So nervous for the skills test

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I am about to complete my nursing assistant program and I am so scared for the skill test that you do in person. For people who have passed it, do you have any tips? I would greatly appreciate any advice or comfort. I keep getting the thought that I could fail the test three times and then would not make it. :grumpy:

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1st Study the steps of each skill. Make sure you take extra note on anything in bold print on the skills because they may be an instant fail if you miss them.

2nd Practice Practice Practice Take a family member or friend and practice the skills on them so you can feel more comfortable.

3rd When you are doing the skills ESPECIALLY HAND WASHING talk yourself through each of the steps and what you are doing. This helps prevent the tester from missing something like you washed underneith your nails but she did not notice and marks you down. If you state it while doing it they will know you understand all the steps to the skill.

4th NEVER GIVE UP AND STAY FOCUSED. If you mess up a skill, don't let it rattle you. Just keep going with confidence through the rest of your testing. I missed which I thought to be a critical step. As a matter of fact the tester had to stop me and tell me to do something before proceeding. This was on my first skill after hand washing, and I thought to myself well there goes that I am sure she is going to fail me. But I kept focused and did the other skills without a mistake, and to my surprise She passed me. I was beyond thrilled and even thanked her in person for passing me. Her response was well you did all the hard work. So I think maybe she passed me because with everything else I kept going and did not loose focus and made sure I wasn't going to make anymore mistakes. If I had let that mistake defeat me and I was showing it to the tester she might have seen someone without confidence then perhaps might not have passed me.

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Take your time, stay focused, and stop doubting yourself. Keep a positive head and you will do just fine.

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Oh also you might want to check out 4yourCNA from youtube. They go through all the skills and I am a visual learner and by seeing the flow of the skill being done helped me out a lot.

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Specializes in None yet..

All the tips stated before this.

Also, eat well, exercise and sleep well.

Talk through the steps when you take the test. It will keep you calm and reassured you know what you're doing and will help the examine who is only human and can let her attention wander.

Practice, practice, practice.

And if you don't make it the first time, well as a veteran on this site says, "Walls are there so you can decide how much you want it." (Or something close to that.) You can always retest... though of course you don't want to plan on that.

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Yep, take the handout/skills list and make sure to know the ones that are in bold print.

If you miss one of the skills in bold, you will have to retake the whole test at another time. I don't mean to scare you, just to prepare you.

Do say what you are doing. If you are going to grab washcloths, say "I'm going to grab the washcloths first."

Good luck!

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Specializes in None yet..
1st Study the steps of each skill. Make sure you take extra note on anything in bold print on the skills because they may be an instant fail if you miss them.

2nd Practice Practice Practice Take a family member or friend and practice the skills on them so you can feel more comfortable.

3rd When you are doing the skills ESPECIALLY HAND WASHING talk yourself through each of the steps and what you are doing. This helps prevent the tester from missing something like you washed underneith your nails but she did not notice and marks you down. If you state it while doing it they will know you understand all the steps to the skill.

4th NEVER GIVE UP AND STAY FOCUSED. If you mess up a skill, don't let it rattle you. Just keep going with confidence through the rest of your testing. I missed which I thought to be a critical step. As a matter of fact the tester had to stop me and tell me to do something before proceeding. This was on my first skill after hand washing, and I thought to myself well there goes that I am sure she is going to fail me. But I kept focused and did the other skills without a mistake, and to my surprise She passed me. I was beyond thrilled and even thanked her in person for passing me. Her response was well you did all the hard work. So I think maybe she passed me because with everything else I kept going and did not loose focus and made sure I wasn't going to make anymore mistakes. If I had let that mistake defeat me and I was showing it to the tester she might have seen someone without confidence then perhaps might not have passed me.

Excellent advice that says it all.

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Specializes in Pediatric Home Care, Dr Office/Clinic.

Be careful with 4yourCNA a lot of the skills on there are done differently than may be done in your state. So be sure to follow your CNA training book/manual & instructors instructions on how skills should be done to pass the CNA cert test in your state.

Practice on friends & family until it becomes second nature, type out the steps to skills that you are struggling with it is a great way to embed the steps into your brain. On exam day, before you start each skill take 5 seconds to breathe & think about & visualize what you need to do.

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Specializes in None yet..
Yep, take the handout/skills list and make sure to know the ones that are in bold print.

If you miss one of the skills in bold, you will have to retake the whole test at another time. I don't mean to scare you, just to prepare you.

Do say what you are doing. If you are going to grab washcloths, say "I'm going to grab the washcloths first."

Good luck!

BOLD is GOLD! Be sure you know and say these out loud.

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You can do this!

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Know your range of motion exercises! Everything else should come to you second nature. Relax and don't let all the color drain from your face and freeze like a deer in headlights like I did (I got my bearings and still passed). With hand washing, make sure you do it for long enough. You won't get docked for washing for too long, but you will for not long enough. Just wash like there is no tomorrow and don't forget to wash at the end too. Maintain privacy. Also wear your scrubs. I specifically asked if scrubs were required and was told no, come to find out that scrubs earn you professionalism points.

You will do fine! It's not quite as nerve wracking as it is made out to be. Relax, wear your scrubs, know your ROM exercises, and you should do great! I found that watching videos helped too. Good luck to you

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Always use a paper towel to turn the water on and off! ESPECIALLY with hand washing.

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