1.1 Arizona CNA & LNA Overview, Testing Process & Headmaster Format

Arizona CNA & LNA Overview, Testing Process & Headmaster Format

Becoming a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) or Licensed Nursing Assistant (LNA) in Arizona requires successfully passing a state-approved competency evaluation program. In Arizona, the Arizona State Board of Nursing (AZBN) contracts with D&S Diversified Technologies (D&SDT) - Headmaster to develop, administer, score, and record results for both the knowledge examination and the manual skills evaluation. Understanding the administrative architecture, technical format, scoring thresholds, and test-day protocols is essential for every prospective candidate.

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1. D&SDT-Headmaster & The TMU© Portal

Arizona uses Headmaster's specialized TMU© (TestMaster Universe) software platform for all candidate scheduling, records management, fee processing, and official score retrieval.

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|                      ARIZONA TESTING ROADMAP (TMU©)                        |
|                                                                             |
|   [Complete 120-Hr AZBN Program] ---> [Create & Activate TMU© Profile]      |
|                                                    |                        |
|                                                    v                        |
|   [Pay $130 Testing Fee ($35 Written / $95 Skills)]                         |
|                                                    |                        |
|                                                    v                        |
|   [Schedule Exam at Approved In-Facility / Regional Test Site]              |
|                                                    |                        |
|                                                    v                        |
|   [Test Day: Present Matching Gov Photo ID + Complete Scrub Attire]         |
|                          |                                 |                |
|                          v                                 v                |
|   [Knowledge Exam: 75 Qs / 60 Min]        [Skills: 3-4 Tasks / 35 Min Max]   |
|        (Cut score: 75% or better)         (All bold key steps + 80% rest)   |
|                          |                                 |                |
|                          +----------------+----------------+                |
|                                           |                                 |
|                                           v                                 |
|          [Results in TMU© after 6PM MT the business day after testing]      |
|                                           |                                 |
|                                           v                                 |
|               [Apply on AZBN Portal for Registry Listing / Licensure]        |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+

Candidate Profile Requirements

Before scheduling an exam, your state-approved training program must upload your training completion verification into the TMU© portal. As a candidate, you must:

1. Log into your designated TMU© account using your secure credentials.
2. Confirm that your legal first and last name exactly match your government-issued identification.
3. Ensure your demographic information, address, email, and social security number are recorded accurately.
4. Complete payment and select an approved in-facility test site (at your school) or a designated regional test center in Arizona.

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2. Knowledge Examination Architecture

The Arizona Nursing Assistant Knowledge Examination is an objective, standardized assessment designed to evaluate your theoretical understanding of patient care, safety, legal boundaries, infection control, and resident rights.

Examination Blueprint: The Official AZBN Test Plan

Unlike most credentialing bodies, Headmaster does not publish percentage weights for Arizona — it publishes an exact question count for each of the 12 subject areas, and those counts add up to precisely 75. Memorize this table: it tells you exactly how many marks each topic is worth.

(Source: Arizona Nurse Aide Candidate Handbook, "Knowledge Exam Content." Older Arizona handbooks labelled subject area 9 "Older Adult Growth & Development"; the current handbook calls it "Aging Process and Restorative Care." The question counts did not change.)

What the Blueprint Means for Your Study Plan

• The six largest areas supply 47 of 75 questions (63%): Basic Nursing Skills (9), Personal Care (9), Infection Control (8), and the three 7-question areas — Communication, Role and Responsibility, and Safety. Add Data Collection and Resident's Rights (6 each) and you are at 59 of 75 (79%). You cannot pass on rights and ethics alone.
• Do not aim for the line. Headmaster publishes only "75% or better," not a raw cut score. 56 correct is 74.7% and 57 correct is 76%, so 57 of 75 is the first score that clears 75% — you can afford 18 wrong answers, not 19. Aim for 60+ so a couple of misread items cannot cost you the exam.
• The four 4-question areas (Aging Process and Restorative Care, Care Impaired, Disease Process, Mental Health) total 16 questions — more than one exam question in five. They are small individually but decisive collectively.
• Headmaster draws every form from this same plan, so a practice test built to the Arizona plan will mirror the real distribution.

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3. Standard vs. Audio Knowledge Exam

Headmaster delivers the Arizona knowledge test two ways: the standard on-screen test, and an optional audio (oral) version that reads questions aloud. Both are taken on the same TMU© computers and both are the same 75 questions in the same 60 minutes.

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|                    AUDIO KNOWLEDGE EXAM (75 TOTAL Qs)                       |
|                                                                             |
|  +-------------------------------------+  +------------------------------+  |
|  |   FIRST 63 QUESTIONS: READ ALOUD    |  |  REMAINING 12: ON SCREEN ONLY|  |
|  |                                     |  |                              |  |
|  | - Neutrally narrated through WIRED  |  | - Same question difficulty   |  |
|  |   headphones/earbuds                |  | - Candidate reads them        |  |
|  | - Play / pause / rewind buttons     |  | - EXCEPTION: with an approved|  |
|  |   shown on screen                   |  |   ADA, ALL 75 are read aloud |  |
|  +-------------------------------------+  +------------------------------+  |
|                                                                             |
|             SAME 60-MINUTE LIMIT · SAME 75% CUT SCORE · FEE $45             |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+

Key Rules for the Audio Option:

• Request it before you pay. The audio version must be selected in TMU© (check the "Enable Audio Testing" box and save) before you submit your testing fee. It cannot be added at the test site.
• Cost: $10 above the standard knowledge fee — $35 + $10 = $45, and the same $45 applies to an audio retake.
• Only the first 63 questions are read orally. The remaining 12 are displayed on screen for you to read. This is a delivery limit of the audio build, not a separate literacy sub-test.
• The ADA exception: if you hold an accommodation approved in advance by D&SDT-Headmaster (ADA Accommodation Form 1404 plus documentation of a diagnosed disability, emailed to arizona@hdmaster.com), all 75 questions are read orally. Requesting the paid audio version is not the same thing as requesting an ADA accommodation — apply for the accommodation separately and allow extra processing time.
• Wired only. Bluetooth-connected devices are prohibited in the testing room; the headphones or earbuds must plug into the computer.
• Passing score is unchanged: 75% or better (56 of 75) across all 75 questions.
• Translation aids are banned either way. Per AZBN, paper or electronic translation dictionaries, translating devices, and non-approved language translators are not allowed, and all communication with the testing team must be in English.

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4. Fee Structure & Retake Policies

Arizona candidates must pay testing fees in advance through the TMU© portal using a secure electronic payment method.

Retake Rules and the 45-Day Waiting Period

Candidates who do not pass a component pay again for that component and reschedule in TMU©. Two Arizona rules govern how soon you may return:

[!IMPORTANT] The Arizona 45-Day Retake Rule — read the trigger carefully: Per the Arizona State Board of Nursing, a candidate who fails the knowledge exam for the third time, or any time after that, must wait 45 days before scheduling a retest. The first and second failures carry no waiting period — you may rebook as soon as you pay. The 45-day wait does not apply to failed manual skill tests at all.

• Unlimited attempts inside the window. Arizona does not cap the number of attempts. A.A.C. R4-19-806 lets an applicant retake the failed portion "until a passing score is achieved or their time expires," and the handbook states you have unlimited attempts at both portions.
• The real limit is the two-year clock. You must complete testing within two years of your training program completion date. Miss that window and you must complete another AZBN-approved training program before you may test again.
• What counts as an attempt: checking in, entering the knowledge test area or skills lab, and receiving instructions. If you then decide not to start, it is still scored as a failed attempt.
• Skill-test observer limit: a failing candidate may take the skill test only twice with the same RN Test Observer, to reduce over-familiarity and any perception of bias. For a third attempt with that observer, call D&SDT-Headmaster to be scheduled, or choose a different test facility.
• Security violations carry their own bar. Cheating, using an electronic device, removing test materials, disruptive or impaired behavior stops your test, scores it as a failed attempt, forfeits your fees, is reported to your training program and AZBN, and blocks retesting for a minimum of six months.
• Disputing a result: you may file a Test Review Request within three business days of official scoring, with a $25 non-refundable deposit; Headmaster completes the review within ten business days and refunds the deposit only if the review goes in your favor.

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5. Test-Day Environment, Rules & ID Verification

Test security is strictly maintained at all Arizona D&SDT-Headmaster testing sites. Failure to abide by admission and check-in rules results in immediate dismissal, forfeiture of all fees, and a recorded "No-Show."

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|                         TEST-DAY COMPLIANCE CHECKLIST                       |
|                                                                             |
| [X] US Gov-Issued Photo ID: ORIGINAL only (no copies, no phone wallet)     |
| [X] Name Verification: FIRST + LAST must match the TMU© record exactly     |
| [X] Professional Attire: Scrub top, scrub bottoms, closed-toed shoes       |
| [X] Arrival Time: Minimum 20–30 minutes prior to scheduled start           |
| [X] Optional: standard watch WITH a second hand (analog or digital)        |
| [!] Prohibited: smartwatches, fitness monitors, phones, Bluetooth devices  |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+

Strict Identification Criteria

Every candidate must present an original, US government-issued, photo-bearing form of identification. Photocopies, faxes, emailed images, screenshots, and electronically stored IDs (Apple Wallet, Google Wallet) are not accepted.

The handbook's acceptable ID list:

[!WARNING] Two ID traps that turn candidates away every month:

1. The name match. Your first and last names on the ID must match the names your training program entered in TMU© exactly. A hyphenated surname, a married name, or a nickname on the roster is a refusal — and a refusal is a no-show, which forfeits your fees. Call (800) 393-8664 or check your TMU© demographics before test day; use the Demographic Change/Correction Request Form (az.tmutest.com/apply/7) with supporting documents if anything is wrong.
2. The hole punch. A driver's license or state ID card with a hole punched in it is not valid and will not be accepted, even if it is otherwise current.

School IDs, employer badges, credit cards, and birth certificates are not photo IDs for this purpose. You must present the ID again when you enter the knowledge test room and again when you enter the skills lab, so keep it on you all day.

Attire & Prohibited Items

• Mandatory Attire: Full clinical attire — a scrub top and scrub bottoms plus closed-toed shoes. Scrubs and shoes may be any color or design. Long hair must be pulled back. Final judgment on professional appearance rests with the RN Test Observer; arriving out of scrubs or in open-toed shoes makes you a no-show and forfeits your fees.
• Watches: you may bring a standard watch with a second hand. Smartwatches, fitness monitors, and any Bluetooth-connected device are prohibited and must be removed from your wrist or body.
• Electronic Devices: Cell phones, Apple Watches/smartwatches, fitness trackers, Bluetooth earpieces, and recording devices must be powered off completely and placed in designated storage areas outside the testing room. Accessing an electronic device during testing results in an immediate invalidation of the score and a report of testing misconduct filed directly with the AZBN.