The CNA Skills Test: What You'll Actually Perform
The written exam isn't the whole test — here is the hands-on half, straight from the official NNAAP skill list.
How the skills evaluation works. At a test center, you perform five skills for a Nurse Aide Evaluator, one of which is hand hygiene. You are scored on each critical step — missing a critical step fails that skill, so practice the order exactly. The full evaluation takes about 25–40 minutes.
The official NNAAP skill list (23 skills — five are chosen for your evaluation):
- Hand Hygiene (Hand Washing)
- Applies One Knee-High Elastic Stocking
- Assists to Ambulate Using Transfer Belt
- Assists With Use of Bedpan
- Cleans Upper or Lower Denture
- Counts and Records Radial Pulse
- Counts and Records Respirations
- Donning and Removing PPE (Gown and Gloves)
- Dresses Client with Affected (Weak) Arm
- Feeds Client Who Cannot Feed Self
- Gives Modified Bed Bath (Face and One Arm, Hand and Underarm)
- Measures and Records Electronic Blood Pressure
- Measures and Records Urinary Output
- Measures and Records Weight of Ambulatory Client
- Performs Modified Passive Range of Motion (PROM) for One Knee and One Ankle
- Performs Modified Passive Range of Motion (PROM) for One Shoulder
- Positions On Side
- Provides Catheter Care
- Provides Foot Care on One Foot
- Provides Mouth Care
- Provides Perineal Care (Peri-Care)
- Transfers from Bed to Wheelchair Using Transfer Belt
- Measures and Records Manual Blood Pressure
Know your state's list. Some states drop or add skills (for example, bedpan assistance is not tested in Pennsylvania, and manual vs electronic blood pressure varies). Your candidate handbook has the exact list for your state. Some vendors, like Headmaster/D&S, let you state a correction if you forget a step — check your handbook.
How to practice. Read the numbered steps in your handbook and perform them in order — evaluators score sequence. Pair skills practice with our written practice exam to cover both halves of the test.