30 questions weighted like the NNAAP nurse aide written exam, built on the content outline that took effect in 2024. Instant answers, plain explanations, and a score by area at the end.
30
Questions
9
Domains, real weights
100%
Answers sourced
0
Sign-ups
How this test is weighted
Activities of Daily Living
22% of the CNA
6 questions here
Basic Nursing Skills
35% of the CNA
10 questions here
Self-Care and Independence
7% of the CNA
2 questions here
Emotional and Mental Health Needs
8% of the CNA
2 questions here
Spiritual and Cultural Needs
2% of the CNA
2 questions here
Communication
7% of the CNA
2 questions here
Client Rights
8% of the CNA
2 questions here
Legal and Ethical Behavior
5% of the CNA
2 questions here
Member of the Health Care Team
6% of the CNA
2 questions here
Click an answer to check it. Each question shows why the answer is right and the public source it comes from (the NNAAP skills list, federal nursing home rules, CDC infection control).
Q1 · Activities of Daily Living
A nurse aide is giving perineal care to a female resident. How should the aide wash the genital area?
The answer is C. Washing from front to back with a clean part of the cloth for each stroke keeps germs from the rectal area away from the urethra and vagina. The NNAAP perineal care skill requires front-to-back strokes for washing, rinsing and drying.
A nurse aide has put on gloves to clean a resident's denture at the sink. What should the aide do before holding the denture over the sink?
The answer is A. A towel or water in the sink cushions the denture if it slips, so it does not crack or break. The NNAAP denture skill lines or partly fills the sink before the denture is held over it, and uses moderate-temperature water, not hot water.
Mr. Ortiz has weakness in his right arm after a stroke. He has chosen a button-front shirt. How should the nurse aide put the shirt on him?
The answer is B. Dress the weak (affected) side first and undress the strong side first. The weak arm needs the most room to go into the sleeve without being forced. The NNAAP skill puts the right (affected) arm into the sleeve before the left.
Before feeding a resident who cannot feed herself, how should the nurse aide position her?
The answer is D. An upright position (75 to 90 degrees) helps food and fluid go down the right way and lowers the risk of choking. The NNAAP feeding skill requires this position before feeding and after the meal.
A nurse aide pours a resident's urine from a bedpan into a measuring container on a flat surface. At eye level, the urine is between the 325 mL and 350 mL lines. Following the NNAAP skill steps, what amount should the aide record?
The answer is D. The NNAAP urinary output skill says to read the container at eye level on a flat surface and, if the level is between lines, round up to the nearest 25 mL. Between 325 and 350, round up to 350 mL.
A resident tells the nurse aide that she has trouble falling asleep at night. Which evening routine is most likely to help her?
The answer is B. The National Institute on Aging advises older adults to have a relaxing bedtime routine, avoid caffeine (coffee, tea, soda, chocolate) late in the day, and avoid napping in the late afternoon or evening.
During an outbreak of C. difficile on the unit, how should a nurse aide clean his hands after caring for a resident with C. difficile diarrhea?
The answer is A. CDC lists care of patients with suspected or confirmed infection during outbreaks of C. difficile (and norovirus) as a time to use soap and water instead of alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Gloves never replace hand hygiene.
Following the NNAAP skill steps, a nurse aide wearing a gown and gloves has finished caring for a resident on contact precautions. Which item should the aide take off first?
The answer is B. Gloves are the most contaminated item, so they come off first, turned inside out. The aide then unties the gown and removes it by touching only the inside, and washes hands. This is the order in the NNAAP PPE skill.
A resident is placed on airborne precautions for suspected tuberculosis. What must a nurse aide wear to enter the room?
The answer is D. TB spreads through tiny airborne particles. CDC airborne precautions call for a fit-tested NIOSH-approved N95 or higher-level respirator for healthcare personnel, and placement in an airborne infection isolation room. A surgical mask does not protect the wearer the same way.
A nurse aide is helping a resident walk using a transfer (gait) belt. Where should the aide walk?
The answer is C. Walking slightly behind and to one side while holding the belt lets the aide steady the resident and guide a fall safely. This is the position in the NNAAP ambulation skill.
A resident is using oxygen through a nasal cannula. Her family arrives with a birthday cake and wants to light the candles in her room. What should the nurse aide do?
The answer is C. Oxygen makes fire start more easily and burn faster. MedlinePlus says no one should smoke where oxygen is used and to keep oxygen away from open flames such as candles. The aide also must not change the oxygen setting.
At lunch a resident begins coughing hard after a bite of meat. She is red in the face but can still speak and is coughing forcefully. What should the nurse aide do?
The answer is A. A strong cough is the best way to clear the airway. MedlinePlus says not to interfere if the person is coughing forcefully or can speak, but to be ready to act at once if things get worse. Water can make choking worse, and the resident should not be left alone.
A nurse aide is giving catheter care to a resident with an indwelling urinary catheter. How should the aide clean the tubing?
The answer is D. Wiping away from the meatus keeps germs from being pushed into the bladder, and holding the catheter keeps it from being tugged. The NNAAP skill cleans, rinses and dries at least four inches of tubing in one direction, away from the meatus.
How should a resident be positioned while a nurse aide puts on her knee-high elastic stockings?
The answer is A. In the NNAAP skill the client lies supine (on her back in bed) while the stocking is applied, and it must end up smooth, with no twists or wrinkles.
How should a nurse aide count a resident's radial pulse?
The answer is B. The radial pulse is on the thumb side of the inner wrist. Use the fingertips, not the thumb (which has its own pulse). The NNAAP skill counts for one full minute.
At lunch a resident drinks 6 fluid ounces of milk and 4 fluid ounces of water. Using 1 fluid ounce = 30 mL, what fluid intake should the nurse aide record?
The answer is C. 6 + 4 = 10 fluid ounces. 10 x 30 mL = 300 mL.
A resident is confined to bed and cannot turn herself. To help prevent pressure injuries (bedsores), how often should the nurse aide change her position, unless the care plan says otherwise?
The answer is A. MedlinePlus advises changing position every 1 to 2 hours to keep pressure off any one spot. Staying in one position for a whole shift lets pressure injuries form over bony areas.
Mrs. Lee can button her own blouse, but she is slow. The nurse aide is running behind schedule. What should the aide do?
The answer is B. Federal rules require care that helps a resident keep or improve her ability to do daily activities such as dressing. Doing for her what she can do herself leads to loss of that ability. Changing her clothes without asking also ignores her choice.
A resident with Alzheimer's disease keeps saying she must go home to feed her children, who are now grown. What is the best response from the nurse aide?
The answer is D. The National Institute on Aging advises being patient, avoiding arguing, reassuring the person, and redirecting attention to a new object or activity such as music or a walk.
While a nurse aide is making his bed, a resident says quietly, "I'm just a burden to everyone. I don't see the point in living anymore." What should the aide do?
The answer is C. Talking about being a burden or having no reason to live are warning signs of suicide. NIMH says to get help as soon as possible. The aide stays with the resident and reports to the nurse at once; it must not be kept secret or delayed.
A resident who is Muslim tells the nurse aide that her lunch has pork in it, which she does not eat for religious reasons. What should the aide do?
The answer is A. Federal rules require nursing home menus to reflect residents' religious, cultural and ethnic needs, and residents who do not eat the food served must be offered an appealing option of similar nutritional value.
A resident asks the nurse aide to help her get ready for a religious service being held in the facility. The aide does not share the resident's faith. What should the aide do?
The answer is B. Residents have the right to take part in social, religious and community activities. The aide supports the resident's choice whatever the aide's own beliefs.
A resident has aphasia after a stroke and struggles to find words. Which approach will help the nurse aide communicate with him?
The answer is C. The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders advises short, uncomplicated sentences, allowing the person plenty of time to talk, and including the person in conversations.
A nurse aide brings a lunch tray to a resident who is blind. Which approach is best?
The answer is D. People who are blind need to know who has entered the room. Describing a tray by clock positions ("your milk is at one o'clock") lets her find each item herself. Pointing does not help, and blindness is not a reason to speak louder.
A resident refuses his scheduled shower, saying he is too tired. What should the nurse aide do?
The answer is A. Residents have the right to refuse care. The aide must not force or threaten him, but should offer another time and report the refusal so the nurse can follow up.
A package is delivered to the facility for a resident. What should the nurse aide do with it?
The answer is B. Residents have the right to privacy in their mail, including the right to send and promptly receive unopened mail, letters and packages delivered to the facility.
A nurse aide sees a coworker slap a resident. What should the aide do?
The answer is C. Slapping a resident is abuse. Federal rules require suspected abuse to be reported immediately, and no later than 2 hours after the allegation when it involves abuse or serious bodily injury. Waiting or handling it privately is not allowed.
A friend of the nurse aide recognizes a resident at the facility and asks the aide what the resident is being treated for. What should the aide do?
The answer is D. Residents have the right to secure and confidential personal and medical records. The aide must not share a resident's information with people who are not involved in the resident's care.
Under federal nursing home rules, who must be part of the interdisciplinary team that prepares a resident's comprehensive care plan?
The answer is A. The required team includes the attending physician, a registered nurse with responsibility for the resident, a nurse aide with responsibility for the resident, a member of the food and nutrition services staff, and, as far as practicable, the resident and representative.
The nurse asks a nurse aide to do a procedure the aide has never been trained to perform. What should the aide do?
The answer is B. Nursing homes must make sure nurse aides are competent in the skills they use for residents' care. An aide who has not been trained in a task should tell the nurse rather than guess, so the task is reassigned or the aide is trained first.
70 multiple-choice questions, 60 scored and 10 unscored, in 2 hours on the NNAAP written exam. An oral version can be taken instead, and you must also pass a hands-on skills test of 5 randomly chosen skills.
The fee and the testing company depend on your state. Alabama charges $55 for the written exam and $80 for the skills test; Pennsylvania charges $135 for both. Some states use a different company and exam (Florida uses Prometric). Nursing homes that take Medicare or Medicaid must pay testing costs for the aides they employ.
Content outline in effect since 2024, based on NCSBN's 2019–2020 nurse aide job analysis; the NNAAP is now developed and managed by Credentia. Basic nursing skills is the largest area at 35% of the exam.
From Credentia's NNAAP written exam content outline. CertOutlook is not affiliated with Credentia. Practice questions are original and are not taken from the exam.