May 1, 2026
Failed the CNA Exam — What to Do Next
Failing the CNA exam does not end your career. Here is exactly what to do after a failed attempt — retake rules, waiting periods, and how to pass the second time.
First — Take a Breath
Failing the CNA exam is more common than most people realize. National first-attempt pass rates for the written exam hover around 75–80%, which means roughly 1 in 4 candidates does not pass on their first try. For the clinical skills test, pass rates are often lower — closer to 65–70% in many states.
You are not alone, and this is not the end. The exam can be retaken, and the vast majority of people who fail once go on to pass the second time — especially when they know exactly what went wrong and how to fix it.
Here is what to do right now.
Understand What Your Score Report Tells You
When you fail the NNAAP written exam, your score report breaks down your performance by content area. This is critical information — do not ignore it.
The six content areas are:
• Physical Care Skills (45% of exam)
• Safety & Emergency Procedures (14%)
• Infection Control (14%)
• Resident Rights (11%)
• Psychosocial Care Skills (8%)
• Role of the Nurse Aide (8%)
Your score report shows your performance in each category. If you failed by a small margin and scored well across most areas, you likely have one or two weak topics dragging you down. If you scored below average across the board, your study approach needs to change — not just your study time.
For the clinical skills test, your evaluator's checklist will show exactly which steps you missed. Review it carefully. Missing a required step (like handwashing at the start or end of a skill) can fail an otherwise correct demonstration.
Know Your State's Retake Rules
Retake policies vary by state, but most follow the same general framework:
• You can retake the exam up to 3 times total within 24 months of completing your training program. After 3 failed attempts or 24 months, most states require you to complete a new CNA training program before testing again.
• There is typically a waiting period between attempts — usually a few days to a few weeks depending on your state and testing provider.
• If you failed only one part (written or skills), many states allow you to retake just the failed portion — you do not need to redo the part you passed. Confirm this with your state's nurse aide registry.
Here are the testing providers by state:
• Prometric administers the exam in Texas, Florida, and many others. Visit prometric.com to schedule a retake.
• Pearson VUE administers the exam in New York, Illinois, and several other states. Visit pearsonvue.com to schedule.
• Credentia administers the exam in North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, California, and others. Visit credentia.com to schedule.
• HDmaster (D&S Diversified Technologies) administers the exam in Ohio, Michigan, and others. Visit hdmaster.com to schedule.
• Check your state's Department of Health or nurse aide registry website to confirm your testing vendor.
Contact your testing provider directly after receiving your score report. They will tell you the earliest date you can schedule your next attempt.
What to Do Differently This Time
Candidates who fail once and study the same way almost always fail again. Here is what changes the outcome:
**1. Study from your score report, not from scratch.**
Do not re-read every chapter of your textbook. Go directly to the topics where you scored weakest and drill those specifically. If Physical Care Skills was your lowest area, spend 80% of your study time there.
**2. Use practice tests the right way.**
Taking practice questions and checking answers is not enough. For every question — right or wrong — read the explanation and understand why that answer is correct. The real exam will rephrase questions. You need to understand concepts, not memorize answers.
**3. Simulate real exam conditions.**
Sit down and take a full 70-question timed practice test in one sitting. 90 minutes, no breaks, no looking things up. This builds the mental stamina the real exam requires and exposes whether pacing is an issue for you.
**4. Aim for 80% on practice tests before you sit again.**
The passing score is 70%, but you want a buffer. If you are scoring 72–74% on practice tests, a bad day can fail you. Get to 80% consistently before scheduling your retake.
**5. For the skills test: practice the full skill, not just the steps.**
Most candidates who fail the clinical skills test know the steps — they lose points on the framing (not announcing what they are about to do, forgetting hand hygiene between tasks, or not maintaining privacy throughout). Practice out loud, start to finish, as if an evaluator is watching.
How Long Should You Wait Before Retaking?
The minimum waiting period is set by your state and testing provider — usually a few days. But waiting the minimum is not always the right move.
A good rule of thumb: reschedule when you are consistently scoring 80% or higher on full-length practice tests — not before. Rushing back too soon without changing your preparation is the most common reason candidates fail a second time.
For most people, 2–3 weeks of focused preparation is enough to significantly improve a failed attempt. If you failed by a wide margin or struggled across multiple topic areas, give yourself 4 weeks.
For the skills test specifically, practice every day until the steps feel automatic. Physical repetition — actually going through the motions of handwashing, transfers, vital sign measurement — beats reading about them every time.
Use Free Resources to Study Smarter
You do not need to buy anything to prepare for your CNA retake.
CertPrepAcademy.com offers a free 70-question NNAAP practice test with 501 total questions spanning all six content areas. Every question includes a detailed explanation so you understand why each answer is correct — not just which one to pick.
You can also filter by topic to focus your study time on the areas where you scored lowest. No account required, no paywall on the core content.
Additionally, your state's testing provider (Prometric or Pearson VUE) publishes a free candidate handbook that lists every possible clinical skill and the exact steps evaluators use to score them. Download it and practice from the actual checklist.
You have already done the hard part — completing a CNA training program and sitting for the exam. You know more than you did on test day. With targeted preparation, the second attempt is yours.
Put this knowledge to the test
Free practice tests, study guides, and flashcards — all six NNAAP topics.
Take a Free Practice Test →