Prometric CNA Sample Test: Free Practice Questions for the 2026 Exam

You want a prometric cna sample test that actually mirrors the real exam, not a recycled study sheet from 2014. The official Prometric Nurse Aide Assessment Program has shifted its question patterns three times since 2022, and what worked for the old NNAAP-branded test no longer reflects what shows up on test day. If you sat for a practice round last year, expect a few surprises this go around.

The sample questions on this page follow the current Prometric blueprint used in roughly 25 states. You will see the same five content domains, the same multiple-choice structure with four answer options, and the same emphasis on observation, infection control, and resident rights that examiners drill home in the live test. Each item below mirrors the difficulty and wording style Prometric uses today.

Most state nurse aide registries contract with Prometric to deliver the written or oral knowledge exam plus the hands-on skills demonstration. Your fee runs $90 to $135 depending on the state, the testing is in-person at a regional testing center, and the certificate is good for two years before renewal kicks in. Knowing the exam mechanics matters as much as knowing the clinical content.

Use the sample below as a pre-test diagnostic. Score yourself honestly, flag the domains where you missed two or more items, and circle back to study materials targeting those gaps. Do not just guess and move on. The candidates who pass first try are the ones who write down why a wrong answer was wrong, not just which one was right.

The written knowledge portion runs 60 to 70 scored questions plus a handful of pretest items that do not count toward your score. You will not know which are which. Pace yourself for about 90 seconds per question and you finish with time to flag and review. Most candidates report finishing in 60 to 75 minutes of the two-hour window.

The skills portion is where most candidates trip up. You draw five skills randomly from a pool of 25, perform each one on a live actor or mannequin, and an examiner scores you against a detailed checklist. Handwashing is mandatory for every candidate, and indirect care points like privacy, communication, and using gloves carry across every station you perform.

State variation matters. Texas, Florida, California, and Oklahoma use the Prometric system but apply slightly different scoring weights to the skills. New York runs a separate Prometric CNA program with its own application portal and a different fee schedule. Check your state nurse aide registry website before you schedule to confirm which version of the test you are sitting for.

Eligibility to even sit for the exam requires you complete a state-approved training program totaling at least 75 hours of instruction. Federal rules set the floor at 75, but plenty of states require 100, 120, or even 150 hours. Massachusetts requires 100. California requires 160. The training certificate from your school is what unlocks the Prometric scheduling system in the first place.

Below is a representative slice of Prometric-style questions covering the major domains. Read each stem carefully, eliminate the obvious wrong answers first, and pick the response that aligns with the official scope of nurse aide practice. Remember, on Prometric items the best answer is usually the one that prioritizes resident safety, dignity, and prompt reporting to the licensed nurse on duty.

If a question asks what the aide should do and one option is to notify the nurse, that is almost always the right answer when the situation involves a change in resident condition, an injury, or anything outside your routine care duties. Aides observe and report. The nurse assesses and intervenes. Keep that distinction front of mind and you will get most of the role-and-scope items correct without even thinking hard about them.

The infection control domain catches a lot of candidates because the answer choices look almost identical. You might see four options that all involve washing hands, gloves, or PPE in different orders. Slow down, read each option fully, and apply the donning and doffing sequences exactly as written in the CDC isolation precautions guidelines. Memorize the order rather than try to reason it out under time pressure.

Time management on test day is half the battle. The written portion gives you two hours for roughly 70 questions, which leaves more than 90 seconds per item. Most candidates finish in 60 to 80 minutes. If you find yourself stuck on a question for more than two minutes, flag it and move on. Come back at the end with fresh eyes and you will often see the trick clearly.

The skills portion runs separately from the written exam in most states. You report to the testing center, the examiner draws five skills from the pool, and you perform them while the examiner scores against a checklist. Indirect care actions like privacy, handwashing, communication, and PPE carry across all five stations. Miss one critical indirect step on any station and you can fail the entire portion even if every direct skill was technically correct.

Bring two forms of identification on test day. One must be a government-issued photo ID. The second can be a credit card, debit card, library card, or student ID with your name. Without two valid IDs Prometric will turn you away at the door and you will forfeit the testing fee. Show up at least 30 minutes early so you have time to check in, store personal items, and use the restroom before testing begins.

If you fail one or both portions of the Prometric CNA exam, you have a chance to retake just the portion you failed. Most states grant up to three attempts within a 24-month window before you must repeat the entire training program. The retake fee covers only the failed portion, so a candidate who passed the skills but failed the written pays only the written fee on the retest, not the full bundle.

Scores arrive by mail in most states within 7 to 10 business days. Florida, Texas, and a few other large states post results to an online portal within 48 hours, which is far faster. Once you pass, your name is added to the state nurse aide registry and you can legally accept work as a CNA. Employers will verify your name on the registry before hiring, so confirm the spelling matches your ID before you leave the testing center.

Renewal kicks in every 24 months. Most states require proof of at least eight hours of paid nurse aide work during the certification period plus, in some states, continuing education credits. Florida requires 24 hours of continuing education every two years on top of work hours. Check your cna license lookup portal to see when your renewal window opens and what documentation you need to submit.

One concept Prometric tests heavily that throws off newer candidates is the difference between objective and subjective data. Objective data is what you measure or observe directly: a pulse of 88, a blood pressure of 142 over 90, a wound that is 2 centimeters wide. Subjective data is what the resident tells you: pain on a scale of 7, feeling dizzy, nauseous after lunch. Aides report both, but on the exam you will see items asking which type of data a given statement represents.

Pay close attention to questions about restraints. Federal regulations under OBRA strictly limit when a restraint can be used, who can order one, and how often the aide must check on a restrained resident. The right answer almost always involves the least restrictive option, a doctor's written order, regular release every two hours, and ongoing assessment by the licensed nurse. Wrong answers will tempt you with restraints that an aide applies without orders, which is never legal.

Body mechanics show up on at least three or four questions on every exam. The principles are simple: bend at the knees, keep your back straight, hold loads close to your body, pivot rather than twist, and use a wide base of support. Memorize these and you can rule out wrong answers on transfer, lifting, and positioning items even without reading them in full detail.

Range of motion exercises are another classic Prometric topic. Active range of motion is when the resident does the movement alone. Passive range of motion is when the aide moves the limb for a resident who cannot do it independently. Active assist falls in the middle, where the resident does part of the work and the aide helps complete the motion. Knowing these three terms cold will get you at least two right answers.

Test-day nutrition matters more than most candidates think. Eat a real breakfast with protein, complex carbs, and water. Avoid heavy caffeine that spikes anxiety and crashes mid-test. Skip the sugary energy drink. A peanut butter sandwich and a banana 90 minutes before your check-in time beats every overpriced study supplement on the market. Hydrate normally, but use the restroom 20 minutes before check-in. Once the exam starts, bathroom breaks are timed and they count against your two-hour window.

Mental rehearsal is a small habit that pays huge dividends. The night before the exam, close your eyes and walk through each of the 25 possible skills mentally. Visualize yourself washing hands, introducing yourself, providing privacy, performing the skill cleanly, and ending with comfort and safety checks. Athletes use this technique because it actually reinforces motor memory. CNA candidates who do this report fewer flubbed sequences on test day, especially under the time pressure of having three minutes per station.

Anxiety management is often the difference between a 78 and a 92 on the written portion. If you feel your pulse racing, set the test aside for ten seconds. Breathe in for four counts, hold for two, exhale for six. Do this three times. The slow exhale activates your parasympathetic nervous system and pulls your heart rate down quickly. You can do this between questions without losing meaningful time, and it works better than any pep talk you give yourself.

One quiet truth about the Prometric exam is that the questions are designed to be answerable. The exam is not trying to fail you. It is trying to verify you can safely perform basic resident care. If you trained at a state-approved program, attended class regularly, and practiced your skills on classmates, you are already 80 percent of the way to passing. The sample questions and study time fill in the last 20 percent that separates a marginal pass from a confident one.

Read each answer option fully before picking. The first plausible answer is often wrong because Prometric writes distractors that sound right at a glance but contain a single flaw. The fourth option may be the actual best answer even when option A looked obvious. Treat every question like a four-option comparison rather than a true-false on the first option that catches your eye. This habit alone can lift your score by five to eight points on most diagnostic tests.

Documentation questions appear on nearly every exam. Aides document what they observed, what they did, and what the resident said or refused, but never their personal opinion. The correct documentation answer almost always uses objective language: resident refused breakfast at 0730 rather than resident was being difficult. Watch for answer choices that include subjective judgments. Those are wrong by definition under Prometric scoring rules.

Range of motion, transfers, vital signs, and feeding skills make up the bulk of the direct-care items on the skills portion. Each has its own checklist with critical and non-critical steps. Critical steps are deal-breakers. Miss one and you fail that station. Non-critical steps reduce your score but do not automatically fail you. Memorize which steps are critical for each skill in your state's candidate handbook. The Florida handbook even bolds them on the printed checklist for clarity.

Communication is graded throughout every skill station. You must knock before entering, introduce yourself by name and role, explain what you will do before doing it, and check in with the resident during the skill. Saying nothing while you work is an automatic deduction even if your technique is perfect. Many candidates lose 5 to 10 points across the skills portion solely on indirect care points like this one. Practice talking through your skills until the running narration feels natural.

Prometric registration runs entirely online. Create an account at prometric.com, locate your state CNA program in the dropdown, and search for available testing dates within driving range. Slots fill up two to four weeks out in metro areas like Atlanta, Houston, Tampa, Phoenix, and Dallas, so book early. Smaller rural testing sites may have only one or two test dates per month, which can stretch your wait into eight weeks or longer if you procrastinate after finishing your training program.

Cancellation and reschedule rules vary by state. Most states give you a free reschedule if you make the change at least 24 hours before your appointment. Within 24 hours, you forfeit the fee and must rebook from scratch. Emergencies with documentation, like a hospital admission or a court order, can sometimes be appealed for a fee waiver, but the process requires written proof and weeks of follow-up with the state nurse aide registry coordinator handling appeals.

One detail many candidates miss is the language accommodation option. If English is not your first language, you can request the oral version of the written exam in most states. The oral exam is read aloud by an examiner with audio playback, which helps candidates who read English slower than they speak it. Spanish-language testing is available in Florida, Texas, California, New Mexico, Arizona, and a handful of other states. Request this accommodation when you schedule, not on test day.