Failed the CNA Exam? Retake Limits, Time Windows, and Retraining

The federal floor: at least three opportunities

Federal rules set the minimum, and states build on it. If you do not pass the nurse aide competency evaluation, you must be told which areas you did not pass and that you have "at least three opportunities" to take it. A state may cap the number of attempts, but "the maximum may be no less than three" (42 CFR 483.154(f)). Three is a floor, not a ceiling, so a state can allow more.

To complete the evaluation you must pass both the written or oral exam and the skills demonstration, and the state sets the passing standard (483.154(e)(1)). Section 483.154 does not set a waiting period or a deadline for retakes. The windows below come from state rules and the testing vendors' state handbooks.

CNA retake limits by state, as checked on October 18, 2026

These are labeled examples, not a national rule. If your state is not listed, ask your state's nurse aide registry or testing vendor.

The Colorado conflict. Credentia's Colorado results page says you must pass "within twelve (24) months from the application receipt date." The word and the numeral disagree, so ask Credentia or Colorado's nurse aide program which window applies to you before you plan around either number.

Why Washington is different. Four attempts with no time limit comes from Credentia's Washington FAQ. It is a state rule above the federal floor, not a national allowance. Washington's FAQ still names the Department of Health, while the Washington State Board of Nursing (WABON) page says regulatory authority moved to the Board, so confirm current rules with WABON.

What counts as an attempt: no-shows, missing ID, and excused absences

Several Credentia handbooks count more than failures. Pennsylvania's rules, as checked on October 18, 2026, are the most detailed:

• No-show. If you do not report at your scheduled time, your fee is forfeited and the unexcused absence counts as one of your three opportunities.
• Missing ID. If you arrive without the required identification, you cannot test, the fee is not refunded, and the visit counts as one of your three opportunities.
• Cancel on time. Online written (or oral) exams must be canceled or rescheduled at least 48 hours ahead, and test-center exams at least nine business days ahead.
• Excused absences. You can call Credentia within 14 days of the exam date to request an excused absence for 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.
• Grievances. A written grievance is due within 30 days of your exam date, and Credentia responds within 30 days of receiving it. If it is substantiated, you retest at no additional cost.

The Tennessee, Rhode Island, and Colorado results pages add a related rule: being scheduled three times without getting onto the registry, whether because of failures or absences, means retraining.

What a CNA retake costs, as checked on October 18, 2026

Pennsylvania lists separate re-test prices. The other pages list the price of each part. Under federal rules, no nurse aide who is employed by, or has an offer from, a facility on the day they begin a competency evaluation program may be charged for any part of it (483.154(c)(2)). The CNA exam cost guide covers fees and reimbursement in more detail.

Reading a failing CNA score report

For the skills evaluation, Credentia's Pennsylvania and Tennessee handbooks describe the report closely. It lists the five skills you performed, each marked Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory. One Unsatisfactory skill fails the evaluation, because all five must be Satisfactory. Numbers printed under a failed skill are the steps you missed or did incorrectly, and you look them up in your handbook's skills listing.

For the written exam, the Pennsylvania results page says your score report explains how to retake either part or both, but it does not describe a content-area breakdown. Use whatever area information your own report shows. Credentia's Alabama page says you repeat the part you failed. The passing score guide explains how passing works for each part.

A re-study plan built from a fictional failing skills report

Keisha (fictional) passed the written exam in a Credentia state but failed the skills evaluation. Her report reads:

Her plan before the retake:

1. Find each listed step in her state's current skills listing and write one line on why it exists: privacy, safety, infection control, or an accurate number. A step she understands is harder to skip under pressure.
2. Practice the two failed skills hands-on with an instructor or a classmate playing the resident, start to finish, until no step needs thought.
3. Practice every skill on her state's list, not only the two she failed. On the NNAAP evaluation, hand hygiene is always tested and the other four skills are chosen at random, so the retake may draw different ones.
4. Count her attempts and her window. In Pennsylvania, this was the first of three opportunities, and both parts must be passed within two years of finishing training.

The skills evaluation guide explains how corrections and the critical steps work on test day.

If the written (knowledge) exam is the part you are retaking, put most of your time on the largest content areas, Basic Nursing Skills (35%) and Activities of Daily Living (22%), plus any area your report flags. Then restart your CNA written-exam practice before the next attempt → and read the explanation after every question, including the ones you get right.