Which CNA Exam Does Your State Use? NNAAP, Prometric, Headmaster, and State Exams

What federal rules require, and what they leave to your state

For state-approved nurse aide competency programs covered by the federal nursing-facility rules, 42 CFR 483.154 sets a minimum:

• Two parts. A written or oral exam, which the aide may choose between, and a demonstration of skills drawn at random from a pool of nurse aide tasks.
• Who may give it. Only the state directly, or a state-approved entity that is neither a skilled nursing facility in Medicare nor a nursing facility in Medicaid.
• Passing. The state sets the standard, and the candidate must pass both parts.
• Attempts. A candidate who fails must be told of at least three opportunities to take the evaluation. A state may cap the number of attempts, but not below three.

Everything else is your state's choice: the testing vendor, the question count, the time limit, fees, the skills list, retake windows and even the job title. That is why one state's rules can be wrong for you. The tables below are dated examples, not a national rule.

NNAAP states: examples from Credentia's handbooks

NCSBN's NNAAP page says it no longer develops or owns the exam content and directs candidates to Credentia. Credentia's test-taker directory, checked on October 19, 2026, includes NNAAP programs such as Pennsylvania, California, Iowa and Washington, alongside separate medication-aide and other programs. Select the nurse aide program for your state, then read its current handbook.

A menu entry shows that Credentia runs a program there. It does not prove that every route to certification in that state uses the NNAAP, so read your own state's handbook.

The California details above come from Credentia's page titled "California Handbook." Check the handbook title when opening a state-specific link.

Other vendors and state-written rules

D&S Diversified Technologies, which also uses the name Headmaster, listed 24 nurse aide programs on its home page as checked on October 18, 2026: Arizona, Arkansas, California, the District of Columbia, Iowa, Kentucky (labeled "SRNA"), Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Wisconsin and Wyoming. Some labels name only one part or a special program: "New Jersey CNA Skills," "South Dakota NA Knowledge Testing" and "Oklahoma LTC / HHA (Deeming)." In those states, ask which part D&S gives and who gives the rest.

Four places on both vendors' lists

California, the District of Columbia, Iowa and Maryland appear on Credentia's pages and on Headmaster's list:

• California, the District of Columbia and Maryland are on Credentia's state menu and on Headmaster's nurse aide list. Headmaster's home page also carried a banner reading "Welcome Maryland NA Testing."
• Iowa has a nurse aide entry in Credentia's test-taker directory and appears on Headmaster's list as "Iowa Nurse Aide Testing Services."

A state can use different vendors for different parts of the exam, or be moving from one vendor to another. Neither company's page says which applies here, and Passy does not guess. If you train or test in one of these four places, ask your state's nurse aide registry or health agency which vendor's handbook applies to you, and use only that one.

Why CNA exams differ even among NNAAP states

Using the NNAAP does not make two states' exams identical:

• Question count. Tennessee's Knowledge exam has 75 questions on its overview page, which says 10 unscored experimental questions are mixed in. Its outline page describes 75 items "with an added ten (10)" pretest items, and its Knowledge Exam page writes "seventy-five (85)." Tennessee also publishes a 75% passing score. The written exam format guide shows what each count means for pacing.
• Skills left out. Pennsylvania does not test the bedpan skill or electronic blood pressure. Tennessee does not test electronic blood pressure or weight.
• Order and timing. Washington tests skills first. California lets you take the parts on different days. Pennsylvania offers the written exam online or at a test center, but skills only at a test center.
• Titles. The same role is a CNA in one state, an STNA or NAC in another. Use the title and requirements on your own state’s registry or nursing-board website.
• Fees and retakes. Both vary. See CNA exam costs and CNA retake limits.

How to confirm your CNA exam in five minutes

1. Ask your training program. It knows which handbook its graduates use, and it often handles part of registration. Washington programs that provide skills testing schedule it for their graduates, and in Texas the program director signs your competency evaluation application.
2. Open your state's registry or health agency page. It names the vendor. Florida's Board of Nursing points to Prometric. WABON points to Credentia for the knowledge test.
3. Open that vendor's handbook for your state. Note the written format and any oral or Spanish option, the skills list and any skills your state leaves out, the fees, the attempt limit and time window, the ID rules, and where you can test.
4. Write the date next to what you found. Recheck before you pay or book. Vendor pages change: Credentia's Tennessee skills page, for example, was updated on 10/6/2026, with changes that take effect on 11/1/2026 and 12/1/2026.