How many questions are on the CNA exam in 2026?
The CNA written exam has 60 to 75 multiple-choice questions, depending on which company runs it in your state. Pearson VUE's NNAAP uses about 70 questions. Prometric uses 60. HeadMaster uses 75.
By provider
| Provider | Questions | Time | Used in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pearson VUE (NNAAP) | About 70 | 2 hours | Around 20 states, including CA, TX, PA |
| Prometric | 60 | 90 minutes | Around 10 states, including FL, NY |
| HeadMaster | 75 | Varies by state | Around 15 states |
Counts are the published formats. Your state board confirms the exact format on your authorization to test.
What about the skills test?
The written exam is only half of it. Every state also requires a clinical skills evaluation where you perform 3 to 5 randomly selected skills on a live person or a simulated client, while an evaluator reads from a checklist. That part is scored pass or fail, step by step, and it is where most retakes come from.
What score do you need?
Passing scores are set by the state, not the provider. Most states require somewhere between 70% and 80% on the written portion. On a 70-question exam, that is roughly 49 to 56 correct answers. The skills portion is usually all-or-nothing per skill: miss a critical step and the skill fails, even if the rest was perfect.
What that means for your preparation
A 70-question exam is short. There is no room to lose five questions to careless reading. The candidates who fail rarely lack knowledge. They misread except, first, best, or most important, and they pick the answer that sounds right instead of the one the checklist wants.
That is why practice has to be in exam format, with the same kind of wording, and with an explanation after every answer. Reading a manual does not train that reflex. Answering a few hundred questions does.
How many practice questions do you need?
Roughly four full exams is the minimum to see your weak domains clearly: about 280 questions. Below that, your score is noise. Above that, you are polishing, not learning.
25 questions in the real exam format, your score, and the exact topics that would fail you. No email, no signup.
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Are the questions multiple choice?
Yes, four options, one correct answer, on all three providers.
Is there a penalty for guessing?
No. Never leave a question blank.
Can I take the exam in another language?
Some states offer Spanish or other languages for the written portion. The skills test is usually in English. Check with your state board.