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

Which sense is thought to remain the longest in a dying person?

  1. ASmell
  2. BSight
  3. CHearing
  4. DTaste
2.Nursing assistant (CNA) knowledgeHard

A resident who is choking becomes unresponsive while the nursing assistant gives abdominal thrusts. What should the nursing assistant do next?

  1. AProp the resident in a chair and give sips of water
  2. BSweep a finger blindly through the mouth to find the object
  3. CKeep giving abdominal thrusts while holding the resident upright until help comes
  4. DLower the resident to the floor, call for emergency help and start CPR
3.Nursing math & unit conversionsMedium
94969810010210410635363738394041°F°C104.9 °F? °C

Practice exercise (made-up values, not clinical guidance). A patient’s temperature is 104.9 °F. Convert it to degrees Celsius T with °C = (°F − 32) × 5/9. Round to one decimal place.

104.9 °F
T = °C
4.Nursing math & unit conversionsHard
1 tsp? mL½ fl oz? mL4 tbsp? mLΣ = ? mL

Practice exercise (made-up values, not clinical guidance). During a shift a patient takes 1 tsp of cough syrup, ½ fl oz of juice, 4 tbsp of liquid supplement. Using the equivalents given, find the total oral intake V in mL.

1 tsp = 5 mL1 fl oz = 30 mL1 tbsp = 15 mL
V = mL

3Solutions

1.Nursing assistant (CNA) knowledge

Answer: C · Hearing

Why this is the answer

Hearing is thought to be one of the last senses lost, so staff speak to the dying resident, explain care and avoid saying things they would not want the resident to hear. Families are encouraged to talk to them too.

Answer

C · Hearing
2.Nursing assistant (CNA) knowledge

Answer: D · Lower the resident to the floor, call for emergency help and start CPR

Why this is the answer

When a choking adult becomes unresponsive, ease them to the floor, call for help (activate the emergency response) and begin CPR. Look in the mouth before breaths and remove an object only if you can see it; blind finger sweeps can push it deeper.

Answer

D · Lower the resident to the floor, call for emergency help and start CPR
3.Nursing math & unit conversions

Answer: T = 40.5 °C

Temperature: °C = (°F − 32) × 5/9 and °F = °C × 9/5 + 32. Subtract 32 before you multiply when going from °F, and add 32 after you multiply when going from °C. A quick check: 37 °C is 98.6 °F, and every 1 °C is 1.8 °F.

Subtract 32

104.9 − 32 = 72.9

Multiply by 5/9

T = 72.9·5/9 = 40.5 °C

Answer

T = 40.5 °C
4.Nursing math & unit conversions

Answer: V = 80 mL

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.

Each item in mL

1 tsp = 1·5 = 5 mL
½ fl oz = 0.5·30 = 15 mL
4 tbsp = 4·15 = 60 mL

Add

V = 5 + 15 + 60 = 80 mL

Answer

V = 80 mL

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