CNA General Practice Test 2026 — Free Mixed Topic Questions

Why General CNA Practice Is the Most Effective Way to Study

Passing the CNA exam requires more than memorizing isolated facts — it demands the ability to switch between topics quickly and apply knowledge under time pressure. The written portion of the NNAAP (National Nurse Aide Assessment Program) exam does not organize questions by subject. Instead, it pulls from every domain at once, presenting 70 multiple-choice questions in 90 minutes that span basic nursing skills, infection control, patient rights, safety, communication, restorative care, and mental health.

This is exactly why general CNA practice tests — mixed-topic quizzes that mirror the real exam format — are the most powerful study tool available. When you practice each topic in isolation, you build knowledge silos. When you drill mixed questions, you train your brain to recognize context, apply the right principle quickly, and move on. The 19 practice quizzes on this page cover every domain tested on the 2026 CNA written exam and are designed to simulate the cognitive load of exam day.

Studies in test preparation consistently show that retrieval practice (answering questions rather than re-reading notes) improves long-term retention by 40–60%. General practice tests force retrieval across all topics simultaneously — the exact skill the real exam measures.

CNA Exam Format: What to Expect in 2026

The CNA certification exam is administered by state-contracted testing providers, most commonly Prometric and Pearson VUE, and follows the NNAAP framework developed by Pearson. The exam has two components:

1. Written (or Oral) Knowledge Test

70 questions (60 scored + 10 unscored pilot questions)
90 minutes total time allowed
Multiple-choice format, 4 answer options each
Passing score: typically 70% (42 out of 60 scored questions), though this varies slightly by state
An oral version is available for candidates with reading difficulties

2. Clinical Skills Test

Candidates must demonstrate 5 randomly selected skills from a list of approximately 22
Hand washing is always included as one of the 5 skills
Each skill is evaluated on a checklist — you must complete every required step to pass
Failing any single skill fails the entire clinical section

Both sections must be passed. You have up to 3 attempts per section, and most states require you to retake only the failed section. The written exam costs approximately $100–$150 depending on the state and testing provider.

Core Topics Tested on the CNA Written Exam

The NNAAP content outline divides the written exam into specific domains with assigned percentages. Understanding this breakdown helps you prioritize your study time and ensures your general practice sessions cover every area proportionally.

Physical Care Skills (approximately 70% of questions)

Basic Nursing Skills — This is the largest domain, covering approximately 38% of the exam. Questions cover positioning and transfers, ambulation assistance, bed making, catheter care, ostomy care, enemas, specimen collection, vital signs measurement (temperature, pulse, respirations, blood pressure), oxygen therapy, feeding assistance, and post-mortem care. Expect at least 22–27 questions from this domain on exam day.

Personal Care Skills — Covering approximately 16% of questions, this domain tests bathing (bed bath, shower, tub), oral hygiene (including denture care), hair care, nail care, dressing and undressing, toileting, perineal care, and shaving. Questions frequently present scenarios where dignity and privacy must be maintained.

Restorative Skills — About 8% of the exam. Topics include assisting with range-of-motion (ROM) exercises, use of assistive devices (canes, walkers, wheelchairs), preventing contractures and pressure injuries, bowel and bladder training, and supporting independence in ADLs. The guiding principle here is "promote, not perform."

Psychosocial Care Skills (approximately 15% of questions)

Emotional and Mental Health Needs — Questions cover supporting residents with dementia, depression, anxiety, and developmental disabilities. Expect scenarios involving behavioral changes, confusion, sundowning, and therapeutic communication techniques. About 8% of the exam.

Spiritual and Cultural Needs — A smaller but present component (~7%) that tests understanding of respecting religious and cultural practices, accommodating dietary restrictions based on beliefs, and non-judgmental care delivery.

Role of the Nurse Aide (approximately 15% of questions)

Communication — This domain (approximately 8%) covers verbal and non-verbal communication, reporting observations to the nurse, documenting care, understanding medical abbreviations, and communicating with residents who have hearing or vision impairments.

Client Rights — About 7% of questions. The Resident Rights framework (from OBRA 1987) is heavily tested. Know the right to privacy, dignity, informed consent, refusal of treatment, grievance procedures, freedom from abuse and restraints, and the right to personal property.

Legal and Ethical Behavior — Includes mandatory reporting of abuse and neglect, scope of practice (what CNAs can and cannot do), confidentiality (HIPAA basics), and professional boundaries. Overlap with the client rights domain is common.

Member of the Healthcare Team — Covering the chain of command, proper reporting procedures, the nursing process as it applies to the CNA role, and interdisciplinary care team dynamics.

Safety and Emergency (approximately 8% of questions)

This domain covers fall prevention, fire safety (RACE and PASS protocols), disaster preparedness, proper use of restraints, oxygen safety, elopement prevention, choking response (Heimlich maneuver), CPR awareness, and standard precautions including PPE use and hand hygiene.

Infection Control (approximately 7% of questions)

Questions test knowledge of the chain of infection, standard precautions, transmission-based precautions (contact, droplet, airborne), hand-washing technique (often tested as a clinical skill too), isolation procedures, sterile technique, and proper disposal of contaminated materials.

The 19 General CNA Practice Quizzes

The quizzes below cover all domains of the CNA written exam. Each quiz contains 6 questions with immediate answer feedback and explanations. Work through all 19 for a full 114-question mixed practice session.

How to Use Mixed Practice Tests Effectively

Simply clicking through quizzes is not a study strategy — it is a comfort trap. Here is how to extract maximum value from general CNA practice sessions:

Active Review After Every Quiz

When you miss a question, do not just read the correct answer and move on. Ask yourself: (1) What did I think the answer was, and why? (2) What concept does the correct answer test? (3) Which other questions might test the same concept differently? Write down the core principle in a notebook. This converts a missed question into a permanent knowledge anchor.

Track Your Weak Domains

After completing all 19 quizzes, categorize your wrong answers by domain. Most CNA candidates underperform in restorative care and the legal/ethical domain because these are less intuitive than clinical procedures. If you miss more than 2 out of 6 in any quiz topic, that domain deserves dedicated review before your next mixed practice session.

Use Forced Spaced Repetition

Space your practice sessions over at least 7–10 days before your exam date. Day 1: complete all 19 quizzes. Day 3: retake only the quizzes where you scored below 80%. Day 6: complete a fresh full mixed session. Day 8 (1 day before exam): review your weak-domain notes only — do not attempt new questions the night before.

Simulate Real Test Conditions

The CNA exam is 90 minutes for 70 questions. Practice under the same constraint. Set a timer for 7.7 minutes per 6-question quiz (proportional to real exam pace). If you finish early, review flagged questions rather than submitting immediately.

Timed Practice Strategy: 90 Minutes for 70 Questions

At 90 minutes for 70 questions, you have exactly 77 seconds per question. This is generous for most questions but creates pressure on scenario-based items that require reading a paragraph of context before answering.

The 3-Pass Method

First pass (45 minutes): Work through all 70 questions at a steady pace. Answer what you know immediately. Flag anything that requires more than 20 seconds of deliberation and move on. Goal: complete all 70 questions with 45 minutes remaining.

Second pass (30 minutes): Return to all flagged questions. With the pressure of unknown questions removed, your working memory is now free to reason more carefully. Eliminate obviously wrong answers first, then choose between the remaining options based on the guiding principle of the domain.

Third pass (15 minutes): Review only questions where you changed an answer during the second pass. Research consistently shows that first instincts are correct more often than second-guessing. Only change an answer if you can articulate a specific reason why the new answer is correct — not just a vague feeling.

Key Time Traps to Avoid

Scenario questions about patient rights and ethical dilemmas are the biggest time sinks. The correct answer almost always involves reporting to the nurse, maintaining dignity, or following facility policy — never taking independent action outside your scope. Recognizing this pattern early can save you 5–8 minutes over the course of the exam.

Vital Signs Normal Ranges to Memorize

Several questions will ask you to identify abnormal vital signs. Memorize these adult normal ranges: temperature 97.8–99.1°F oral; pulse 60–100 bpm; respirations 12–20 per minute; blood pressure 90–120/60–80 mmHg; oxygen saturation 95–100% on room air. Any value outside these ranges should be reported to the nurse immediately — this is the correct answer in nearly every scenario question about vital signs.

Common Mistakes CNA Candidates Make

Understanding where candidates typically fail is as valuable as knowing the content. These are the most common errors seen on CNA written exams:

1. Confusing the CNA Scope of Practice

The most frequently missed question type involves a CNA being asked to perform something outside their scope — administering medications, interpreting lab results, changing sterile wound dressings, or inserting urinary catheters. The answer is always to politely decline and notify the nurse. CNAs do not independently decide care — they assist and report.

2. Choosing Efficiency Over Dignity

When a question presents a choice between saving time and respecting a resident's dignity, privacy, or choice — always choose dignity. The exam is testing whether you understand person-centered care. Speed is never the right answer when it compromises a resident's rights or comfort.

3. Skipping Infection Control Steps

Many candidates know infection control procedures theoretically but miss questions because they forget the sequence. Hand hygiene comes before AND after every patient contact, before and after glove use, and after handling any contaminated material. When in doubt, wash hands — it is almost always part of the correct answer sequence.

4. Misidentifying Normal vs. Reportable Findings

CNA candidates often second-guess themselves on what requires immediate reporting. The guiding rule: any change from baseline, any vital sign outside normal range, any patient complaint of pain or discomfort, and any sign of skin breakdown must be reported to the nurse. When the exam asks "what should the CNA do next," the answer is almost always "report to the nurse" if there is an abnormal finding in the scenario.

5. Underestimating the Skills Test

More candidates fail the clinical skills test than the written test. The most common reason is incomplete hand hygiene at the start or end of a skill — the evaluator will mark the entire skill as failed if hand washing steps are missed. Practice each skill with a checklist, not from memory alone.

6. Not Reading Scenario Questions Carefully

The written exam includes many scenario questions: "A resident refuses to take a bath. What should the CNA do?" Candidates in a hurry often miss key context that changes the correct answer. Slow down on scenario questions. Read the full stem before looking at the options.

Frequently Asked Questions About General CNA Practice Tests

How many questions are on the CNA written exam?

The CNA written exam contains 70 multiple-choice questions. Of these, 60 are scored and 10 are unscored pilot questions used for future exam development. You will not be told which questions are pilot questions, so treat all 70 with equal seriousness.

What is a passing score on the CNA written exam?

Most states require a minimum score of 70% on the written exam, which equals 42 correct answers out of 60 scored questions. Some states set the bar slightly higher or use scaled scoring. Check your state's specific requirements with the testing provider (Prometric or Pearson VUE) before your exam date.

How long should I study for the CNA exam?

Most CNA training programs include 75–175 hours of instruction, after which candidates are eligible to take the exam. For self-directed preparation after completing a training program, 2–4 weeks of dedicated practice testing (1–2 hours per day) is typically sufficient. Candidates who failed a previous attempt should plan for 4–6 weeks of focused review on their weak domains.

What topics are on the general CNA written exam?

The CNA written exam covers: basic nursing skills (38%), personal care skills (16%), restorative skills (8%), emotional and mental health needs (8%), spiritual and cultural needs (7%), communication (8%), client rights (7%), member of the healthcare team (part of the 15% role domain), safety and emergency procedures (8%), and infection control (7%). Percentages are approximate and follow the NNAAP content outline.

Can I use a calculator on the CNA exam?

No calculators are allowed on the CNA written exam. Basic arithmetic may be required for questions involving vital signs or simple measurements, but all calculations are designed to be done mentally. If you are taking the oral version of the exam, the proctor will read questions aloud but cannot assist with calculations.

How many times can I take the CNA exam if I fail?

Most states allow up to 3 attempts per section (written or clinical skills). If you fail a section 3 times, you are typically required to complete a new state-approved CNA training program before attempting again. Some states have additional restrictions — always verify with your state's nurse aide registry.

Do general practice tests really help with the CNA exam?

Yes — mixed-topic practice tests are among the most effective preparation methods because they mirror the actual exam format. The real CNA written exam does not group questions by topic. Training with general practice tests builds the cognitive flexibility to shift between domains quickly, which is the exact skill being measured. Candidates who complete 150+ practice questions across all domains consistently outperform those who study notes alone.

What is the difference between a CNA and an RN?

A CNA (Certified Nursing Assistant) works under the supervision of a licensed nurse and performs basic patient care tasks: bathing, dressing, feeding, mobility assistance, vital signs measurement, and reporting observations. A Registered Nurse (RN) holds a nursing degree, is independently licensed, and performs clinical assessment, care planning, medication administration, and complex procedures. The CNA scope of practice is strictly defined — CNAs do not diagnose, prescribe, or independently initiate care.

Is the CNA exam the same in every state?

Most states use the NNAAP exam administered by Pearson, which means the written exam format is standardized nationally. However, states set their own passing score requirements, determine the number of attempts allowed, and may have additional state-specific competency requirements. Some states (California, Georgia, and a few others) use state-developed exams that differ in format. Always check your specific state's requirements.

What should I do the day before the CNA exam?

The day before the exam, do a light review of your weak-domain notes — no new content and no full practice sessions. Confirm your exam location, time, and required identification documents. Prepare your materials the night before: valid government-issued photo ID, testing provider confirmation number, and any required documentation. Get 7–8 hours of sleep. The written exam is cognitive, and sleep deprivation measurably impairs multiple-choice test performance.

Start Your General CNA Practice Today

The 19 quizzes on this page give you 114 mixed-topic practice questions covering every domain of the 2026 CNA written exam. Whether you are starting your preparation or doing a final check before exam day, general practice tests are the most direct path to a passing score.

Work through the quizzes systematically, track your domain performance, and use missed questions as targeted review triggers. The CNA exam is passable with consistent, structured preparation — and general practice testing is how structured preparation works.

Begin with the 50-question CNA Practice Test for a full-length simulation, then use the topic-specific quizzes to strengthen any domains where you scored below 80%.