The CNA Test Requirements

An individual often becomes a certified nursing assistant (CNA) on the road to becoming a registered nurse. CNAs work under the direct supervision of registered nurses and licensed vocational nurses to assist patients in maintaining their daily routines. Duties include bathing, lifting, feeding and grooming. Nursing assistants are required to successfully pass a certification exam before becoming certified; there are also certain physical and educational requirements they must fulfill before being allowed to sit for the exam.

High School Diploma or GED Equivalent

• Certified nursing assistants must have a high school diploma or GED equivalent.

Nursing Program

• An individual who desires to be a CNA must attend a state-approved certified nursing assistant program; these programs are available at community colleges, technical schools, vocational schools and certain nursing homes. Federal law requires programs to be at least 75 hours in length; individual states may require nursing assistants to attend longer programs before granting certification. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, courses typically include nutrition, anatomy, physiology, body mechanics, infection control, communication skills, resident rights and patient personal care skills.

CNA Certification Exam

• In order to be added to a state's nurse aide registry, applicants must pass the CNA certification exam, also known as the National Nurse Aide Assessment Program (NNAAP). In order to take the exam, applicants must first prove they have completed the 75-hour educational requirement. The exam consists of an oral or written component, with an average of 75 multiple choice questions, and a hands-on skills assessment portion. All nursing aides sitting for the examination must be able to accurately record and measure a patient's blood pressure, weight, respiration, radial pulse and urinary output.

  For the skills portion, individuals are required to correctly perform five of the following skills (chosen at random): hand washing, dressing the patient with one knee-high stocking, helping a patient to walk with the use of a transfer belt, helping a patient to use a bedpan, denture cleaning, correctly putting on and taking off a gown and gloves, clothing a patient whose right arm is hurt, feeding a patient, giving a bed bath, performing exercises to enhance range of motion for a patient's knee and ankle, performing exercises to enhance range of motion in a patient's shoulder, positioning a patient on his or her side, inserting a catheter into a female patient, caring for a patient's fingernails, providing food and oral care, providing perineal care for a female patient and transferring a patient from bed to a wheelchair with the use of a transfer belt.