CNA exam study group

For me, the written part wasn't the problem. Doing the skills in the time allotted was the problem for me and most of my classmates. I think you only need like a 70% to pass on the written part. If you had a text, I would go over the review sections to study for the written part. Also, if you have the skills down, the written part should come a lot easier. Good luck!

Monkeyduty,

Yes, I don't expect the written portion to be difficult. It's the sitting down and memorizing all the bloody procedural steps for patient care. None of which I ever saw in practice during the practicals. Why? Because no one has 25 minutes to change a brief and get someone ready for breakfast. You have 10 minutes at most. So, I'd like to meet up with some people, get a list of procedures that have to be learned by a specific time, and go over them.

How did you guys end up doing on the skill exam? I have taken it twice now and have failed both times... last time to try is this Saturday. I feel like I am doing all the right steps, is there something not on the sheet that they are looking for?

I took my class at PCC. I used their study guide rather than the one posted online by OSBN. The PCC guide was more thorough in all the finer points.

For future test takers: The written exam is so easy it's criminal. It's the skills test. So our school had a skills booklet with 40+ skill pages. HDMaster.com listed 28 skills. I concentrated on those 28 right before my test. Testing day, someone from my school's office was there and she said they just reduced the number of possible skills to 19 (that you could be skill tested on). Now they haven't upgraded the skills on Headmaster since June, and the OSBN site is no help. But I would ask at your school if they have a list of what skills will be tested on.

I'm finding it odd that basically a CNA 1 washes and takes vitals. That's it. We don't even replace a band aid. And the testing involved in the skills is a joke. Of course you're going to forget to lock the bed when the beds in your practical were so old they were hand cranked and the locks on the wheels were broken off.... and other such cold hard facts. A CNA needs a strong back and a good personality. Figure out a test for that! Yet the CNA 2 has no formal test. And getting accurate info (headmaster vs your school manual vs OSBN site) is a whole skill set in itself. I'm just saying the real test is how you work with what you are handed at the facility. That's real life.

Having gone through the CNA program and test, I've come to learn what I can expect from the medical profession (though my goal is to be a NP). Perfection is expected from oneself, but don't expect it reciprocated. I pointed out a number of discrepancies during the classroom and testing portions, but my observations were frowned upon. Seriously, the only reason I got the CNA cert was to put it on my application to nursing school.

Well if anyone is still looking for a study buddy I'd love to meet up since it's been a year since my CNA class and I haven't even scheduled my third CNA skills test I'm so nervous I'll fail! I passed the written test just fine, but somehow keep messing up on a small thing during one skill. It's frustrating because they don't exactly tell you WHY you failed a skill, just that you did.

Either way I really do want to get my CNA so I can work during nursing school. I live in Gresham and really would like to study with someone else in the field instead of on my boyfriend haha.