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Certified Nursing Assistant Examination (CNA) Syllabus
State-administered competency exam required to work as a certified nursing assistant in the US.. The complete Certified Nursing Assistant Examination (CNA) outline — 7 subjects, 26 chapters and 116 topics — laid out so you can see exactly what has to be covered and tick each item off as you go.
Certified Nursing Assistant Examination (CNA) subjects
Each subject below has its own page with the full chapter → topic → sub-topic tree and a set of real exam-style flashcards.
4 chapters · 18 topics · 32 sub-topics
Safety, Infection Control, and Emergency Care4 chapters · 21 topics · 30 sub-topics
Basic Nursing Skills and Clinical Care5 chapters · 25 topics · 36 sub-topics
Personal Care and Activities of Daily Living (ADLs)4 chapters · 16 topics · 22 sub-topics
Anatomy, Physiology, and Common Health Conditions3 chapters · 13 topics · 12 sub-topics
Psychosocial, Cognitive, and Mental Health Care3 chapters · 12 topics · 12 sub-topics
Restorative Care, Rehabilitation, and End-of-Life Care3 chapters · 11 topics · 14 sub-topics
Certified Nursing Assistant Examination (CNA) flashcard decks
380 question-and-answer cards across 7 decks, written against this syllabus. Preview any deck free.
- Role of the Nurse Aide and Legal/Ethical Foundations — 75 cards
- Safety, Infection Control, and Emergency Care — 51 cards
- Basic Nursing Skills and Clinical Care — 51 cards
- Personal Care and Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) — 52 cards
- Anatomy, Physiology, and Common Health Conditions — 50 cards
- Psychosocial, Cognitive, and Mental Health Care — 50 cards
- Restorative Care, Rehabilitation, and End-of-Life Care — 51 cards
How to work through the Certified Nursing Assistant Examination (CNA) syllabus
The outline on this page is arranged the way the syllabus itself is: subject, then chapter, then topic, then sub-topic. That last level is what most study plans skip, and it is where coverage actually goes wrong — a chapter marked "done" often has three sub-topics inside it that were never touched.
Weight your plan accordingly: Basic Nursing Skills and Clinical Care carries 25 topics while Restorative Care, Rehabilitation, and End-of-Life Care carries 11. Giving both the same number of weeks is the most common planning mistake for Certified Nursing Assistant Examination (CNA).
The ~120 hour estimate above is a first pass only: roughly 45 minutes per topic plus 12 minutes per sub-topic. Revision cycles, past papers and mocks sit on top of that number.
Certified Nursing Assistant Examination (CNA) syllabus FAQ
What subjects are in the Certified Nursing Assistant Examination (CNA) syllabus?
Certified Nursing Assistant Examination (CNA) covers 7 subjects: Role of the Nurse Aide and Legal/Ethical Foundations, Safety, Infection Control, and Emergency Care, Basic Nursing Skills and Clinical Care, Personal Care and Activities of Daily Living (ADLs), Anatomy, Physiology, and Common Health Conditions, Psychosocial, Cognitive, and Mental Health Care and Restorative Care, Rehabilitation, and End-of-Life Care. Together they contain 26 chapters and 116 named topics.
How much do you have to study for Certified Nursing Assistant Examination (CNA)?
The full Certified Nursing Assistant Examination (CNA) outline breaks down into 26 chapters, 116 topics and 158 sub-topics. Basic Nursing Skills and Clinical Care is the largest single subject with 25 topics across 5 chapters.
How long does it take to cover the whole Certified Nursing Assistant Examination (CNA) syllabus?
Roughly 120 hours for one full pass. That estimate allows about 45 minutes per topic plus 12 minutes per sub-topic, so it is first-pass coverage — revision, past papers and mock tests sit on top of it. At 3 hours a day that is about 6 weeks.
Are there Certified Nursing Assistant Examination (CNA) flashcards?
Yes — 380 question-and-answer flashcards across 7 decks, one per subject, written against this syllabus. A sample of every deck is readable on this site for free, and the complete decks are in the Examius app.
Is this Certified Nursing Assistant Examination (CNA) syllabus free to use?
Yes. Every page here is free to read, and importing the Certified Nursing Assistant Examination (CNA) syllabus into the Examius app to tick off topics as you finish them is free too, in United States and everywhere else. No account is needed to start.
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