The hands-on half of the CNA exam
Know every skill, every critical step, before the evaluator does.
Your state's official skills list, how your testing vendor scores it, the measurement tolerances, the time limit and the steps that fail people — taken from current handbooks and linked to them.
33 guides · 10 states · Credentia, Prometric and D&S Headmaster rules · Checked 2026-11-12
Your state's skills test
Browse by topic
- Skills lists by stateEvery state's skills exam draws from its own published list. Pick your state for the exact skills, how many you'll perform, the time limit and the rules, taken from the current handbook.
- By testing vendorYour testing vendor decides how the skills test is scored. Credentia, Prometric and D&S Headmaster each have different lists, time limits and correction rules.
- Scoring & timingThe rules evaluators score you by: what makes a step critical, when you can correct, how much time you have and how close your measurements must be.
- Common failsMost skills-test failures are one missed safety, infection-control or measurement step. Here's where candidates slip in each skill family and how to lock it in.
Start here
- Credentia vs Prometric vs Headmaster: how the CNA skills test differs
- What is a critical element step on the CNA skills test?
- How close do your measurements have to be on the CNA skills test?
- Can you correct a mistake during the CNA skills test?
- How long is the CNA skills test?
- Why do people fail the CNA measurement skills?
Pass both halves: skills and written
The guides are free. Full access is a one-time $29: timed written-exam simulator, full question bank and step-by-step skill checklists.
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- Topic drills (10 questions each)
- Score by topic + missed-question review
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- ✓ Full 200-question bank across 10 topics
- ✓ Weak-topic drills built from your results
- ✓ Explanations for every answer
- ✓ Every clinical skill checklist
- ✓ No subscription — pay once
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Quick answers
- How many skills do you get on the CNA skills test?
- Five with Credentia (NC, VA, GA, PA, California region), five scored with Prometric (3 assigned + Handwashing + Indirect Care in TX and FL), and three or four tasks in Ohio. See vendors compared.
- Is hand washing always on the CNA skills test?
- In most states, yes. See handwashing by state.
- What do most people fail on the skills test?
- A missed critical step or a measurement outside the tolerance. See common fails.
- Is this the official skills checklist?
- No. We summarize the official handbooks and link them; your state's current handbook is the authority.
Not affiliated with any state agency or testing vendor. Read our editorial policy.