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Open free California CNA prep resources ↗Exam facts & prep options
California Nurse Aide Competency Examination
The California Nurse Aide Competency Examination is the state certification examination required to become a Certified Nurse Assistant in California: a multiple-choice knowledge test plus a hands-on skill test, administered by testing vendors approved by the California Department of Public Health (D&SDT-HEADMASTER, Credentia, and the Regional Testing Center).
Official exam siteJump to prep options ↓
Questions75 multiple-choice Knowledge Test questions (D&SDT-HEADMASTER form; the Credentia NNAAP form has 70 written questions, or 60 questions plus 10 reading-comprehension questions in the oral version — see notes)
Testing time60 minutes for the 75-question Knowledge Test; 30 minutes for the Skill Test
ScoringPass both parts: 75% or better on the Knowledge Test; on the Skill Test, all critical (bolded) steps and 80% of non-key steps must be performed correctly on each assigned task (Credentia's NNAAP form requires all five assigned skills performed correctly)
Exam feeUSD 40 Knowledge Exam (USD 45 with audio version) plus USD 100 Skills Test via D&SDT-HEADMASTER — USD 140 for both; Credentia and the Regional Testing Center publish separate fee schedules for their forms
Prep options
Study resources for California CNA
Independent prep
Courses and study resources
Exam overview
What to know before choosing your prep
- Who runs it
- CDPH
- Category
- Nurse Aide & Nursing Assistant
- Current version
- CDPH-approved California test plan (HEADMASTER Candidate Handbook, March 2026 edition); Credentia administers its California NNAAP form of the same state competency examination
- Where it applies
- California, United States
- Exam languages
- English
- Testing provider
- CDPH-approved testing vendors: D&SDT-HEADMASTER, Credentia Nurse Aide LLC, and the Regional Testing Center (Golden West College)
- Format
- Computer-based knowledge test delivered at test sites or by remote proctoring, plus an in-person manual skills demonstration
- Availability
- Scheduled test events at vendor test sites (and remote knowledge testing) once training is complete, the CDPH initial application is on file, and fees are paid; test must be scheduled within 2 years of training completion
- Results
- Official results available after 5:00 PM Pacific on the business day after the test event, in the vendor account (no results by phone or mail)
- Remote testing
- Varies by jurisdiction
Exam structure
Two parts: (1) Knowledge Test — 75 multiple-choice questions drawn from 12 CDPH-approved subject areas per the California test plan (Basic Nursing Skills 15, Resident Rights 8, Role and Responsibility 8, Safety 8, Infection Control 6, Mental Health 6, Care Impaired 5, Communication 5, Aging Process and Restorative Care 4, Data Collection 4, Disease Process 4, Personal Care 4), with an audio read-aloud version available; (2) Manual Demonstration Skill Test — one mandatory task with embedded hand washing plus two or three additional randomly assigned CDPH-approved skill tasks, observed by an RN Test Observer. (Counts shown are the HEADMASTER form; the Credentia NNAAP form uses 5 assigned skills.)
Where rules vary
California state certification examination: passing both parts is required for listing on the California Nurse Assistant Registry.
Eligibility
Completion of a state-approved nurse assistant training program (or a CDPH equivalency/waiver route for RN/LVN/psychiatric-technician students, military medics, or licensed out-of-state/foreign applicants); a CDPH initial application must be on file before testing or results are rejected
Retake policy
Three attempts to pass both the knowledge and skill portions within two years of training program completion; after that a new CDPH-approved training program is required