aide exam: 60 free practice cards and a timed mock for the written test, plus a step-by-step guide to the hands-on skills test. Pick the piece that fits the time you have before your next shift.
Where the NNAAP written test spends its 60 scored items (2024 outline)
- Physical Care Skills 64%
- Psychosocial Care Skills 10%
- Role of the Nurse Aide 26%
Pick a starting point by the time you have
Free prep on this site comes in three sizes: a short run of the deck for a 20-minute break, the timed mock for an hour at a quiet table, the study guide for a night off.
- 20-minute breakPractice deck60 cards across all nine content areas, with the rationale right after you answer. Filter to one area when the break is short.
- One quiet hourTimed mock60 cards in the proportions of the 2024 NNAAP outline, a 60-minute clock and a score for each area.
- A night offStudy guideThe nine content areas and their weights, how the best answer gets picked, and a four-week plan.
Studying on a break? The app keeps the whole deck in your pocket, with progress saved between shifts.
Get the appTry five practice cards right here
These five cards come from the same bank as the full deck. Each is an original practice question written in the style of the NNAAP and Prometric written tests: a short long-term-care scene, four options, one best answer.
Card 1 of 5
Basic Nursing Skills
60:00
A resident's tube-feeding pump is beeping. The nurse aide SHOULD:
Pick an answer. The rationale flips up right here, on the back of the card.
0 right · 0 missed · 5 to go
Common trap
Missed one? Check whether you picked tell the nurse out of habit. It is the key when something is beyond your scope, such as red streaks in a resident's stool, and the wrong pick more often than you'd think. The study guide lists the cases where it fails.
The two parts of the CNA exam
Every state's nurse aide exam has two parts: a written test, with an oral version in most states, and a hands-on skills test where you perform a few randomly drawn skills while an evaluator watches. You need to pass both.
| Written (or oral) test | Skills test | |
|---|---|---|
| What you do | Answer multiple-choice questions set in long-term care: four options, one best answer, never "all of the above". | Perform a few skills drawn at random, in person, while an evaluator checks each step. |
| Length by vendor | NNAAP: 70 items (60 scored + 10 unscored pretest), 2 hours. Prometric: about 60 items, 90 minutes. Headmaster/D&S: set by state. | Which skills can be drawn, and how a missed step is scored, differ by vendor and state. |
| Full guide | The CNA test: format, vendors, scheduling | The CNA skills test: how it runs, common fails |
Vendor formats as of Oct 2026. Each state sets its own cut score and results are pass/fail; check your vendor's current candidate handbook.
If both parts fall on one day
Dress for the skills test from the start: the clothing your handbook asks for and closed-toe shoes you can stand in for an hour. Eat something quiet between parts, and go easy on the water before you are mid-skill.
Which written test your state gives you
Your state picks the test vendor, so the format you sit depends on where you certify. As of Oct 2026, about 25 states use the NNAAP exam, delivered by Credentia; others use Prometric, Headmaster/D&S or a program of their own.
- About 25 statesNNAAP examThe written and oral versions, the 2024 outline, and ten practice cards in the NNAAP style.
- Prometric statesPrometric practice testAbout 60 questions in 90 minutes, a longer practice set, and a section for Florida.
- OhioSTNA testOhio's name for the credential, how its test compares, and where the registry fits in.
Contracts change
California moved to Headmaster/D&S in 2025, and NNAAP moved from Pearson VUE to Credentia. Confirm your state's vendor before you register; the dated vendor-by-state table is on the CNA test page.
How to prep in 20-minute breaks
Short breaks work if each one has a single job. Many people studying for this exam already work shifts and study tired, so plan around the breaks you actually get.
One content area per break
Start with Basic Nursing Skills (35% of the 2024 NNAAP outline) and Activities of Daily Living (22%). Together they are more than half the scored items.
Read the rationale on right answers too
A lucky guess teaches nothing. The rationale names the rule that made the key win: safety first, then the resident's rights, then staying in your scope.
Say the skills out loud
Talk through each skill in order, including the steps nerves erase: knock, give privacy, hand hygiene, call light within reach before you step away. A kitchen chair makes a patient stand-in for a wheelchair.
One timed mock in the last week
Sit the 60-card mock at a quiet table, phone in another room. Your per-area score shows which small area is quietly costing you.
The night before
- ID with the name matching your registration letter for letter
- Your confirmation letter on paper, since phones often go in a locker
- Closed-toe shoes and the clothing your candidate handbook asks for
- A quiet snack and a small bottle of water for the car
What passing gets you: a place on the state registry
Passing both parts puts your name on your state's nurse aide registry, and that listing is what being certified means. A finding of abuse, neglect or misappropriation on it bars nursing-home work. Some states use another name for the credential: STNA in Ohio, LNA in New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine, NAC in Washington, Nurse Aide I in North Carolina.
Note
There is no national CNA license; if you move, the new state decides how to accept your listing. Training rules differ too: the federal minimum is 75 hours, and many states require more. The full path is on CNA certification.
Questions people ask
Do I need an account to practise here?
No. The practice deck and the timed mock run in your browser with no sign-up and no email, so you can open them on a break and start dealing. Nothing is saved between visits, though; if you want your progress kept from one shift to the next, that is what the app is for.
How do I prepare for the CNA exam?
Run the practice deck one content area at a time, starting with Basic Nursing Skills. Read every rationale. Sit the timed mock in the last week, and practice each skill out loud with the steps in order.
Do I need to practise the skills test separately?
Yes. The skills test is hands-on, in front of an evaluator, and points go on missed steps rather than wrong facts. Say each skill's steps out loud at home, in order; the skills test page lists the steps graders check in every skill.
Are these real exam questions?
No. Every card is an original practice question written in the style of the NNAAP and Prometric written tests. They are not vendor items, and no test vendor endorses this site.