CNA practice test (nurse aide knowledge exam practice): cram pack

Formula sheets, the key method steps for every topic and 4 practice problems, with full solutions at the back.

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1Formulas and methods

Nursing assistant (CNA) knowledge

Method

  1. Check whether the resident is in danger right now (not breathing, choking, a fall, chest pain, stroke signs); if so, keep them safe and get the nurse at once.
  2. Ask whether the task is within the nursing assistant’s scope and training; if not, decline politely and tell the nurse.
  3. Respect the resident’s rights: privacy, choice, refusal of care, dignity and freedom from abuse and unneeded restraints.
  4. Apply the basic rules: hand hygiene, body mechanics, bed low and call light within reach, weak side first when dressing.
  5. Observe and report: compare with the resident’s usual state and report changes promptly and objectively.

Nursing math & unit conversions

Metric steps
1 kg = 1000 g, 1 g = 1000 mg, 1 mg = 1000 mcg, 1 L = 1000 mL
Weight and length
1 kg = 2.2 lb, 1 lb = 16 oz, 1 in = 2.54 cm, 1 ft = 12 in
Household measures
1 tsp = 5 mL, 1 tbsp = 15 mL, 1 fl oz = 30 mL, 1 cup = 8 fl oz = 240 mL
Temperature
°C = (°F − 32)·5/9, °F = °C·9/5 + 32
24-hour clock
PM hours 1–11: add 12; 12 AM = 00:xx; 12 PM = 12:xx
Dose rate
mcg/min × 60/1000 = mg/h
Laboratory factors
glucose 1 mmol/L = 18 mg/dL; creatinine 1 mg/dL = 88.4 µmol/L; Hb 1 g/dL = 10 g/L

Method

  1. Write the given quantity with its unit and the unit you want.
  2. Pick the equivalent: 1000 between kg, g, mg and mcg or L and mL; 1 kg = 2.2 lb; 1 tsp = 5 mL, 1 tbsp = 15 mL, 1 fl oz = 30 mL, 1 cup = 240 mL.
  3. Write it as a fraction so that the unwanted unit cancels; for a rate, use one fraction per unit that changes.
  4. Check the direction: a smaller unit gives a bigger number.
  5. Round only the final answer, to the precision the question names.

2Practice problems

1.Nursing assistant (CNA) knowledgeMedium

When taking a tympanic (ear) temperature on an adult, how is the outer ear pulled?

  1. AForward toward the face
  2. BUp and back
  3. CStraight down
  4. DDown and back
2.Nursing assistant (CNA) knowledgeHard

After 10 minutes, a resident's skin under an ice pack looks pale and white, and she says it feels numb. What should the nursing assistant do?

  1. AAdd more ice to the pack
  2. BLeave it on because the cold is working well
  3. CMove the ice pack directly onto the skin
  4. DRemove the ice pack and report it to the nurse
3.Nursing math & unit conversionsMedium
184 cm1 in = 2.54 cmh = ? in

Practice exercise (made-up values, not clinical guidance). A patient is 184 cm tall. Using 1 in = 2.54 cm, find the height h in inches. Round to one decimal place.

184 cm1 in = 2.54 cm
h = in
4.Nursing math & unit conversionsHard
00:0022:1506:05t = ?

Practice exercise (made-up values, not clinical guidance). An infusion starts at 22:15 and finishes at 06:05 the next morning (24-hour clock). How many minutes t did it run?

22:1506:05
t = min

3Solutions

1.Nursing assistant (CNA) knowledge

Answer: B · Up and back

Why this is the answer

For adults, the outer ear is gently pulled up and back to straighten the ear canal so the probe points toward the eardrum. (For young children it is pulled down and back.)

Answer

B · Up and back
2.Nursing assistant (CNA) knowledge

Answer: D · Remove the ice pack and report it to the nurse

Why this is the answer

Pale, white or bluish skin and numbness under a cold application are warning signs of injury. The application is removed and the nurse is told.

Answer

D · Remove the ice pack and report it to the nurse
3.Nursing math & unit conversions

Answer: h = 72.4 in

Household measures and weight: nursing exams use rounded equivalents: 1 teaspoon (tsp) = 5 mL, 1 tablespoon (tbsp) = 15 mL = 3 tsp, 1 fluid ounce (fl oz) = 30 mL = 2 tbsp, and 1 cup = 8 fl oz = 240 mL. For weight, 1 kg = 2.2 lb and 1 lb = 16 oz; for length, 1 inch = 2.54 cm. Set the conversion up so that the unit you do not want cancels out.

Centimetres to inches

h = 184/2.54 = 72.44 ≈ 72.4 in

Answer

h = 72.4 in
4.Nursing math & unit conversions

Answer: t = 470 min

24-hour clock: from 1 PM onwards add 12 to the hour (3:45 PM = 15:45). Midnight to 12:59 AM is 00:00–00:59, and 12:00–12:59 PM stays 12:00–12:59. Going back, subtract 12 from hours 13–23 and add PM; hours 00 become 12 AM. Count time across midnight in two parts: up to 24:00 (00:00), then from 00:00 on.

Before midnight

22:15 → 24:00 = 105 min

After midnight

00:00 → 06:05 = 365 min

Total

t = 105 + 365 = 470 min

Answer

t = 470 min

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