Free Arkansas CNA Exam Flashcards

A full 60 seconds. The option to count for 30 seconds and multiply by two was removed effective July 1, 2026, and your recorded rate must be within 4 beats of the RN Test Observer's count.

Your recorded respiratory rate must land within 2 breaths of the RN Test Observer's. Count for a full 60 seconds and tell the observer when you start and stop; the 30-second doubling shortcut is no longer accepted.

Around the resident's waist to stabilize the trunk, tightened until you can just slip your fingers between the belt and the resident. Grasp the belt itself while walking, never the resident's arm or underarm.

Non-skid footwear, applied BEFORE the resident stands. Steps containing BEFORE or AFTER are order-dependent, so standing the resident first loses the step even if you add the shoes afterward.

Lock the bed brakes before moving the resident and lock the wheelchair brakes prior to sitting. The bed is also adjusted so the resident's feet rest flat on the floor before they stand.

Keep your feet apart for a wide base of support, bend at the knees and hips instead of the waist, hold the load close to your body, and pivot your feet rather than twisting your spine. Push or slide whenever you can instead of lifting.

Under the head, under the upper arm, behind the back, and between the knees to hold alignment and protect bony prominences. Also check that the resident is not lying on the downside arm and that the pillow never blocks the face.

Ask the resident to state their name and match it against the diet card, then provide hand hygiene for the resident before the meal. Sit at eye level facing them and offer small amounts at a pace that allows chewing and swallowing.

At least 20 seconds of friction with soap. This became a bolded key step on July 1, 2026, so missing it fails that entire task no matter how well you performed the other steps.

So water and contaminants run from the cleaner wrists toward the dirtiest fingertips and into the sink. Rinsing with hands raised sends dirty water back over skin you already cleaned.

With a clean, dry paper towel, or by using a knee or foot control or a motion sensor. The faucet handle is contaminated, so touching it with bare clean hands re-contaminates them and loses the step.

Sanitizer covers routine hand hygiene at the start and end of most tasks - cover all surfaces and rub until completely dry. Every Arkansas mandatory task still ends with soap-and-water washing, and visibly soiled hands always require soap and water.

Gown first, then gloves overlapping the gown cuffs at the wrist. To remove: gloves BEFORE the gown, then unfasten the neck and waist and fold the gown soiled area over soiled area before discarding it.

That blood and all body fluids, secretions, non-intact skin, and mucous membranes of every resident are potentially infectious, whatever the diagnosis. You do not wait for an isolation order before gloving up.

Front to back - from the vagina toward the rectal area - using a clean portion of the washcloth for every stroke. Wiping back to front drags rectal bacteria toward the urethra and causes urinary tract infections.

Hold the catheter where it exits the urethra and clean 3 to 4 inches down the tubing, stroking only away from the urethra with a clean section of cloth each time. Never allow the tubing to be pulled during the procedure.

Dress the affected (weak) side first; when undressing, remove the gown from the unaffected side first. Forcing a stiff or paralyzed limb through a sleeve last strains the joint and can injure it.

Between the toes. Wash, rinse, and dry thoroughly between the toes, then massage warmed lotion over the rest of the foot - trapped moisture between the toes leads to skin breakdown and fungal infection.

Soak the nails, clean underneath them with an orange stick, gently push cuticles back, and file each nail. Nurse aides do not cut or clip nails - that is a licensed nurse's task, especially for residents with diabetes.

Rescue anyone in immediate danger, Alarm by pulling the alarm and alerting staff, Confine the fire by closing doors and windows, and Extinguish or Evacuate. Rescue comes first: people before property.

Placing the call light or signaling device within the resident's easy reach before you leave. It is scored on almost every task, and a resident who cannot summon help has been left unsafe.

Give abdominal thrusts until the object comes out or the resident becomes unresponsive, then call for help. If the resident can still cough forcefully or speak, the airway is only partly blocked - encourage coughing and do not intervene.

Whenever it is raised to keep a resident from getting out of bed rather than to help the resident reposition themselves. Restraints require a physician's order, must be the least restrictive option, and are never used for staff convenience or discipline.

Ease them to the floor while protecting the head, then stay with them and call for the nurse. Never try to hold a falling resident upright - you will likely injure both of you.

A multiple-choice knowledge exam and a manual skill test, both administered by D&SDT-Headmaster for Arkansas DHS. You must pass both parts before your name goes on the Arkansas Nurse Aide Registry (ARNAR).

75 multiple-choice questions in a maximum of 60 minutes on a computer, and you need 76% or better to pass. Audio and Spanish versions exist; on the audio version only the first 67 questions are read aloud.

You receive 3 or 4 tasks within a 30-minute limit and must earn at least 80% of the steps on every task while performing all bold key steps. Missing a single key step fails that task.

Three attempts, and they must all fall within one year of completing your training program. Failing three times, or letting the year lapse, means retraining in a DHS-approved 90-hour program before you can test again.

Renew in your TMU account every 24 months after working for pay as a nurse aide at least 8 consecutive hours during that period, verified by your employer. Going 24 consecutive months with no paid nursing-related work ends your eligibility until you re-pass both exam parts.

The finding is entered on the Arkansas Nurse Aide Registry along with neglect and misappropriation of resident property, and aides carrying a misconduct restriction are not eligible to renew. Any employer who checks the registry sees it.

Only the care team members who need the information to do their jobs. Talking about residents with family, other residents, or in hallways and elevators breaks confidentiality and violates HIPAA.

Honor the refusal and report it to the charge nurse - residents have the legal right to refuse any care or treatment. Giving care over a refusal is battery, no matter how necessary the care seems.

Knock and wait before entering, introduce yourself, explain the procedure, close the door and curtain, and expose only the body part you are working on. Overexposure is scored against you on the Arkansas skill test.

Support above and below the joint - for hip and knee, one hand under the knee and one under the ankle. Move only to the point of free movement, never forcing past resistance, and ask at least once whether there is pain or discomfort.

At least three of each movement, such as three abductions and adductions of the hip and three flexions and extensions of the knee. Performing a movement once or twice loses the step.

To maintain and rebuild the resident's independence, letting them do everything they can for themselves even when it takes longer. Doing tasks for a capable resident speeds the loss of function.

Face them at eye level in good light, lower the pitch of your voice, speak slowly and clearly, and cut background noise. Shouting distorts words; also check that the hearing aid is switched on with a working battery.

Any change in a resident's condition - new pain, confusion, refusal of food, skin changes, a fall - reported immediately and in objective terms. Nurse aides observe and report; they never diagnose or explain the cause.

Ask yes-or-no questions, give the resident time to answer without finishing sentences for them, and offer picture boards, gestures, or writing. Watch nonverbal cues such as grimacing, which may be the only report of pain you get.

Sudden facial droop, arm weakness, slurred or garbled speech, and new confusion - remember FAST: Face, Arms, Speech, Time. Note the time symptoms started and get the nurse immediately, because treatment is time-critical.

Shakiness, sweating, pale skin, hunger, rapid pulse, irritability, and sudden confusion. Report it at once - untreated hypoglycemia drops a resident into unconsciousness far faster than high blood sugar does.

Redness over a bony prominence that does not turn white when pressed, often feeling warm or firm. Report it immediately and reposition the resident at least every 2 hours before the skin breaks open.

Pour into the graduate, set it on a level flat surface, and read it at eye level. On the Arkansas skill test your recorded output must be within 25 mL of the RN Test Observer's reading.

Solid food is recorded as a percentage of the total eaten and must fall within 25 percentage points of the observer's figure. Fluid intake is recorded in mL and must fall within 60 mL of the observer's total.

Objective data is what you see, hear, or measure, such as a pulse of 92 or a reddened heel. Subjective data is what the resident tells you, such as 'my hip hurts.' Report both, quoting the resident, and add no conclusions of your own.

Increased confusion, restlessness, or agitation that appears in the late afternoon and evening in residents with dementia. Keep the routine predictable, turn lights on before dusk, and reduce noise and clutter rather than arguing with the resident.

Depression usually develops over weeks with a sad mood and loss of interest, and it responds to treatment; dementia develops gradually with lasting memory and judgment loss. Report withdrawal, appetite loss, or any statement about wanting to die immediately.

Listen without arguing, allow denial, anger, or silence, and let the resident set the pace and the topics. Offer presence, touch if it is welcomed, and privacy for family and clergy; avoid saying 'everything will be fine.'

Stop, stay calm, and step back, then approach from the front, use simple one-step directions, and redirect to another activity before trying again. Arguing or reasoning escalates agitation; look for the trigger, such as pain, noise, or fear.

Describe the plate by clock positions - chicken at 6 o'clock, green beans at 9 o'clock - and name what is in each dish. Announce yourself when you enter and leave, and never move furniture or belongings without telling the resident.