Become a CNA in California

The California Department of Health uses the National Nurse Aide Assessment Program through Pearson VUE for the CNA competency examination. California is divided into northern and southern zones, both of which have several regional testing centers. Applicants must be approved by the Department of Public Health before they can register to take the test.

The examination has two parts. The knowledge exam can be taken in a written or an oral format, but the choice must be indicated on the application. The knowledge test has 70 multiple-choice questions in the case of the written option and 60 multiple-choice questions plus ten reading comprehension questions in the case of the oral. Applicants are given two hours to complete this.

The skills section is performed in front of a Nursing Assistant Evaluator. Students are given 25 minutes to complete four randomly chosen CNA skills on a volunteer actor plus demonstrate correct hand washing techniques. Scores for both the knowledge and skills sections will be given while the student is still at the testing site.

The fee for the test is $90 for the written version and $105 for the oral version. Students must pass both sections of the examination within two years of training completion to avoid having to retrain. During these two years, they can take each section a total of three times until they pass. Those who fail will only need to redo the section that they failed rather than the entire test.

California often practices reciprocity for CNAs. CNAs moving to California from out-of-state may apply for reciprocity if they are certified in a state that uses the competency evaluation requirements of OBRA ’87. In addition, they must be listed as active on their state’s registry and be in good standing with the state with no complaints of patient abuse, neglect or maltreatment. Applicants will need to fill out the initial application, have Live Scan fingerprinting performed and send in a copy of their out-of-state certification to the California Department of Public Health. They will also need to send in verified paperwork showing that they have performed nursing-related care under the supervision of a licensed nurse within the past two years. Reciprocity is free.

California CNAs must renew their certifications every two years to remain active. The state sends out renewal reminders approximately four months prior to the expiration date. To renew, CNAs must have worked at least 8 hours for pay performing nursing-related tasks under the supervision of a licensed health care worker, and they must have completed 48 hours of in-service continuing education. A certification is considered lapsed if the individual did not work at all in the past 24 months. Those whose certifications have lapsed will need to retake the certification examination if they wish to be reactivated. Renewal costs $30. Those who renew late will need to pay additional fees of up to $85.

Schedule your CNA Examination here
Candidate Handbook
Application for Endorsement
Renewal Application

Links
California Department of Public Health
California Board of Registered Nursing
California Nurses Aide Registry
Verify your CNA licenses here

Contacts
CNA/HHA Certification Unit
P.O. Box 997416, MS 3301
Sacramento, CA 95899-737
Phone: (916) 552-8811
Fax: (916) 552-8785
Email: [email protected]