When you first enroll in a nurse assistant program, vow to set aside half an hour each night to review the material that you learned that day.  Spend this time to focus on things you may have misunderstood in class or been a little confused about.  Make notes of things you would like to clarify with your instructor.  By reviewing the material that was presented to you earlier in the day, you are helping to commit it to memory.

Know your study style. Some students do best quizzing themselves with index cards, or carrying index cards with them.  Others prefer to rewrite notes and key points from the text.  Still others find highlighting things in the notes and text book to review later helpful.  Many students find that reading the text or notes aloud helps them to remember.  Find your best method and use it often.

Passing the written CNA exam

Know your best study time. If you are naturally a morning person, set your alarm.  Get up and enjoy the quiet of the morning and hit the books.  If you are more of a night owl, wait until the sun sets, pull out your notes, and start studying.

Know your best study setting. Keep the room a comfortable temperature.  If it is too cool, grab a sweater and extra socks or slippers.  If it is too hot, consider a fan or air conditioner.  Make sure you have enough room for all your supplies:  notes, text book, paper, pencils.   Feeling cramped can be a distraction.  Some students find the kitchen or dining room table an excellent place to study.  This gives you plenty of room with few distractions.  That is the equation for a good study session.

Do not rely on last minute “cramming”. This is a terrible mistake made by many students.  Nerves are high on test days and chances are you will not retain the material that you need to pass.  If you have been studying daily, you should already know the material.  Cramming at the last minute puts you at risk for confusion.  Don’t make this mistake.

Lastly, the harder you work, the better you will do.  There truly is no such thing as too much knowledge.  Learn all that you can before your exam.  Seek out additional material at the library or online.  Ask advice from friends and family.  Increase study time and you will increase knowledge.  This in turn will lead to increased confidence.  Final result?  A passing score on your nurse assistant exam!

Expert Contribution by: Nicolle Wagner, RN, BSN, RAC-CT

1. Practice your skills as taught by your instructor and as demonstrated in your text book.  The more you practice, the more confident you will feel.  Enlist the help of family, friends, co-workers, or even use a doll.  Ask your teacher for extra help if you are struggling with certain skills.  Don’t be afraid to ask for clarification if you feel confused as to how to do a certain skill.  Being afraid to ask for help can be a barrier to learning and can ultimately lower your chances of passing.  The old saying “Practice makes perfect.” Is true!
2. With each skill you perform during your test, remember to introduce yourself.  It is important to display professionalism with each skill performance.   Even if you a performing a skill on the manikin, such as doing a rectal temperature, make sure you introduce yourself and explain what you are about to do.  Some students have lost points for failing to do so.
3. Get a good night’s sleep before your test.  Lack of sleep can add to your nerves.  Fatigue can also lead to poor recall, clumsiness, and irritability.  All these are things that could change the outcome of your test and they are all preventable with enough rest.
4. Eat a good meal before your test.  Being hungry can lead to the same symptoms as little sleep.  It also can be a distraction that takes your focus off the task at hand.  Make sure the meal is filling but not too heavy.  Skip foods that have caused you problems in the past; diarrhea, gas, indigestion.  Healthy choices are always best.  Also, avoid too much caffeine as this can increase jitters.  Stick with water to keep yourself hydrated.
5. During the test:  wash your hands, wash your hands, wash your hands.  You cannot wash your hands enough.  Wash before and after each skill and as instructed by your teacher.  Forgetting to wash your hands is an infection control issue and can lead to a failure.
6. If you make a mistake during your test, “fess up”.  By telling the examiner what your mistake is and how you would have done it the right way, you are showing knowledge, honesty, and possibly winning back valuable points.
7. Breathe.  Before going in for your exam, take 5-10 deep cleansing breaths.  This will release carbon monoxide and lactic acid and increase oxygen and blood flow, in turn, lowering pulse and respirations thereby, calming you.  Never underestimate the power of a few deep breaths!

With these tips and a good knowledge of the skills you learned in the classroom, you are sure to be a success!

Expert Contribution by: Nicolle Wagner, RN, BSN, RAC-CT

CNA training videos can be a great help to anyone who is studying to become a certified nursing assistant.  Videos are often used in CNA training courses.  The videos are often used to show students the proper process to use when completing a variety of certified nursing assistant tasks.  Individuals training to be nursing assistants can get a feel for the types of duties and responsibilities given to a CNA.

A CNA student can begin to learn about a job as a CNA while watching these videos.  The videos help a student to start to have an idea of what they will need to know when they begin their clinical portion of the exam and when they start to work as a certified nursing assistant.

Many of the training videos show a CNA working through their day.  People training to become a CNA can see what it is like to be a nursing assistant.  The videos can illustrate the type of situations that a CNA runs into in their time at work.  Those training to be a CNA will learn a great deal about a job as a CNA from watching training videos.

Nurse Aide training videos are sometimes used to show potential certified nursing assistants how to protect a patient’s privacy.  Often times, there will be videos to show what they should and should not to in order to ensure that all patients have their privacy protected.
These videos are often used to illustrate to students how to preserve a patient’s dignity as well.  The videos will show them and other staff members who are doing things in the best way and some people who are doing things in the wrong way.  This will help a CNA student to identify the best approach when maintaining a patient’s privacy and dignity.

There are CNA training videos that show step-by-step instructions for the most common duties of a CNA.  These videos serve as a good starting point for those training to be a CNA.  The videos can give the training CNA a good idea of how to safely complete all duties.  Individuals can watch videos more than once and ask questions in order to be better prepared to complete these tasks during the clinical portion of their training program.

Videos are often a good resource for those who are studying for the certification exam.  They provide a good way to brush up on the skills and information that was covered during the CNA training course.  CNA students can carefully view videos in order to make certain they are prepared for both the written and skills portion of their certification exam.

Depending on the area where you are completing a CNA, certification test, the skills tests can vary a little.  For example, some tests will make you demonstrate only about 3 different nursing assistant skills, while others will make you demonstrate as many as six.  Some of the skills that you might be asked to demonstrate can vary too depending on the state in which you will be working as a nursing assistant.  There might be some duties in one state that do not fall under the duties of a nursing assistant in another.

Some CNA skills test will allow you to select the duties that you want to demonstrate for the person administering the test.  Other tests will not give you a choice.  You will be asked to complete random tasks as instructed by the testing individual.

There will be someone who will serve as the patient.  This allows you to show your skills before you enter into an actual live setting with patients.   You can be asked to complete simple skills or those that are more complex.  It is likely that you will have to show a combination of the two throughout your test.

You can be asked to demonstrate just about any skill that you will use as a certified nursing assistant.  You might be asked to demonstrate how you would feed a patient who is unable to eat on their own.  The instructor might ask you to show how you would take a patient’s vital signs for the beginning of your shift.  Your test administrator might ask you to show the proper way to reposition a patient in order to prevent bedsores. These are just a few of the skills you might be asked to model during your skills test for CNA certification.

Remember all aspects of a test when tasking.  For example, you must wash your hands before contact with each patient.  Regardless of what your skill is that you will be demonstrating you should show that you remember to wash your hands.  You cannot enter into a patient’s room (even if it is not actually a patient but merely the person helping you model your skills) without knocking on their door.

When you are preparing to take the CNA skills test, you should study all the material you covered during your training course.  If you have access to CNA training Classes demonstration videos, you should watch those and practice along before it is time to take your test.  Practice the skills that you will need to demonstrate with friends or family members to prepare you for testing under the pressure of being watched and graded.  Do not despair if you do not pass on your first attempt.  Just give it another go when you are able.