South Carolina CNA exam-day guide
South Carolina CNA · Prepare for the day ahead.
Your checklist
Unexpired government-issued photo ID
A driver's license, state ID, passport, or military ID is typical. The name on the ID must match your registration exactly. Confirm the accepted ID list with your testing provider before test day - some sites reject expired or photocopied ID.
Test authorization or scheduling confirmation
Bring the admission letter, confirmation email, or candidate ID number your provider issued. Some sites accept walk-in verification by name, but do not rely on that - confirm with the provider.
Watch with a second hand (non-smart)
You may need to count a pulse or respirations during a skills scenario. Smartwatches and phones are usually prohibited in the testing room, so a plain wrist or clip-on watch is safest - confirm whether the site supplies a clock.
Clean, professional clothing and non-slip closed-toe shoes
Scrubs or plain comfortable clothing you can move and bend in work well. Avoid loose sleeves, dangling jewelry, and anything that interferes with gloves or hand hygiene.
Short, clean natural nails with no polish or artificial nails
Hand hygiene is almost always a scored skill, and long, polished, or artificial nails can cost you points. Trim nails before test day. Confirm any site-specific grooming rules with your provider.
Hair secured back; minimal jewelry
Plain wedding band only is a common standard; earrings, necklaces, and bracelets can interfere with skills and are often restricted. Confirm the provider's jewelry policy.
Two No. 2 pencils and a blue or black pen
Many sites supply materials, but bringing your own is low-risk. Do not bring notes, flashcards, or study sheets into the testing room.
Plan for belongings you cannot carry in
Most sites require phones, bags, and coats to be stored or left outside the testing room. Know in advance whether lockers are provided or whether you should leave valuables at home or with a companion.
Directions, parking, and a backup transportation plan
Do a route check the day before. Build in extra time for parking, check-in, and ID verification so a delay does not cost you your appointment.
Water and a snack for after the test
The skills portion can run long. Eat a real meal beforehand; keep the snack for afterward in case food is not allowed in the waiting area.
Mental rehearsal of the core skill sequences
Be ready to walk through hand hygiene, vital signs, transfers with a gait belt, repositioning, perineal care, denture/mouth care, bedpan use, and feeding. Practice saying the steps out loud - evaluators score what they see and hear.
Provider contact number written down (not only in your phone)
If something goes wrong - traffic, illness, missing ID - you want to call the site immediately. Keep the number on paper in your pocket.
Plan the day
Reread your scheduling confirmation. Verify the test date, arrival time, exact address, ID requirements, and anything the provider says to bring or not bring. Call the provider if anything is unclear; do not guess.
Run through each skill in the order you would perform it on a real resident: knock and identify yourself, explain the procedure, provide privacy, wash hands, gather supplies, raise the bed to a working height, lower the bed and lock brakes when done, leave the call light in reach. Practice on a pillow or a partner.
Trim nails, remove polish and artificial nails, and plan your outfit. These are small details that can affect scored steps.
Focus on safety, infection control, resident rights, positioning, and emergency response rather than memorizing trivia. Stop studying by the evening before so you sleep.
Confirm your ride or route, set two alarms, pack your ID, confirmation letter, pencils, watch, and clothes in one place. Charge nothing you need to bring - leave the phone at home or plan to store it.
Eat a normal dinner, hydrate, and go to bed at a reasonable hour. Cramming the night before tends to hurt performance on a hands-on test.
Eat breakfast, even if you are nervous. Arrive at the site with at least the buffer your provider recommends (often 30 minutes) so check-in is unhurried.
Present your ID and confirmation, sign in, and store your belongings as directed. Use the restroom before you are seated - ask about the break policy at check-in, not mid-exam.
Read every question fully and watch for words like 'first,' 'best,' 'except,' and 'never.' Answer every item - there is no penalty for a reasonable guess. Flag and return to hard items if the format allows.
Listen to or read the scenario carefully so you perform the right skill on the right side of the body. Say your steps aloud as you do them. If you are unsure what a scenario is asking, you may typically ask the evaluator to repeat the instructions - asking for hints about steps is not allowed. Confirm the exact rule with your provider.
Safety habits are scored every time: hand hygiene at the start and end, privacy, bed height and locked brakes, gait belt for transfers, call light within reach, and clean supplies separated from soiled. If you make a mistake, keep going calmly rather than restarting.
Ask the proctor how and when results are released and what the retake process is if a section is not passed. Confirm these details with your provider rather than assuming.
Rules to check
Bring a valid, unexpired photo ID whose name matches your registration; without acceptable ID you may be turned away. Confirm the accepted forms and name-change rules with your testing provider before test day.
Arrive early. Sites commonly set a cutoff after which you are not admitted, and a missed appointment can mean a lost fee. Ask your provider what its late-arrival and rescheduling policy is - do not assume a grace period.
Phones, smartwatches, notes, and study materials are not permitted in the testing room. Store them as directed; a device going off during the exam is treated as a testing irregularity.
No coaching. Family, friends, and instructors generally may not observe or signal you during the skills portion. Confirm the site's visitor policy in advance.
You may ask the evaluator to repeat or clarify the scenario instructions, but not to tell you which steps to perform or whether you are doing them correctly. Confirm the exact wording of this rule with your provider.
Skills are scored pass/fail against a checklist, and certain steps are critical: missing one critical step or performing an unsafe action typically fails that skill regardless of how well the rest went. Treat hand hygiene, privacy, and safety checks as non-negotiable.
The written and skills portions are usually scored separately, so passing one does not guarantee passing the other. Ask your provider for the passing standard and the retake policy for each portion.
Do not discuss, photograph, or reproduce exam content afterward. Sharing specific questions or skill scenarios violates testing-integrity rules and can invalidate your result.