How hard is CNA school?

CNA schools typically range from four weeks to three months and cover everything that you need to learn to take the CNA exam. While the program does not seem to take very long, it can be time-consuming. CNAs reported spending between 75 and 180 hours studying to learn new skills.

After completing a CNA school, you will need to pass the Certified Nursing Assistant Exam before being able to practice as a CNA. The exam measures your nursing skills, knowledge, and ability levels. The exam consists of a written or oral portion and a hands-on aspect of the exam.

You must successfully pass both portions of the exam in order to receive your license and be able to practice. In the event that you pass one section but fail the other, you are allowed to retake only the section that you failed rather than retaking both exams.

Some states allow you to take the exam without going to CNA school first. The exam can be hard if you do not have the knowledge and skills needed to pass the exam. The written section consists of approximately 70 questions. Having a firm grasp of the content learned in your school courses will help with this section.

The hands-on section consists of testing your skills in five of the 25 skill areas. This section is difficult because you must be competent in all 25 skill areas to do well. Those who are only competent in ten of the 25 areas may struggle as the tester will randomly select which skills to evaluate.