When helping a resident with exercises to improve mobility, the nurse aide SHOULD:

encourage the resident to do as much as possible

do the movements for the resident to save time

hurry the resident so the exercises end before lunch

push the resident to keep going through pain

A confused resident keeps trying to get out of bed alone at night. What should the nurse aide do FIRST?

Check whether the resident needs the toilet

Raise all of the side rails on the bed

Tuck the sheets in tightly across the bed

Ask the nurse for a restraint for the night

A staff member wants to take a resident's photo for the facility newsletter. FIRST, the staff member must:

get the resident's written consent

make sure the resident looks her best

tell the family the photo will be used

show the photo to the resident later

When talking with coworkers about a resident who needs help eating, the nurse aide SHOULD say:

"Mrs. Lee needs help with her meals."

"The feeder in Room 12 is ready."

"The total-care lady needs her tray."

"Our dependent one in 12 is up next."

Ohio's name for the nurse aide credential

STNA: Ohio's State Tested Nurse Aide exam, and how it compares with the CNA

STNA stands for State Tested Nurse Aide, Ohio's name for the credential most states call a CNA. You earn it the same way: finish a state-approved training program, pass Ohio's written and skills tests, and get listed on Ohio's nurse aide registry.

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2parts: a knowledge test and a skills test
4options per written item, one best answer
ODHthe Ohio Department of Health keeps the registry employers check

STNA vs CNA: the same job, a different name

An STNA and a CNA are the same federal role: a nurse aide under the OBRA '87 rules that govern nursing homes. Ohio names the credential after how you earn it, by passing a state test. The work, the supervision by a nurse and the residents' rights you protect are the same.

STNA and CNA side by side
	STNA (Ohio)	CNA (most other states)
What the letters mean	State Tested Nurse Aide	Certified Nursing Assistant
Federal role behind it	Nurse aide under OBRA '87	Nurse aide under OBRA '87
How you earn it	State-approved training, then Ohio's two-part test	Usually state-approved training, then that state's two-part test
Who runs the test (as of Oct 2026)	Headmaster/D&S Diversified Technologies	Depends on the state: NNAAP via Credentia in about 25, Prometric, Headmaster/D&S, others
Where your name goes	Ohio's nurse aide registry	That state's nurse aide registry
Moving states	No automatic transfer; the new state decides by endorsement	Same rule, in either direction

Vendor contracts change: California moved to Headmaster in 2025, and NNAAP moved from Pearson VUE to Credentia. Check the date on any handbook.

Ohio isn't the only state with its own title. You will see these on registries and job boards:

STNA: Ohio, the subject of this page
LNA: Licensed Nursing Assistant, the northern New England title (New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine)
NAC: Nursing Assistant Certified, Washington
Nurse Aide I: North Carolina's title for the entry-level nurse aide
GNA: Geriatric Nursing Assistant, a Maryland add-on layered on top of the nurse aide credential

How Ohio's STNA test works (as of Oct 2026)

As of Oct 2026, Ohio's STNA test is delivered by Headmaster/D&S Diversified Technologies, on its TMU testing system. Like every state's, it has two parts: a multiple-choice knowledge test and a hands-on skills test in front of an evaluator.

Headmaster sets the knowledge-test length state by state, so a count you read for another state will not match Ohio's. The numbers below show how much it moves:

75items in 60 min, California
65items, Michigan
75items, Wisconsin

Headmaster/D&S TMU knowledge tests in other states, as of Oct 2026. Ohio's item count, time limit and any oral option are in Ohio's current candidate handbook.

The items themselves look like any nurse aide test: one or two sentences about the resident, then four parallel choices with a single best one. The CNA test overview compares Headmaster with the other vendors.

The skills half

You perform a few randomly drawn skills while an evaluator checks each step. Ohio's handbook lists the skills and how they are scored, and that list gets revised, so learn the steps every skill shares first. The skills test guide walks through them.

Dress for the skills half

Wear the scrubs and closed-toe shoes you have already worked a shift in. You will be bending over a bed and walking around it while someone watches your hands; it is not the day to break in new shoes.

STNA test-day bag

The ID your Ohio handbook names, spelled exactly as on your registration
Your admission or confirmation letter, printed
Scrubs and broken-in, closed-toe shoes for the skills half
A quiet snack and a little water for before check-in, not a full bottle
Your test time and the site address written down, in case your phone has to be stored

Studying on a break? The app keeps the whole deck in your pocket, with progress saved between shifts.

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Getting onto Ohio's nurse aide registry

Passing both parts puts you on the Ohio Nurse Aide Registry, kept by the Ohio Department of Health. Employers check the registry before you work, so the listing is what makes you an STNA.

Finish a state-approved training program
Federal rules set a 75-hour floor, and many states require more. Your program tells you Ohio's current requirement and how to sign up for the test.
Pass the knowledge and skills tests
Schedule both through Ohio's test vendor, following the current candidate handbook for fees, ID and retake rules. Results are pass or fail; Ohio sets the passing standard.
Check your registry listing
Search the registry for your own name once your result posts. A typo or a missing entry is a five-minute fix now and an awkward one during a job offer.

What the registry also records

If Ohio substantiates abuse, neglect or theft of a resident's property against an aide, that finding is entered on the registry, and nursing homes cannot employ that aide. The knowledge test asks about this side of the job too. A resident offering you money as thanks gets a polite refusal; if a confused resident hands you something valuable, give it back and tell the nurse.

How registries, titles and certification fit together across states is on the certification page.

STNA practice questions

STNA practice is nurse aide practice: Ohio's knowledge test covers safety, infection control, daily care, residents' rights and communication, the same ground as every state. These 10 cards are written in that style.

Ohio's candidate handbook carries Headmaster's own content outline. It is similar to the 2024 NNAAP outline but not identical, so use the NNAAP weights only as a rough guide: physical care is most of any nurse aide test, and rights and communication run through the rest.

Card 1 of 10

Basic Nursing Skills

A resident who usually dresses without help can no longer button her blouse. The nurse aide SHOULD:

Pick an answer. The rationale flips up right here, on the back of the card.

0 right · 0 missed · 10 to go

Common trap

Don't answer "report to the nurse" on reflex. It is the key for changes, pain, safety risks and anything outside your role; the record-or-report table shows which findings simply go in the chart.

For a longer session, run the full practice deck one topic at a time, or sit the 60-card timed mock at a quiet table. One topic fits in a 20-minute break.

Moving to or from Ohio as a nurse aide

There is no national nurse aide license and no automatic transfer between states. An Ohio STNA who relocates applies to the other state's registry, which lists aides by endorsement under rules it alone sets. The same applies in reverse when an aide from another state moves to Ohio.

Before you move

Confirm your Ohio registry listing is active and the name matches your ID
Keep copies of your training certificate and test results in one folder
Ask the new state's nurse aide registry what it needs for endorsement
Expect a new title on your listing: CNA, LNA, NAC or Nurse Aide I

Questions people ask

What does STNA stand for?

State Tested Nurse Aide. It is Ohio's name for the nurse aide credential that most states call a CNA, a certified nursing assistant.

Is a CNA the same as a STNA?

In role, yes: both are nurse aides under the same federal nursing-home rules, trained and tested by their state. The difference is the title and the registry. An STNA is listed in Ohio, a CNA in another state, and moving between them goes through the new state's endorsement rules.

How to become a state tested nursing assistant in Ohio?

Finish a state-approved training program, pass Ohio's knowledge and skills tests (delivered by Headmaster/D&S as of Oct 2026), and confirm your listing on the Ohio Nurse Aide Registry. Fees, deadlines and retake rules are in the current Ohio candidate handbook.

Is a state registered nurse aide the same as a CNA?

In practice, yes. "Registered" refers to the state nurse aide registry that every aide who passes the competency test is listed on. States simply use different titles for the same federal nurse aide role.

Can I practise for the STNA with general CNA practice tests?

Yes. The content is the same nurse aide material: safety, infection control, daily care, rights and communication. What differs is the format, so take the item count and time limit from Ohio's current candidate handbook and practise against that clock.