CNA test questions: twelve worked examples, with the rule and the trap

CNA written exam questions give you a short situation with a client and four plausible actions; the right one is the action that keeps the client safe, respects their rights and stays inside the nurse aide's role. Below are twelve original examples across the four groups, each worked with the trap it sets.

12
worked questions: 4
content groups covered: 70
questions on the real exam: 0
real exam items (all original)

Last checked 20 October 2026

By the LifeScore Editorial Team · Updated 20 October 2026 · How we check facts · How this is scored

What kind of questions are on the CNA test?

Single-best-answer multiple choice with four options, almost always set in a care situation. Many ask what to do "first", which means more than one option may be reasonable but only one comes first.

There are three patterns. Knowledge questions ask for a fact, such as the normal range of an adult pulse. Action questions ask what the aide should do. Priority questions ask what to do first, and the answer is usually the safety step or the report.

The wrong options are written to be tempting. The commonest are the kind-but-unsafe answer, the answer that acts outside the aide's role, and the answer that waits to report.

What do daily living questions look like?

Bathing, feeding, transfers, positioning and skin care, where the trap is usually a comfortable shortcut that risks a fall, a choke or skin damage.

CNA-style question 1 · Nutrition
A client has an order for thickened liquids and asks for a glass of plain water. What should the nurse aide do?
1. ATell the client water is not allowed
2. BOffer water thickened to the ordered consistency
3. CGive a small glass of plain water
4. DGive plain water through a straw
Worked answer
B: Offer water thickened to the ordered consistency. Thickened liquids are ordered because thin liquids can go into the airway of a client with swallowing problems. The client may have water, but only at the ordered thickness.
The trap: Being kind is not the same as being safe: "a small glass" still risks choking.
CNA-style question 2 · Transfers
A client with weakness on the left side is moving from the bed to a wheelchair. Where should the wheelchair be placed?
1. AOn the client's left side, the weaker side
2. BAt the foot of the bed
3. COn the client's right side, the stronger side
4. DWherever there is most room for the aide
Worked answer
C: On the client's right side, the stronger side. The client pivots toward the stronger side, which can bear weight and steer the move.
The trap: Putting the chair on the weak side feels supportive but asks the weak leg to carry the turn.
CNA-style question 3 · Skin care
While bathing a client, the nurse aide sees a reddened area over the tailbone that does not fade when pressed. What should the aide do?
1. AMassage the area to improve blood flow
2. BRecheck it at the next bath
3. CApply a dressing from the supply room
4. DKeep pressure off the area and report it to the nurse
Worked answer
D: Keep pressure off the area and report it to the nurse. Redness that does not fade can be an early pressure injury. Massage can damage the tissue; treatment is the nurse's decision.
The trap: Massage sounds helpful and used to be taught; it is now known to harm at-risk skin.

Practise twelve more in the free CNA activities of daily living drill.

What do basic nursing skills questions look like?

Infection control, vital signs, measuring and recording, and safety. Expect arithmetic you must record correctly and rules you must not bend.

CNA-style question 1 · Infection control
After removing gloves, what should the nurse aide do first?
1. ADocument the care given
2. BPerform hand hygiene
3. CPut on a new pair of gloves right away
4. DRemove the gown
Worked answer
B: Perform hand hygiene. Hands can be contaminated during glove removal, and gloves can have tiny holes, so hand hygiene always follows glove removal.
The trap: Gloves feel like protection, so people skip washing after them.
CNA-style question 2 · Vital signs
A nurse aide counts a regular radial pulse for 30 seconds and gets 41 beats. What should be recorded?
1. A41 beats per minute
2. B164 beats per minute
3. C72 beats per minute
4. D82 beats per minute
Worked answer
D: 82 beats per minute. A regular pulse counted for 30 seconds is doubled: 41 × 2 = 82. If the pulse is irregular, count a full 60 seconds.
The trap: Recording the raw 30-second count is the classic slip.
CNA-style question 3 · Safety
A confused client keeps trying to climb out of bed at night. The care plan does not mention side rails. What should the nurse aide do?
1. ARaise both side rails
2. BReport the behavior to the nurse
3. CTie the client's gown to the bed
4. DMove the client to a chair for the night
Worked answer
B: Report the behavior to the nurse. Rails that keep a client in bed can be a restraint, which needs an order and a care plan. The aide reports; the nurse and team decide.
The trap: Raising the rails feels protective, but rails cause falls when confused clients climb over them.

Basic nursing skills is 35% of the scored questions. Drill it in the free CNA basic nursing skills practice test.

Twelve examples teach the rules. 560 mock questions prove them.

8 full mocks and 16 section drills, every answer explained the way these are.

The CNA Pass Pack gives you 8 full mocks on the real clock, 16 drills of 12 questions for the sections that cost you points, and a predictor that turns your mocks into the odds of reaching your target. One payment, no subscription, and your free score stays free.

Prep courses for these tests usually cost $19 to $129. The CNA Pass Pack is US$39 (£29), once.

See what is inside the CNA Pass Pack How our questions are built and checked

8
timed mocks: 16
topic drills: 1
score predictor

What do psychosocial care questions look like?

Dementia, anxiety, grief and a client's faith and culture. The right answer respects the person and calms the situation; arguing, correcting and ignoring are wrong.

CNA-style question 1 · Dementia care
A resident with dementia says she must go home to feed her children, who are now adults. What is the best response?
1. AIgnore the comment and change the subject
2. BAcknowledge her feelings and gently talk about her children
3. CTell her the children have already eaten
4. DTell her firmly that her children are grown up
Worked answer
B: Acknowledge her feelings and gently talk about her children. Arguing with a person with dementia causes distress and does not restore memory. Validating the feeling and redirecting calms her.
The trap: Correcting the facts seems honest but only upsets her.
CNA-style question 2 · Spiritual and cultural needs
A client's religion forbids eating pork, and pork is on today's tray. What should the nurse aide do?
1. AEncourage the client to eat it this once
2. BScrape the pork off and serve the rest
3. CTell the client to ask the family to bring food
4. DRemove the tray and tell the nurse so a substitute can be ordered
Worked answer
D: Remove the tray and tell the nurse so a substitute can be ordered. Respecting a client's faith includes diet. The aide arranges a substitute through the nurse or dietary staff.
The trap: Scraping the meat off still serves food the client may not eat.

More in the free CNA psychosocial care drill.

What do role of the nurse aide questions look like?

Rights, scope, ethics and recording. A quarter of the exam, and the area most people underestimate because the answers feel like common sense until the options all look polite.

CNA-style question 1 · Client rights
A resident refuses a shower this morning. What should the nurse aide do?
1. AAsk a coworker to persuade her
2. BShower the resident anyway because it is scheduled
3. CTell the resident she will lose a privilege
4. DRespect the refusal, ask the reason and report it to the nurse
Worked answer
D: Respect the refusal, ask the reason and report it to the nurse. Clients have the right to refuse care. The aide can explain, offer another time and must report the refusal.
The trap: Following the schedule feels responsible but overrides a legal right.
CNA-style question 2 · Scope of practice
A doctor in the hallway tells the nurse aide to give a resident an extra pain pill. What should the aide do?
1. ATell the nurse what the doctor said
2. BGive the pill and tell the nurse afterward
3. CWrite the order in the chart
4. DGive the pill only if the resident agrees
Worked answer
A: Tell the nurse what the doctor said. Nurse aides do not take orders from doctors or give medicines. The nurse receives and acts on orders.
The trap: An instruction from a doctor feels like permission; it is not.
CNA-style question 3 · Legal and ethical behavior
A grateful resident offers the nurse aide $20. What should the aide do?
1. AAccept it and share it with the team
2. BAccept it and tell the nurse later
3. CPolitely decline and thank the resident
4. DAccept it to avoid hurting her feelings
Worked answer
C: Politely decline and thank the resident. Accepting money from residents is not allowed: it can be or look like exploitation. A warm thank-you is the right answer.
The trap: Refusing feels rude; accepting is the rule broken.
CNA-style question 4 · Communication
Which entry in a resident's record is written correctly?
1. AAte 50% of lunch; drank 240 mL of milk
2. BWas difficult and refused help
3. CAte poorly again, as usual
4. DSeemed depressed at lunch
Worked answer
A: Ate 50% of lunch; drank 240 mL of milk. Records state what was seen and measured, not opinions or labels.
The trap: Words like "depressed" or "difficult" are judgments, not observations.

More in the free CNA role of the nurse aide drill.

How do I practise with more CNA questions?

Sit the free full-length [CNA practice test](/cna-practice-test): 70 questions on the real 2-hour clock, scored by section, with every answer explained.

Worked examples teach the rules; a timed mock shows whether you can apply them for two hours. Use the mock to find your weakest group, then drill it. The rules that decide most questions, and a two-week plan, are in how to pass the CNA exam.

Heading toward nursing school after your CNA? The TEAS practice questions show what the entrance exam asks.

Frequently asked questions

Are these real CNA exam questions?

No. They are original questions written in the style of the state exams. Real exam questions are confidential.

How many questions are on the CNA written test?

In NNAAP states, 70: 60 scored and 10 unscored pretest questions, in 2 hours.

What are "first" questions on the CNA test?

Questions asking what the aide should do first. Several options may be correct eventually; the answer is the one that keeps the client safe or reports a change now.

What topics come up most on the CNA exam?

Basic nursing skills (35% of scored questions) and activities of daily living (22%) together are more than half the exam.

Is there math on the CNA test?

A little: intake and output in milliliters, doubling a 30-second pulse, the 24-hour clock and percentages of meals eaten.

Practise the way the exam asks

8 full mocks, 16 section drills and every answer explained, in one payment.