How difficult are the State Exams?

Dorali, BSN, LPN, RN · Mar 15, 2011

Here in OK, you take the skills portion first. They give you a few random skills to test on, plus a few that are given to everybody like vitals. If you don't pass that with a 100%, then you can't take the written portion and you have to reschedule to try again.

The written portion was a multiple choice test. It was a lot of questions, about 100 I want to say, but you have like 2 hours to do it. I did my test and went back over it to make sure I didn't miss anything and finished in plenty of time.

I scored a 98% on my test and was told that I got the highest score out of every one that tested that day! (Just to brag a little :) ). My advice to you is to keep all of the work they give you in class, especially your tests and use those to study. I spent several hours a week studying outside of class. Make sure that you do your assignments the very best you can, read what you're instructor tells you to, and you will do fine. The classwork is very thorough and actually harder than the state exam. Most of it is common sense stuff.

Good luck and let us know if you have any questions!!

Dondie

Qbert · Mar 15, 2011

Everything is easy.. Just don't shoot yourself in the foot with worry!

Skills are something everyone worries about and is where most people fail..

Something simple like not putting on gloves for shaving a patient will fail you. The instructors will usually ask "did you forget anything?" to let you reconsider what you will do differently.

Also they don't like when you talk out all of your steps out loud.. I seen some people do this.

Talk directly to your patient and be professional.

Hope this helps!

Starletta, CNA · Mar 15, 2011

Thank you. :)

Whom do you use as your "Patient"?

In the case mentioned above. i.e. Not putting on gloves to shave a patient. Student failed.

Are you allowed to take the test again at a later date?

Dorali, BSN, LPN, RN · Mar 15, 2011

Yes, you can retake it. The place I tested at even gave your money back if you fail the first time. I want to say you get 3 tries before you have to go back and take the class over again, or something like that.

The patient can be a friend or family member, as long as it isn't a classmate.

Kitsey · Mar 15, 2011

The written portion was super easy, my class ended Nov 10th and I took the test Jan 4th and didn't even crack my book open once to study for it. I DID spend a lot of time watching the skills on youtube though. That was the part I was worried about.

Here in WI we did the written first, and if you passed you got to do the skills part. Your partner was another person taking the test that day, determined by the time you turned in your written test. (1st and 2nd done with written were partners for skills, 3rd and 4th, etc.) Here we all had handwashing, and one measurement (either weight, pulse, respiration, or urine output) and then 3 additional random skills. I ended up with pulse, ROM knee and ankle, ambulate with transfer belt, and occupied bed. We had 30 min and were told when we had 5 min left. Found out if you'd passed right away. I passed, but my partner didn't. She forgot to lock the wheels on the wheelchair for her skill, and that was an auto fail. 4 of the 10 people at the site that day were retaking the skills, so yes, you can retake it if you don't pass. Here the fee was $115 for written and skills, and then if you needed to just retake skills it was $60 or 70.

chicagoing, ADN, RN · Mar 15, 2011

I'm only a few weeks into the program, but am already thinking about the State Exam.
Are they multiple choice questions, essays? How many questions????
Trick questions?
In case one fails, is there another chance to take it again? And how soon?
Clinical portion of the exam? I read that someone got to re-take it.
Are the Instructors real sticklers?
Maybe I'm a nervous Nelly, but after studying sooo much, it would be very disappointing not to pass.
I'm just hoping someone can give me an insight in the difficulty of it.
Thank you. :)
I am in CT if that makes a difference.

I completed my CNA class at a community college. Our state exam was proctored 2 months after the completion of our class. The questions were multiple choice - pretty much common sense. Our exam did not include essays. I don't recall the number of questions. Trick questions? I would say none. No one from my class failed but I know that you could retake the exam at a later time (how much later I'm not certain).

The clinical portion was termed "skills day" at our college. Students were tested on the bulk of the 20+ skills on that day. Points were only awarded for successful completion of the skill on the first try (we were given three attempts for each skill). I think only one person in our class of 8 passed all her skills on the first try that day. The instructors (ours and another) were sticklers (as they should be).

I was extremely nervous before the written portion of the exam but e-mailed a nursing student whom I was acquainted with, and she alleviated my nerves by telling me that the exam was a cakewalk.

NCRNMDM, ASN, RN · Mar 18, 2011

In North Carolina, you are required to take a written test and then, if you pass the written exam, you are required to take a skills test. The written test is an absolute breeze, and I have never heard of anyone failing it before. The skills test, however, is a totally different ball game. I have my CNA, am about to start nursing school, and and am in the top of my classes in college; all of that being said, I failed the skills exam on my first try, and was forced to go back and retake it. In NC, if you pass the written exam but fail the skills, you can retake only the skills portion. The first time I took the exam, my skills were: feed a client, wash hands, ROM on one knee and ankle, count and record a radial pulse, and modified bed bath. I proceeded through all the skills and, when it was over, I felt like I had passed. I was shocked when I got the paper back telling me that I had failed. The woman giving the test failed me because she said that when I was feeding the client I didn't give enough time between bites, I didn't put the signaling device close enough at the end, and I didn't tell the client what each bite of food was. She later told us that if you missed even one step on feeding, she would fail you. The second time I took the exam, my skills were: measure a urinary output, wash hands, assist to ambulate using a gait belt, ROM on one shoulder, and mouth care. I had studied incredibly hard during the entire week before my exam and, because of this, I was much more confident; the second time I took my exam, I passed with flying colors. The point I'm trying to make is that anyone, no matter how intelligent, can fail the exam. In NC, the exam is very subjective and the person giving the exam has a lot of room to decide whether you did things the way they should be done or not. My advice to you is practice continuously. Do each skill until you can do them without thinking and then, when the time comes and the pressure is on, you won't panic and forget the steps you need to take.

Qbert · Mar 18, 2011

Thank you. :)
Whom do you use as your "Patient"?
In the case mentioned above. i.e. Not putting on gloves to shave a patient. Student failed.
Are you allowed to take the test again at a later date?

We paired up with a classmate. Weren't allowed to coach the other and the instructors watch closely. The exam instructor gave us a scenario and told us to do a skill.

Yes you are allowed 2 retakes before they make you take the class over again. (here in California anyway)