“Top 10 CNA Practice Test And Study Guide Tactics to Pass Faster”
With some CNA practice and study, you can become certified nursing assistant.The intent of CNA certification is to verify you are minimally competent to be certified as a nurse aide. Some anxiety is normal before any test and this NCSBN exam one is no different. Use this handy CNA practice test and study guide to learn how to prepare and pass the CNA exam.
CNA Practice Advice To Achieve A Passing Score
The CNA test is different from other nursing exams because it consists of both a written (or oral) exam and a skills test. Therefore, you need to be ready with the knowledge you have gained AND with the skills that you actually perform while doing your job. This 10-step preparation process will help you review for the written exam AND the skills assessment in order to breeze through the nurse aide certification process.10 Step CNA Exam Practice Process For A Passing Score
Use this simple 10-step process to pass the CNA exam the first time:- Know if you are eligible to take this nursing assistant assessment by the NCSBN
Each state has its own requirements for who is eligible to take the CNA test. All the CNA study in the world will not do you a bit of good if you find out you cannot take the test. Go to the NCSBN site for Nurse Aide Registries and click on your state to determine the exact steps you must follow to take the CNA exam.
In many states, you can become eligible to take the test through many routes:- Passing a nurse aide training program through the state or your place of work,
- Being a nursing student or having a lapsed nurse aide certification.
In addition, all individuals wanting to take the CNA exam will have to prove they have a minimum number of hands-on clinical hours. - Know if your state has a testing site.
The CNA test is administered at multiple regional sites in 25 different states and territories. Know where your closest testing site is so you can be prepared to travel to get to the nearest site. Plan on getting to the testing site early – if that means you need to arrive the night before, do that. You must be well-rested before starting the CNA exam. - Determine if you should take the oral or written test.
If English is not your first language and/or you cannot read it very well, you can request a test in Spanish or you can request that your exam be given as an oral instead of written exam. The NCSBN provides simple vocabulary tests that can help you determine whether your command of written English is good enough to take the written exam. If you decide to take the exam as an oral exam, you must make that request at the time you turn in your application.
If you decide to take the oral test, it is important that you practice listening to test questions as they are read to you. Have a family member or friend sit with you and read through CNA practice questions. The person reading the questions should read the question and four responses twice. Listen carefully to the question both times before deciding on the answer. Since these oral exams are taped, there is not an opportunity to ask the reader to slow down, so practice is critical if you decide to take the oral exam. - Know the areas of content for the exam.
The CNA exam will have 70 questions on it; 60 of these will determine your grade and the other 10 are items that are being tested for possible use on future exams. If you are comfortable with the information in each of these areas, you will be well-prepared to take the written part of the test.
The major areas of CNA testing include:- Physical care
- Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) – Hygiene, dressing, grooming, nutrition, elimination, sleep and comfort are the likely areas for the 8 questions in this section.
- Basic Nursing Skills – This is the part of the CNA test with the largest number of questions (24). You are likely to see questions about safety, infection control, technical procedures and documentation and reporting.
- Restorative Skills – The 4 questions on this part of the exam will test your knowledge of prevention of further disability and how you can help your clients become more independent in their own care.
- Psychosocial Care
- Emotional and Mental Health – The 6 questions in this area will test your understanding of the emotional needs of your patients.
- Spiritual and Cultural – These 2 questions will test your ability to understand the different needs of patients based on their religion or culture.
- Role of the Nurse Aide on the Team
- Communication – This is the part of the test that will test your ability to effectively communicate with your patients and with the others on the team. Among the 5 questions, there are likely to be one or more questions about documentation.
- Client Rights – These 4 questions will determine your understanding of what your patients can expect from you and your place of employment.
- Legal and Ethical Behavior – The 2 questions will test your ability to distinguish whether certain behaviors are legal or ethical. Be sure you understand your responsibility for protecting the health information for your patients under the HIPAA rule.
- Member of the Health Care Team – These 5 questions will focus on how you interact with others on the team. Specifically, you will no doubt see questions about what you can and cannot do as a CNA.
- Physical care
- Know the Knowledge Statements that represent the knowledge that is most important for a beginning Certified Nurse Aide.
The NCSBN has done extensive research into those aspects of care that are considered to be the most critical for a beginning CNA. The NCSBN also sponsors the CNA exam so these things are very likely to be covered on the test. There are 228 different pieces of knowledge identified by the NCSBN, but there are some specific areas that research has found to be most important.
As you prepare for the exam, be sure to look very closely at these specific areas:- Signs of abuse and neglect
- Hand Hygiene
- Spread of infection
- CPR and how to identify and relieve choking
- Standard, airborne, and contact precautions
- Safe transfer techniques
- Recognizing and reporting changes in a patient’s condition
- Client rights including privacy and confidentiality
- Recognizing dehydration and poor nutrition
- Reporting symptoms of pain
- Patient feeding techniques and dietary restrictions
- Catheter and perineal care including incontinence care
- Recognizing and preventing skin breakdown
- Care during the dying process
- Taking, recording and reporting vital signs
- Be careful when you select a CNA study guide, practice tests or other preparation material.
As you prepare for the written part of the CNA exam, you may decide to look for a review manual with CNA practice questions. Now that you know the broad content areas and specific knowledge areas that are likely to be on the certified nursing assessment, be sure to look for a practice question that are organized like the test. They must have a broad range of CNA exam prep questions.
All of the CNA questions on the will be multiple choice. That is a question followed by four possible answers. Your CNA study materials should include those same types of questions. Be sure to time yourself as you go through your practice questions. Keep in mind you have two hours to complete the 70 questions. - CNA Practice To Boost Your Skills – Don’t forget that the CNA is a two-part test and you must pass both parts to become certified! The 70-question written or oral test will be followed by a test of your hands-on skills. During the test of your skills, you will be given up to five different skills to complete in a 25 to 30 minute period.
The most common skills tested include:- Putting a bed-ridden patient on a bedpan;
- Taking and recording patient vital signs including pulse, respirations, blood pressure, urine output, height and weight; (NOTE: You will be required to do at least one of these measurements during the skills test.)
- Transferring a patient from bed to a wheelchair;
- Changing an occupied bed;
- Properly disposing of soiled linen;
- Providing basic grooming.
- Test Prep tips or your skills check off.
During the skills test, the evaluator will be trying to determine if you can deliver safe care. At the same time, don’t forget that they will also be watching a few other things:- Knock before entering a closed room;
- Introduce yourself and explain what you are going to do;
- Wash your hands before and after touching the patient and any equipment;
- Use gloves when you need to;
- Make sure you identify the patient by looking at his or her armband and asking name and date of birth;
- Provide privacy by closing doors or curtains during your skills test;
- If you have any questions about operating any of the equipment to be used in the skills test, the evaluator will help to answer those questions for you;
- Always provide for the safety of the patient!
- Know the scope of practice for the CNA exam.
As important as it is for you to know how to do the tasks associated with being a certified aide, it is just as important to know those tasks that cannot be delegated to you. As you review for the CNA exam, look for those questions that seem to be testing your knowledge of what you cannot do.
Any task involving giving medications, performing unassisted procedures, or changing a patient’s plan of care should make you stop and really read that question. The appropriate answer is probably one that would indicate that this is a task that should not be delegated to a certified aide. - Take a deep breath and relax.
Get plenty of sleep the night before the test. You are now know the steps you need to take to pass your exam.
Take the First Three CNA Practice Steps Now
The first three steps are quick and will help give you some confidence early in your preparation process. Visit the NCSBN site for Nurse Aide Registries and call or email the contact in your state to determine if you are eligible for the test. Ask that same contact person about testing sites close to your home.Take a vocabulary CNA practice test to determine if you will need to take the oral or written exam. All three of these steps are critical when preparing for the National Nurse Aide Assessment Program exam. When you are finished with these three steps, you will be almost one-third of the way through the 10 steps to become a certified Nurse Aide.
To pass your CNA exam quicker and easier, click here right now.
Resources
National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) website, including:https://www.ncsbn.org/1721.htm NCSBN site Nurse Aide Registries map
CNA Practice Test And A Higher Score: The Shocking Connection
When it comes to CNA practice, you commonly associate this experience with intense frustration and anxiety. Your test prep goes a little something like this: you spend most of your time preparing and studying. You take a CNA practice test in your CNA study guide. You note your low score, so you repeat the cycle. Yet with every nurse aide practice exam you take, your score refuses to budge.If this never-ending cycle of frustration and disbelief continues to torment you, then listen up. You can save time and stress by discovering the shocking connection between CNA practice exams and a higher score.
Why A CNA Practice Test Is Better Than Any Study Tool
A recent study discovered that the best way to pass on the first try is to use CNA practice questions instead of traditional study sets and learning tools. Two groups of students were required to take practice tests for the CNA examination, while two other groups just studied. Here are the results regarding the amount of material they could recall:The researchers reported that the results of the study clearly show that the key aspect in high performance is repeated testing of the material, not repeated CNA study material.” Graph on left courtesy of Science Blogs.
How To Maximize Your CNA Practice Exam Questions
Now that you know that CNA practice questions are better than any other study method, it’s time to retrain your brain so you can take advantage of this shocking connection. By focusing exclusively on full CNA practice tests and explanations, you may discover that it’s much easier than you thought to pass on the first try. In order to retrain your brain to make the most of your practice exams, plan your test-taking schedule according to our “100% Pass Guarantee” study formula. It’s important to gather an extensive collection of practice tests before you use this formula.
1.) Take your first CNA practice test. Mark your correct answers and write down your score in a notebook. Keep this by your side, as you’ll be recording more information here.
2.) Return to those incorrect answers. Flip to the full explanations and carefully read the logic behind the answers you got wrong. Devote one or two hours to this venture. Be sure to mark down which questions you got wrong in a numerical format, as you’ll be returning to these questions in just a few hours.
3.) Give your mind an hour or two of relaxation. Then take the practice test again, but only focus on the questions you got wrong. Mark down your answers and look to see what you got right. While you may have improved your score, the point here is to help solidify concepts that you had trouble with on the first practice test.
4.) Resist the temptation to study your notes and other learning tools. Instead, take another CNA practice exam just two days later. The day between the tests gives your mind time to absorb knowledge from your testing experience.
5.) Mark your practice test and write down your score in the notebook. Review the full explanations of both the right and wrong answers.
6.) Repeat Step 3.
7.) After marking this practice exam, only read the explanations for the answers you got wrong.
8.) Repeat Step 3.
9.) Take another nurse aid practice exam and record your score. If you see your score increase, only study the explanations behind the answers you got wrong. If your score didn’t change or decreased, study the explanations behind all answers.
10.) Repeat this schedule until two days before your certified nurse aide test. Remember to adjust your review tactics according to your practice exam score.
What If You Use This CNA Practice Test Technique?
If you use the “100% Pass Guarantee” study formula, you will discover that your test scores start to rise with every practice exam you take. Whether you’re a few weeks or a few months away from your CNA test, this technique will give you the confidence and real-time results that demonstrate you WILL become a certified nurse aide. Visit: Complete CNA Test Prep, Study Tips For The Skills Test right now.
Author: Mark Dahlson