FREE New Jersey CNA Exam Guide 2026: Skills First, PSI Test and Fees

New Jersey CNA in 2026: pass skills first, then book PSI

For the usual new-candidate route, New Jersey CNA certification requires 90 hours of approved training, a D&S/Headmaster skills evaluation, a PSI written or oral knowledge examination, and a criminal background investigation. Pass skills before scheduling the knowledge test. Budget $84 for skills plus written, or $95 for skills plus oral; those are combined testing totals, not the price of either component alone.

The knowledge examination has 60 questions, 90 minutes, and a 75% passing score. The skills evaluation assigns hand washing plus four randomly selected tasks. This guide uses the PSI New Jersey Candidate Information Bulletin, updated June 2026, together with current NJ Department of Health (DOH) pages, checked October 10, 2026. Use the live PSI NJ program portal to check for later instructions before paying.

Start with free New Jersey CNA practice questions, then use the official task sheets with your instructor for hands-on preparation. OpenExamPrep provides independent study materials. Practice results do not establish eligibility or replace a supervised clinical demonstration.

Your route determines what to do next

The DOH certification page explains these alternatives. A CHHA does not automatically have to repeat the entire CNA course: DOH lists a route involving the approved Long-Term Care Module, with a clinical skills evaluation still required. Equally, nursing experience or hospital employment alone does not establish a waiver. Get approval for your actual qualifications.

Before paying tuition: verify approval and the full bill

The standard Nurse Aide in Long Term Care Facilities Training and Competency Evaluation Program, or NATCEP, consists of 50 classroom hours plus 40 clinical hours. Ask the school to identify its approved program and clinical placement. The DOH approved-program list revised August 31, 2026 specifically says it does not include all approved programs operated by licensed nursing homes or assisted living facilities. Absence from that particular list is a reason to confirm with DOH, not proof that a facility program is unapproved.

Request a written quote separating tuition, books, uniforms, clinical requirements, testing, and any fingerprint appointment charges. Ask whether an employer or program pays the examination fees. Avoid treating a school's advertised package price as a statewide fee.

Also request the school's written admission requirements. Age policies, education documents, health clearance, and clinical-site requirements should be checked for that program. Do not assume that every NJ CNA candidate must already be 18 or have a high-school diploma: the DOH CNA application training guide, section 7.6, describes a minimum age of 16 for the application record. That portal rule does not remove school admission policies or restrictions on a minor's employment.

For the background investigation, follow the forms supplied for your route. DOH's CBI page requires new and reciprocal applicants to complete the application and schedule fingerprinting. It states that processing the CBI application and fingerprint form carries no charge; do not read that as a promise that every separate appointment or school expense is free. Start early: DOH advises allowing at least 12 weeks for CBI processing. Passing both tests does not excuse an incomplete background investigation.

Two vendors, separate payments: the actual exam budget

The June 2026 PSI bulletin lists the following examination fees:

First-time written route: $27 + $57 = $84. First-time oral route: $27 + $68 = $95. Choosing oral changes the knowledge component, adding $11 to that combined total. Training and other personal costs are separate. A failed portion requires its applicable fee again; do not pay for a whole new combined package without checking which examination you need.

Your training program or approved alternate route registers you in New Jersey TestMaster Universe (TMU). Complete the examination application there and pay the skills component to D&S. After passing skills, schedule the knowledge component through PSI and pay its fee. Keep each receipt and confirmation, since a PSI voucher does not pay a D&S skills bill.

Use the D&S New Jersey program page for skills questions: 877-851-2355. The current PSI bulletin lists 855-898-0718 for knowledge-test scheduling. The NJ registry contact remains 877-774-4243. Calling the right service helps resolve a missing training record, a payment issue, or a score transfer without repeated applications.

For disability accommodations, request approval before choosing your appointment. PSI's bulletin directs candidates with approved accommodations to schedule by telephone with the accommodations team. If reading English is difficult, ask about the English or Spanish oral examination during scheduling. It is an audio version of the knowledge examination, not a waiver of its passing standard.

Track both testing clocks, not just the training date

For the usual training route, the bulletin gives two years from training completion to pass both examinations. Once you start testing with your first skills attempt, it gives one year from that attempt to complete both. Plan against both deadlines; the later clock does not extend the earlier one.

For example, suppose training finished May 15, 2026 and your first skills attempt is January 15, 2027. The two-year training deadline is May 15, 2028, but the one-year attempt deadline is January 15, 2028. Your planning deadline is the earlier date, January 15, 2028. Record actual dates from your eligibility documents and ask the vendor to resolve any discrepancy before booking.

Three failures of skills or three failures of written/oral require retraining at a state-approved program. Do not interpret this as unlimited retakes until the calendar runs out. Waiver candidates have stricter conditions: the bulletin describes waivers valid for one year with one chance to pass each required examination. Follow the exact waiver letter if DOH has approved an exception for you.

After a skills failure, you must pass skills before proceeding to knowledge. A skills retest still consists of five tasks. If one task was failed, the bulletin says that task will be included on the next test. Use the feedback to repair the whole procedure, rather than memorizing only the missed step.

Prepare for PSI's 12-topic, 60-item knowledge outline

The June bulletin gives actual topic counts, rather than approximate generic CNA percentages:

Basic Nursing Skills and Personal Care together account for 17 of 60 items, so give them substantial attention while covering every smaller topic. The NJ outline is not the generic Credentia/NNAAP outline: a national practice site's 70-question format or topic percentages should not become your NJ exam rules.

At the published 75% standard, 45 of 60 is 75%. For pacing, 90 minutes divided by 60 questions is 1.5 minutes per question. These calculations help you understand the format; aim for understanding beyond a bare passing practice score. PSI provides an introductory computer tutorial of up to 15 minutes that does not count against examination time. During testing, the remaining time appears on screen, and you may return to responses while time remains.

Use a three-column error log after NJ practice: topic, reason for the error, and the rule you will apply next time. Include correct guesses. For an infection-control mistake, identify the contamination route you missed. For a resident-rights mistake, name the choice or privacy interest being protected. For a role question, distinguish the aide's observations and reporting responsibilities from a nursing assessment or treatment decision. Then explain why each other answer is less appropriate before trying a new question.

The New Jersey-specific question set contains 225 questions, checked October 10, 2026. That inventory is study material; the official knowledge test remains 60 items. Use generic CNA practice for additional concepts while checking NJ-specific logistics against the state bulletin.

Rehearse the actual 22-task list, not a borrowed national checklist

The bulletin's skills list covers these 22 tasks, grouped here for study:

Your assigned test is five tasks, beginning with hand washing and followed by four randomly selected tasks. Pass each task with at least 80% of its scored steps and no missed key step, as specified in the bulletin. Bolded key steps are task-specific. A general safety mnemonic cannot replace the official checklist or make every omitted introductory step an automatic failure.

Read the current task pages with your instructor before practicing. The NJ list includes gown/glove removal and nail care; it does not list the manual blood-pressure and catheter-care tasks that some generic national checklists include. Those topics can still matter in training and knowledge study, but they should not be advertised as assigned NJ skills tasks from this published list.

A useful rehearsal record has four fields: assigned scenario, missed scored step, contamination or safety issue, and complete repeat demonstrated without prompting. Have a partner use the official sheet silently while you perform the task. If you rehearse a transfer, prepare the equipment and finish the safety steps as well as moving the resident. For a measurement, physically record the result; saying the value is not a substitute for the required written entry.

The bulletin permits you to identify and repeat an incorrectly performed step during that same skill. It also permits hand washing to be verbalized at appropriate times in the remaining four tasks after the first hand-washing demonstration. These are testing instructions; they do not replace real-care infection-control policy. Ask for a scenario to be repeated if needed, and do not rely on evaluator coaching once the skill has begun.

A practical four-week preparation plan

This is a suggested self-study plan, separate from the required 90-hour training course. Adjust it to your instructor's assessment and appointment dates; no number of study hours guarantees a pass.

Keep both forms of preparation active from the first week. Because skills comes first, reserve supervised practice before that appointment rather than leaving it until after a written mock test. After passing skills, continue knowledge review while the result is processed and PSI scheduling becomes available.

Before booking, ask yourself: can I explain a wrong option instead of merely recognize a familiar answer? Can I complete a task without a partner reminding me what comes next? Are the CBI and application records actually progressing? If one answer is no, your next step is specific: revisit that concept, repeat that skill, or contact the service responsible for the missing record.

Separate the two test-day checklists

For PSI knowledge testing, the bulletin requires two forms of identification. The primary is valid government-issued photo identification bearing your signature. The secondary has your signature and preprinted legal name; listed examples include a signed credit card or Social Security card. The names must match the record supplied to PSI. Check the full accepted-ID list if your documents differ. An original Social Security card is not the only listed secondary option.

Plan to arrive 30 minutes before the appointment for check-in. Store phones, electronic watches, notes, bags, and other prohibited belongings as directed. The examination is computerized; do not bring personal pencils on the assumption that this is a paper test. Arrange for a driver or companion to wait elsewhere, because PSI does not allow accompanying guests to wait on the test-center property.

For D&S skills testing, follow the confirmation and training program's current directions for clothing, identification, location and equipment. Do not assume PSI's computer-room rules are a complete skills-site checklist. Recheck the exact date, venue and payment confirmation the day before each appointment.

For a PSI appointment change, the bulletin requires notice two days before the scheduled examination to avoid forfeiting the fee. Its example says a Monday appointment must be canceled by the previous Saturday. Use the website or speak directly with customer service; a voicemail is not an accepted cancellation. Confirm the separate D&S cancellation instructions for your skills appointment.

CNA, CHHA and hospital jobs are different decisions

New Jersey's Jobs That Care CHHA guidance explains home-care roles under an RN's written care plan and describes possible bridge training for existing CNAs. Use its approved-program search instructions and confirm the Board's application requirements. A CNA certificate alone is not a CHHA certificate, and a bridge course is not automatic certification.

Read the actual job posting before choosing a course. Ask the employer which credential and registry status it requires, who supervises the role, and whether training costs are covered. Do not choose a route from a blanket claim that every hospital job requires CNA or every home-care credential has the same scope. Becoming an LPN or RN later requires the applicable nursing education and licensing pathway; CNA experience does not itself confer a nursing license.

Reciprocity and renewal: avoid the seven-hour mix-up

Reciprocity is not ordinary renewal. DOH describes two routes for applicants with a current, valid out-of-state certificate and the required background and registry record. Route 1 uses 24 approved continuing-education hours within the preceding 24 months: 12 in Alzheimer's/dementia care and 12 across the other listed subjects. Route 2 uses 24 months of full-time nurse-aide employment, including at least 35 hours per week, with the latest work within the preceding 24 months; that route also requires NJ clinical skills and written/oral examinations. Ask PSI to identify the route and required documentation before paying. Seven recent paid hours alone are not the reciprocity rule.

Renewal is every two years. DOH's renewal page requires a current valid certificate, at least seven hours of paid nursing or nursing-related service in a licensed facility or agency within the preceding 24 months, no suspension or revocation, and the background-check requirement. The June PSI bulletin lists a $36 recertification fee and an in-person recertification process using your signed renewal form and identification.

Do not wait for the expiration date. Follow DOH's CBI update notice and obtain the employer signature. If a successful electronic fingerprint record can be reused, DOH may update the check from that image; if it cannot locate the record, the bulletin describes instructions for a new appointment. Use your actual notice rather than assuming everyone must be fingerprinted again or nobody must be.

If your certificate has expired, contact DOH before working under it. The bulletin distinguishes initial certification less than five years ago from more than five years ago, with different waiver or retraining requirements. Confirm your individual route, including boundary dates, rather than assuming a renewal payment restores an expired certificate.

Keep these official links beside your study materials

• PSI New Jersey bulletin, June 2026: fees, format, task checklists, attempts, identification and recertification.
• PSI NJ scheduling portal: knowledge appointments and current program documents.
• D&S New Jersey skills page and NJ TMU: skills records, scheduling and contacts.
• NJ DOH certification: training, alternative routes, reciprocity and the hospital distinction.
• NJ DOH CBI and renewal: background clearance and registry maintenance.

For a rule or eligibility question, call DOH at 866-561-5914 or email CNA@doh.nj.gov with "NATCEP" in the subject line. For study, return to free NJ CNA practice, keep an honest error log, and pair each knowledge topic with supervised rehearsal from the current task sheets.