Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA) Exam Information

The Certified Nurse Assistant State Examination (CNA) consist of two parts - Written and Skills.

• Written Exam
• Written - Exam (Audio – English Only)
• Manual Skills Exam
• Manual Skills Exam (Audio – English Only)

Written Exam:

• There will be a total of 70 multiple choice questions.
• Maximum hours to complete the written exam: 2 hours (120 minutes)
• 15 minutes warning time to complete the written exam will be communicated by the test evaluator.

• An additional fee of $15.00 is included for applicants who register for the Written Exam (Audio-English Only).

Manual Skills Exam Evaluation

• The exam is 4-6 hours. Please plan accordingly.
• Be prepared to complete and test on five (5) different skills. More information regarding CNA Manual Skills Evaluation can be found in the RTC CNA Handbook located on the RTC website homepage.
  • The "hand washing" skill will be on all exams.
• An individual will have 30 minutes to complete the Manual Skils Exam Evaulation.
• There are 22 skills outlined in the RTC CNA Handbook. The skills that states "Skills Not Tested" are not included in the final grading score.
• A step that is highlighted in bold is called a Critical Element Step. If you do not perform the critical element step correctly, you will fail the exam.

Please allow 4-6 hours for both the written and manual skills examination. Please plan accordingly.

Payment is required to register for the CNA exam. Once a payment for the CNA exam at the Regional Testing Center has been successfully processed, it becomes non-refundable (no refunds will be issued) and non-transferable (payment may not be applied to a different SSN/ITIN, another person or to a different exam type). 

Do not make a payment and register for the CNA exam if you were informed that your school/facility is covering the cost.

Initial Testing 

To schedule your initial or 1st attempt CNA examination, an individual must first submit an RTC CNA application (that only needs to be submitted once in order to be eligible to register for the CNA examination).  Once an RTC CNA application has been approved, the applicant  will receive an approval email with next steps to activate their RTC account where they can register for the CNA exam.

Payment is required to register for the CNA exam. Once a payment for the CNA exam at the Regional Testing Center has been successfully processed, it becomes non-refundable (no refunds will be issued) and non-transferable (payment may not be applied to a different SSN/ITIN, another person or to a different exam type).  Do not make a payment and register for the CNA exam if you were informed that your school/facility is covering the cost.

Forms of Payment Accepted 

• Credit Card - Visa, Mastercard, Discover
• Debit Card
• Electronic bank transfer - Checking Account

*Prices subject to change. Exams cancelled less than 4 days (96 hours) before the scheduled Exam date will NOT be issued an exam credit.  

*RTC reserves the right to modify terms and conditions at any time without notice.

*Exams cancelled less than 4 days (96 hours) before the scheduled Exam date will NOT be issued an exam credit.  When rescheduling another exam, you will incur a $25 rescheduling fee per exam in addition to the original exam fee (Rescheduling Exam fees above include the $25 rescheduling fee per exam), according to RTC CNA exam policies. Prices subject to change.

*RTC reserves the right to modify terms and conditions at any time without notice.

An individual can receive a ONE-TIME Exam Credit when they cancel their CNA exam more than 4 days (96 hours) before the scheduled exam date and time. Upon successful cancellation, an individual will receive an email that their exam has been cancelled. The individual’s previous payment will be applied as a one-time Exam Credit to their RTC Account within 1-2 days of the cancellation.  This one-time exam credit is non-transferable and will not be reapplied if an individual cancels again. 

When registering for the CNA exam using a one-time Exam Credit, an individual will need to login into their RTC account, go to “Register For Exam” page to select an available exam date and time.  Upon selecting an available exam date and time, the individual will be redirected to the payment page where the exam type and one-time Exam Credit will appear.  The individual should review that all information is correct prior to completing the registration process by clicking on the submit button.

No Refunds Policy

All payment fees submitted to The Regional Center are non-refundable and non-transferable after a payment has been successfully processed.  Once a payment (fees) for the CNA exam at the Regional Testing Center has been successfully processed, it becomes non-refundable (no refunds will be issued) and non-transferable (payment may not be applied to a different SSN/ITIN, another person or to a different exam type).

Absence Policy 

If an individual has registered for the CNA Examination but fails to appear for the scheduled exam date/time or did not cancel the exam from their RTC account 4 days (96 hours) prior to the exam date and time, their initial payment fee is non-refundable and non-transferable and the individual will not receive an exam credit. When rescheduling a CNA exam, the individual will incur a $25 rescheduling fee per exam in addition to the paying for the original exam fee again.

RTC Exam Cancellation (by test center)/Weather Emergencies/Technical Outages 

If a CNA examination is cancelled by RTC, delayed or cancelled due to severe weather/ natural disasters or technical outages that make the test center inaccessible or unsafe, then the individual will be eligible to reschedule the exam for a later date and time at no additional charge.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Individuals are responsible for their own security and safety and must be aware of the security and safety of others. The Regional Testing Center and Golden West College is not responsible for any individual’s personal belongings that are lost, stolen, or damaged on any campus/testing site and/or in parking lots of the campus/testing sites. Individuals should immediately report any medical, criminal, or other emergency occurring at the test site to an RTC Nurse Assistant/Test Evaluator at the test site. 

Security and Cheating: Any attempt to provide or receive assistance during the Certified Nurse Assistant Examination will result in immediate termination of the CNA exam. The incident will be reported to the California Department of Public Health for review, and the examination will automatically be scored as a failure. Unauthorized distribution or reproduction of any examination content, whether in writing or audibly, is prohibited (not allowed) and may lead to legal action. Individuals who attempt to remove or copy examination materials or information from the test site, will lead to serious consequences, including prosecution. 

Electronic Devices: All electronic devices, including cell phones and any other similar devices (including smart watches) are not allowed in the testing room. The test center does not provide storage for an individual’s personal items.

Study Aids: Personal items including bags, coats, briefcases, large bags, study aid/materials, textbooks, extra books or papers, folders and related matter are not allowed in the testing/examination room.  The test site does not provide storage for an individual’s personal items.

Prohibited Activities: Eating, drinking, and smoking are prohibited (not allowed inside) during the Certified Nurse Assistant Examination.  Guests, visitors, children or pets (except service animals) are prohibited (not allowed inside the test center).

Extenuating emergencies at a Test Location: Regional Testing Center, the Proctor/Test Evaluator and/or coordinator reserve the right to postpone, cancel or reschedule the exam due to unforeseen technical issues, extenuating emergencies, or circumstances compromising security and safety of the testing site.

Check-in
RTC asks individuals who registered for the CNA exam (and received an exam confirmation email), to arrive to the test site 1-hour prior to the scheduled exam start time.  Plan to spend the most of the day completing the CNA examination.

Late Arrivals 
An individual who arrives late for their CNA exam, will not be allowed to sit for the examination and will not be able to receive a refund nor an exam credit towards taking the CNA exam again. The individual will need to reschedule their CNA examination (by logging into their RTC account) and will incur a $25 rescheduling fee per exam in addition to the paying for the original exam fee again.

Misconduct
Disruptive behavior or unprofessional misconduct at the test site and/or during the Certified Nurse Assistant Examination will result in an immediate dismissal from the test site. The Proctor/Nurse Assistant/Test Evaluator will complete and submit an incident report to the Regional Testing Center within 24 hours of the incident.

Prohibited Guests
Guests, visitors, children or pets (exception service animals) are not allowed in the test center.

Required Items for Day of Examination/Test Site Admission
An individual must have the following items on the day of the examination:

• A physical non-expired government issued photo identification card with their signature (photo copies are NOT accepted). The name on the ID must match the name on the RTC CNA Exam confirmation email.
• A print out/copy of your RTC CNA Exam confirmation email (includes the individual’s name, RTC Reference ID number, exam date/time/location, etc.)
• Professional attire required (no shorts). Scrubs/medical uniform preferred.
• Closed-toed non-skid footwear and socks required.
• Optional Allowance: A paper English translation dictionary with translations only (no definitions) is allowed in the test area to be used during the examination. The Proctor//Test Evaluator will check the dictionary for notations and security concerns.

Important Information to Remember

• An individual will be denied entrance to the testing area if the candidate does not have all the required items on the day of the test (as noted on RTC’s website, RTC CNA Examination Handbook and exam confirmation email).
• No digital or smart watches allowed. You may wear a watch with a second hand.
• No cell phones or electronic devices are allowed in the testing room.
• Test center does not provide storage for candidate’s personal items (bags, coats, briefcases, large bags, study aid/materials, textbooks, extra books or papers, folders and related matter are not allowed in the testing/examination room).
• All exam fees are non-refundable and non-transferable.
• The exam time length is approximately 4-6 hours. May vary according to test location. Please plan accordingly.
• Be prepared to complete and be evaluated on five (5) different skills including the "hand washing" skill.

Required Identification
An individual must present a physical non-expired government issued photo identification card with their signature (photo copies are NOT accepted).  The name(s) on the ID must match the name on the RTC CNA Exam confirmation email.

An individual must bring a printout/copy of your RTC CNA Exam confirmation email (includes the individual’s name, RTC Reference ID number, exam date/time/location, etc.)

The California Department of Public Health (effective January 2002) meets this requirement.

Acceptable forms of picture identification (non-expired) include:

• Driver's license
• DMV Identification card Passport or Passport card
• Permanent Resident Visa/Alien Registration card
• U.S. Military ID card

Important Note: The first and last name or names and/or any suffixes (e.g., Jr., II, III) on your valid government-issued photo identification, Social Security card/ITIN Number, Certified Nurse Assistant Initial Application (283B form), or CDPH CNA Competency Evaluation Approval letter (932 form) must match the first and last name or names that were submitted on the RTC CNA Exam application (also listed on the exam confirmation email).

• If an individual fails to bring proper identification or there are discrepancies in the name(s) on the exam confirmation email/document, an individual will be denied entrance to the testing area.
• All fees are non-refundable and non-transferable.
• The exam confirmation email/document(s) presented at the testing site must be current, original, legible, and unaltered.

The Proctor/Nurse Assistant/Test Evaluator does not provide information about your Score Report. CNA Exam results/scores will not be handed out/nor emailed after completing the exam. After taking the CNA examination, exam results will appear in the individual’s RTC account within 3-4 days.  If you do not see any exam results in your RTC account by the 5th day, please contact the Regional Testing Center at RTC@cccd.edu or 714-895-8708 (during business hours). 

Once exam results appear in an individual’s RTC account, exam results are typically transmitted to CDPH within several business days. Processing timelines may vary based on routine system processing factors or when a valid CNA application is not yet on file with CDPH.  Please allow a minimum of 15 business days from the date of the exam for results to be transmitted, received, matched to their file and processed by CDPH. Exam results can only be matched and processed by CDPH if the applicant has submitted a valid CDPH CNA application prior to testing.  

Individuals can verify their CDPH CNA status once exam results have been transmitted, received, matched to their file and processed by CDPH (including an approved CNA application, cleared background check and passing exam results), by accessing the CDPH verification page https://cvl.cdph.ca.gov/SearchPage.aspx. If after 15 business days from taking the CNA exam, an individual’s exams results appear in their RTC account but their name doesn’t appear in the CDPH verification page, please contact CDPH directly to speak to a live representative at (916) 327-2445 or email CDPH at cna@cdph.ca.gov to check the status of exam results. More information can be found at CDPH CNA. 

CNA Certificate Issued by CDPH 
After the successful completion of the Manual Skills Evaluation and the Written or Written (Audio-English Only) Examinations, please allow 30 business days for the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) to mail your Certified Nurse Assistant Certificate to

the mailing address on file. If an individual has not received their CNA certificate within 30 business days their exam date, please contact CDPH directly to speak to a live representative at (916) 327-2445.