The questions on the written test will be multiple choice.
Get a scrap of paper to write down your choices, a, b, d, or d on the
sample questions below. If you are not
sure of an answer, do not spend a great deal of time on it. It may be
better to select the best answer or mark it for review later. Answer
every question, even if you are unsure of an answer. There is no
penalty for guessing and you will not receive credit for any question
left blank.
(Answers provided at bottom.)
1. A nursing assistant meets a new resident who is being admitted
to the nursing home. What should the nursing assistant do first?
a Get ice water for the resident.
b Greet the resident and introduce self.
c Arrange the resident’s personal belongings.
d Talk with the resident’s family.
2. A nursing assistant finds clean linen lying on the floor near
the linen cart. What should the nursing assistant do?
a Place the linen back on the cart and cover the cart.
b Place the linen in a resident’s room for immediate use.
c Discard the linen in the soiled linen hamper.
d Leave the linen on the floor for housekeeping staff to remove.
3. A resident needs to ambulate for his daily exercise. The nursing
assistant enters the room and greets the resident. What should the
nursing assistant do next?
a Help the resident put on his shoes.
b Explain what the nursing assistant plans to do.
c Lower the height of the resident’s bed.
d Get the resident’s walker.
4. A nursing assistant suspects abuse of a resident. What should
the nursing assistant do?
a Discuss this with another nursing assistant.
b Report this to the charge nurse.
c Talk with the resident’s family.
d Call the resident’s doctor.
5. A resident has an indwelling urinary catheter. When caring for
this resident, which of the following should the nursing assistant
report to the charge nurse immediately?
a The urine in the drainage bag is clear and light yellow in color.
b The urine drainage bag is hanging below the level of the bladder.
c The resident complains of pain and burning.
d The resident tells the nursing assistant that he hates to have a
catheter.
6. A resident dresses herself, but her skirt is on backwards. What
should the nursing assistant say to the resident?
a “That isn’t the way to dress. Why not let me dress you?”
b Say nothing and ignore that the shirt is on backwards.
c “Nice choice in your outfit today. Can I help you turn your skirt
around?”
d “I think you need me to help you dress. You got your skirt on
backwards
again.”
7. A nursing assistant finds a resident crying in her room. Which
of the following
is the best response by the nursing assistant?
a “It’s okay. We all have bad days.”
b “This is the best place to have a good cry.”
c “I will tell the social worker that you are upset.”
d “Will it help to tell me why you are crying?”
8. As a person ages the skin normally becomes: a more red and flaky.
b more yellow and wrinkled.
c looser and drier.
d tighter and smoother.
9. A nursing assistant brings a breakfast tray to a resident who is
usually alert. The resident’s eyes are open but she does not respond
to her name. What should the nursing assistant do?
a Try to ambulate the resident back to bed.
b Give the resident something to eat or drink.
c Apply restraints to the resident.
d Call the charge nurse at once.
10. Before taking a resident’s oral temperature, what question
should the nursing assistant ask the resident?
a “Would you like to wash out your mouth with mouthwash?”
b “Have you had anything hot or cold to eat or drink within the last
ten minutes?
c “Would you like to remove your dentures?”
d “Would you like your breakfast before I take your temperature?”
Answers:
1-B
2-C
3-B
4-B
5-C
6-C
7-D
8-C
9-D
10-B
How did you do? Remember, it does not matter what the passing score
is. You must learn the CNA concepts until you can consistently make
90% or above. This should be your goal.
There are 15 more questions below.
1. You are assigned to give Mrs. Smith a bed
bath. You should: a. wash her entire body while she is in the bed
b. give her a basin of water, soap, washcloth, and towel
c. wash her face, hands, underarms, and perineum only
d. take her to the bathing room and help her into the tub
2. When bathing Mrs. Smith, you begin by washing her: a. perineal area
b. neck and ears
c. eyes
d. underarms
3. After finishing the bed bath, you help relax Mrs. Smith's
muscles and stimulate circulation by: a. helping her walk around the room
b. giving her a back rub
c. rubbing her skin vigorously with a towel
d. doing range-of-motion exercises
4. You wash your hands when you finish bathing Mrs. Smith. You
rinse your hands by: a. holding them in a downward position and rinsing from wrists to
fingertips
b. holding them in an upward position and rinsing from fingertips to
elbows
c. holding them under hot water to help kill the pathogens
d. shaking off the excess water before drying them
5. Because Mrs. Smith is dying, the type of care that she needs is:
a. long-term care
b. palliative care
c. preventative care
d. acute care
6. Mrs. Smith has refused to take her medication for several days.
You should: a. tell her that she is being stubborn and refuse to care for her
until she takes the medication
b. tell her that it is okay for her to refuse the medication since she
is going to die anyway.
c. explain the importance of following doctor's orders but respect her
right to refuse
d. help the nurse crush the medication and put it into Mrs. Smith's
food
7. Mrs. Smith's daughter complains about how you are caring for her
mother. You should: a. tell her to do the care herself
b. refuse to care for Mrs. Smith when her daughter visits
c. listen with concern and tell her you will get the nurse
d. ask her how she thinks the care should be done
8. Because Mrs. Smith is dying, you are most concerned about: a. being certain she follows the doctor's orders
b. providing her with well-balanced meals
c. preventing her daughter from upsetting her
d. letting her control as much of her life as possible
9. Mrs. Smith enjoys talking about her past experiences. This is: a. reminiscence
b. acceptance
c. reality orientation
d. fatigue
10. You find a container of pills on Mrs. Smith's overbed table.
You should: a. encourage her to take her medication
b. throw the medication away immediately
c. ask her daughter why the pills are in the room
d. take the container to the nurse
11. Scenario: Mr. Lloyd Brown is 46 years old. He has AIDS. He is
recovering from pneumonia and is very weak. You take Mr. Brown's
vital signs. You know that vital signs include:
a. Wt and B/P
b. Wt and Ht
c. TPR and B/P
d. TPR and Wt
12. Mr. Brown tells you that he is not feeling well. You take his
radial pulse at his: a. chest
b. wrist
c. neck
d. groin
13. When taking Mr. Brown's pulse, you observe the: a. color, temperature, and texture of his skin
b. rate, rhythm, and force of the pulse
c. clarity, amount, and color of the pulse
d. rate, rhythm, and character of the pulse
14. Mr. Brown has AIDS. To protect yourself, you should put on
gloves: a. whenever you enter his room
b. if you are going to touch him
c. before you enter his room
d. if you may come in contact with body fluids
15. Mr. Brown uses an assistive device that helps him ambulate
safely. He uses a: a. stair stepper
b. walker
c. treadmill
d. wheelchair
ANSWERS
1. A
2. C
3. B
4. A
5. B
6. C
(All residents have the right to refuse medication and treatment.
Explain the importance of following the doctor's orders but respect
her right to refuse.)
7. C
( Listen to complaints of the family and report their concerns to the
nurse. Family members may be upset and worried because of their loved
one's illness. Be patient and caring. Show that you are concerned
about the resident and the family. )
8. D
(When a resident is terminally ill, many choices have been lost,
especially choices about the future. The nursing assistant should let
the resident control as much of her life as possible. Give the
resident choices to foster a sense of control, hope, and self-esteem.
)
9. A
(Reminiscing helps residents share their existence, feel less lonely,
and better accept their death. Reality orientation is an approach that
helps the resident maintain awareness of person, place, and time.
Fatigue is a feeling of exhaustion or weariness. Acceptance is the act
of submitting to what is going to happen. The acceptance stage of
dying includes a calm, peaceful feeling because the person accepts the
fact that he or she is going to die.
10. D
11. C
(Vital signs include temperature, pulse, respirations, and blood
pressure. The accepted medical abbreviations for vital signs are TPR
and B/P. (T - temperature; P - pulse; R - respiration; B/P - blood
pressure) )
12. C
(The radial pulse is located on the thumb side of the wrist and is the
most common site used to measure pulse rate. The apical pulse is taken
on the chest at the apex of the heart. The brachial pulse is located
at the bend in the arm and used when taking blood pressure. The
carotid pulse is located on either side of the neck and commonly taken
during the administration of CPR. )
13. B
(When you take a resident's pulse, you observe the pulse rate, the
number of beats per minute, the pulse rhythm, how evenly spaced the
beats are, and the force of the pulse or how strong the pulse is. )
14. D
(The nursing assistant must protect against infection from exposure to
blood, body fluids, and body substances. According to standard
precautions, gloves must be worn when there may be a chance of coming
in contact with blood, body fluids, secretions, excretions (except
sweat), nonintact skin, and mucous membrane)
15. B
(An assistive device that helps a resident walk is the walker. An
assistive device is any equipment that helps a resident perform an
activity more easily and more efficiently. The word
"ambulate" means to walk. A wheelchair is used by a resident
who is unable to walk. A stair stepper and a treadmill are pieces of
exercise equipment. )
This information is taken from the Florida CNA manual and is similar
to the nationwide standard for the exam. Consult your state’s CNA
agency for any last minute details and changes. The Clinical Skills
Test is a timed test that requires you to demonstrate five skills
performed in the care of nursing home residents. You will be given 35
minutes to complete the skills you are asked to perform.
To pass the Clinical Skills Test, you must pass all five skills. Three
of the skills will come from the Clinical Skills list (see Page 19).
While performing those three skills, you will also be scored on two
additional skills -handwashing and Indirect Care. Indirect Care
represents aspects of care related to resident rights, communication
with the resident, resident safety and comfort, and infection control
that are performed throughout every skill.
Each skill is comprised of a series of checkpoints. Points have been
assigned to each checkpoint, based on how critical the checkpoint is
to the safe performance of the skill. For example, the checkpoint for
raising the head of the bed before feeding the resident would have a
higher number of points assigned to it than the checkpoint for
removing the clothing protector after feeding the resident. To pass a
skill, candidates are not required to perform the skill perfectly.
When administering the test, the nurse examiner watches the candidates
perform the skill and compares each candidate’s performance to the
checkpoints that make up each skill.
The rules for the Clinical Skills Test permit candidates to correct
their performances while they are demonstrating a skill. However, once
candidates have completed a skill and have begun the performance of
another skill, they may not go back to correct the performance of a
previous skill. Candidates are not given additional time for
correcting a skill. The nurse who administers the Clinical Skills Test
is not permitted to teach, coach, or discuss results or performances
with candidates.
