CNA Exam Day: ID, What to Bring, Online Proctoring, and Skills-Day Rules

What to bring to the CNA exam: the Pennsylvania example

Exam-day rules come from your state's testing vendor, so the details below are one dated example: Credentia's Pennsylvania NNAAP handbook, as checked on October 18, 2026. Check your own state's handbook before you go; some rules differ, as the Tennessee section below shows.

The handbook's ID examples include a driver's license, a state-issued ID card, and a passport. Photocopies are not accepted, and the name on both IDs must match the name on your application. For test-center exams, the handbook says "No other materials will be allowed."

A test-center day, start to finish (Pennsylvania)

1. Arrive 30 minutes before your scheduled time, for both the written exam and the skills evaluation. If you are late, you will not be allowed to test, and your fee is not refunded.
2. Check in for each part separately. The proctor or evaluator uses a mobile device to scan your ID and take your photo.
3. The written exam runs two hours, with a warning when 15 minutes are left. At a test center, only the separate answer sheet counts; marks in the test booklet are not accepted.
4. Before the skills evaluation, the evaluator shows you where the equipment is and answers questions about how it works. Once the evaluation starts, the evaluator will not answer questions or tell you how you did.
5. Plan to spend the day. The handbook says skills test times are approximate.

The written exam format guide covers pacing, and the skills evaluation guide explains how the five skills are scored.

Taking the written exam online (Pennsylvania)

In Pennsylvania, the written or oral exam can be taken online with a live proctor who watches through your webcam. The skills evaluation is offered only at a test center. To get ready:

• run Credentia's system test and exam simulation before exam day
• find a private, quiet, well-lit room with no one else in it, and clear the desk so the room scan goes quickly
• disconnect extra monitors, close other applications, and use a wired connection if you can
• install the ExamRoom AI app on your phone or tablet and have your Credentia login ready
• start check-in up to 30 minutes before your appointment

If you have no private room at home, the handbook suggests asking your training program or a local library. Other states add their own requirements. Alabama's and Rhode Island's handbooks, for example, ask you to bring your own wired headset for an online oral exam.

Rules in the testing room (Pennsylvania)

Pennsylvania's testing policies apply at every test site:

• Phones and other electronic devices must be turned off, and the sites have no storage for belongings.
• Bags, study materials, books, and papers are collected and returned after the exam.
• No eating, drinking, or smoking during the exam.
• No guests, children, or pets at the site.
• Misconduct leads to dismissal and a report to the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services.
• Giving or receiving help stops the exam. The incident is reported, and the exam is not scored.

All exam questions and materials are copyrighted by Credentia, and the handbook warns that anyone who removes exam materials from the site will be prosecuted.

Skills-day rules: clothing, the volunteer, and your health

Pennsylvania's handbook says you will also play the resident for another candidate's skills evaluation, and it asks volunteers to wear flat, slip-on, non-skid shoes and loose clothing whose sleeves and pant legs roll up, with a gown over it. No one undresses to underwear. Other rules on that day:

• Tell the evaluator before you start about any food or latex allergy, any sensitivity to skin soaps or lotions, and any limits on your range of motion.
• If you have open sores on your skin, reschedule the skills test until they heal.
• Candidate and volunteer must speak English with each other (Pennsylvania and Tennessee handbooks), so the evaluator can score the test.
• You may not bring your own equipment, such as a gait belt.
• Pennsylvania's handbook does not allow candidates on restricted activity or light duty for medical reasons to take the skills evaluation. Light duty does not stop you from taking the written exam, and you need medical documentation of a return to full duty to reschedule the skills test.

Tennessee's attire rules for both exams

As checked on October 18, 2026, Credentia's Tennessee handbook sets attire rules that apply to the knowledge exam and the skills exam:

• full clinical attire with clinical shoes; scrubs and shoes in any color or design
• no open-toed shoes, including sandals and flip-flops
• no smartwatches, smart glasses, fitness monitors, or other Bluetooth devices
• long hair pulled back
• fingernails short (no longer than ¼ inch), filed, and clean

A candidate who does not meet these rules is not admitted, is treated as a no-show, forfeits the fee, and must pay for another exam date.

The order of the two parts varies by state

States do not all schedule the written and skills parts the same way:

• Washington: the in-person skills test comes first. You register for the online (or oral) knowledge test only after you pass the skills test (Washington State Board of Nursing).
• California: Credentia's California handbook says you do not need to take both parts on the same day the first time, unless you register for the paper-and-pencil written or oral exam instead of the online one.
• Pennsylvania: the written exam can be online or at a test center, while the skills evaluation is only at a test center.

No-shows, cancellations, and what counts as an attempt (Pennsylvania)

Pennsylvania counts some exam-day problems against your attempts:

To avoid losing a fee, cancel or reschedule an online written or oral exam at least 48 hours ahead, and a test-center exam at least nine business days ahead (weekends and national holidays do not count). If you are late or absent because of illness of yourself or an immediate family member, a death in the family, a disabling traffic accident, a court appearance or jury duty, or military duty, you can call Credentia within 14 days of the exam date to request an excused absence. A grievance about the exam must be submitted in writing within 30 days of your exam date; Credentia responds within 30 days, and a substantiated grievance earns a retest at no additional cost.

The retake guide compares attempt limits across states.

Accommodations are requested in advance

Credentia's Pennsylvania handbook offers accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act for candidates with documented disabilities. Examples include a separate testing room, extra time, or a reader or recorder for candidates who cannot read or write on their own because of a mobility, hearing, or vision impairment. Requests are considered case by case and need documentation from a qualified professional. Credentia's Washington FAQ adds that special requests must be submitted and approved before testing.

A reader accommodation is not the same as the oral exam, which federal rules say the competency evaluation must offer as a choice (42 CFR 483.154(b)(1)(i)). The oral exam guide explains the difference.