CNA exam topics

The largest area on the written exam at 21 of the 60 scored items, more than a third on its own. It covers infection control, safety and emergency procedures, therapeutic and technical procedures, and data collection and reporting — which in federal terms means vital signs, height and weight, the resident's environment, recognising abnormal changes and reporting them, and care when death is imminent.

Thirteen of the 60 scored items, and the second largest area. It covers hygiene, dressing and grooming, nutrition and hydration, elimination, and rest, sleep and comfort. These are also the personal care skills that federal rule requires the skills-evaluation pool to include, so this area is tested twice — once on paper and once in front of an evaluator.

Five of the 60 scored items. Federal rule names the content: providing privacy and maintaining confidentiality, promoting the right to make personal choices, assisting in resolving grievances, helping residents take part in resident and family groups, keeping personal possessions secure, freedom from abuse, mistreatment and neglect with a duty to report, and avoiding restraints.

Five of the 60 scored items. Federal curriculum covers modifying the aide's own behaviour in response to resident behaviour, awareness of the developmental tasks of ageing, how to respond to resident behaviour, allowing personal choices consistent with dignity, and using the resident's family as a source of emotional support — plus the separate curriculum area on cognitively impaired residents.

Four of the 60 scored items. This is the restorative side of the role: training the resident in self-care within their abilities, assistive devices for transferring, ambulation, eating and dressing, maintenance of range of motion, proper turning and positioning, bowel and bladder training, and the care and use of prosthetic and orthotic devices.

Four of the 60 scored items. Communication and interpersonal skills is one of the five areas federal rule requires to be taught before any direct resident contact. It covers communicating with residents, families and the care team, adapting to sensory and cognitive impairment, and the reporting that connects the aide to the licensed nurse.

Four of the 60 scored items. This area is about the boundaries of the nurse aide role: working under the supervision of a licensed nurse, what may and may not be delegated, the reporting relationships that make delegation safe, and the rule that a trainee performs no service they have not been trained in and found proficient at.

Three of the 60 scored items. It covers legal and ethical conduct, confidentiality, the state nurse aide registry and what is recorded on it, and the consequences of findings of abuse, neglect or misappropriation of resident property. The registry entry itself is a federal requirement and candidates must be told about it in advance.

One of the 60 scored items and the smallest area on the exam. It covers respecting a resident's spiritual practices and cultural background and supporting them in care — dietary observances, religious articles and practices, the resident's preferred language and customs, and family involvement, without the aide substituting their own beliefs.