Missouri CNA

It has two parts: a written multiple-choice test covering the ten content domains of nurse assistant practice, and a clinical skills demonstration in which you physically perform assigned procedures while an evaluator observes. Both parts must be passed. DHSS publishes the authoritative format through its Licensing & Regulations pages, so confirm the current structure with DHSS or your training program before test day.

Those specifics are not published on the DHSS homepage, so treat any number you hear secondhand with caution and verify it with DHSS or your program. Rather than memorizing a target score, aim to consistently score well above the margin on practice sets so that small variations in exam length or cut score do not decide your result.

Retake rules, waiting periods and any associated costs are set by the state and are not listed on the DHSS homepage. Ask your training program or DHSS directly about the current policy before you sit for the exam, and find out whether a failed section can be repeated on its own or whether the full evaluation must be taken again.

Skills is the more common stumbling block, and usually for avoidable reasons: skipping hand hygiene at the start or end, forgetting to identify the resident, omitting a safety step such as lowering the bed or locking wheels, or dropping privacy and dignity safeguards under pressure. Written misses tend to cluster in infection control and safety sequencing.

Start with infection control, safety and emergency procedures, and resident rights, because those three underpin almost every skill you will demonstrate. Then move to personal care and activities of daily living, nutrition and hydration, and restorative care and mobility, which carry the most procedural detail. Finish with communication, mental health needs, cognitive impairment and the role of the nurse assistant, which are largely scenario-based.

Practice whole procedures start to finish, in the correct order, out loud, on a real setup rather than in your head. Say your hand hygiene, identification and safety checks aloud so they become automatic. Have someone watch you with a checklist and catch omissions. Repeating a skill correctly three or four times across separate days beats cramming it once.

Expect a mix. Basic nursing skills, infection control and nutrition lean on factual recall, while resident rights, communication, mental health and cognitive impairment are usually scenario questions asking for the best response. For scenario items, the answer is almost always the one that preserves dignity, offers choice, and keeps the resident safe.

DHSS groups them together under the CNA, CMT, LIMA & Insulin Registry, but they are distinct registry categories with their own training and authorization requirements. CNA certification is the entry point; medication technician and insulin administration are separate credentials layered on top. Check each category's requirements separately rather than assuming one covers another.

No. This is independent study material written for exam preparation and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or produced by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. Always treat DHSS as the final authority on eligibility, exam content, fees, scoring and registry status, and use your approved training program as the primary source for skills technique.