1.4 Indiana CNA Training and Testing: 105-Hour Program, Ivy Tech Administration, Fees, and the 3-Attempt Limit

Indiana CNA Training and Testing

Quick Answer: Indiana-approved CNA training is a 105-hour program — 75 hours of direct resident clinical care plus 30 hours of classroom instruction. The competency evaluation is administered by Ivy Tech Community College's CNA/QMA Central Testing Office and costs $100. The exam has a written portion and a skills evaluation, both must be passed, and a candidate has 3 attempts within a 2-year testing window. After 3 failed attempts, a new training program is required.

The 105-Hour Training Program

Indiana's approved CNA curriculum is 105 hours total, broken down as follows:

The clinical portion must take place in a licensed Indiana health facility under the supervision of a licensed nurse who is an approved instructor. Students practice on actual residents — not simulators only — and must complete a state-defined list of clinical skills. Programs that do not deliver the full 75 clinical hours in a licensed facility are not approved, and their graduates will not be eligible to sit for the state exam.

Indiana's curriculum covers the domains on the state test blueprint:

• Basic nursing skills (vital signs, I&O, positioning, transfers)
• Personal care skills (bathing, oral care, grooming, dressing, toileting, nutrition)
• Role, responsibility, and ISDH regulations (Standard 14, INAR, mandatory reporting)
• Safety and emergency procedures
• Infection control
• Communication and documentation
• Mental health and psychosocial needs
• Restorative care and aging

Programs may be offered by community colleges (Ivy Tech is the largest provider), high school CNA programs, licensed facilities providing in-house training, and proprietary schools. The program must be on the IDOH approved-program list.

Ivy Tech CNA/QMA Central Testing Office

Indiana's CNA competency evaluation is centralized through Ivy Tech Community College's CNA/QMA Central Testing Office. Ivy Tech contracts with IDOH to administer the exam, schedule test sites (often at Ivy Tech campuses and regional test centers), maintain the testing registration system, and report results to INAR.

Key features:

• The candidate registers through Ivy Tech's online portal, not through IDOH directly
• Test sites are located across Indiana; candidates pick a site and date
• A valid photo ID is required at check-in
• The fee is $100 for the competency evaluation, payable at registration
• Results are posted in the candidate portal and transmitted to INAR

Ivy Tech also administers the Qualified Medication Aide (QMA) exam, a separate Indiana credential that a CNA can pursue after additional training; QMA testing is handled by the same Central Testing Office.

Exam Format: Written + Skills

The competency evaluation has two independent parts:

Written (or Oral) Exam

• Multiple-choice format
• English-language written exam is the default; an oral version is available for candidates with documented reading disabilities or limited English proficiency (must be requested in advance)
• Tests knowledge across all curriculum domains, with the largest blocks in basic nursing skills, personal care, and role/regulations
• A passing score is required; Indiana reports the pass/fail decision rather than a scaled score

Skills Evaluation

• The candidate is randomly assigned 3 to 5 skills drawn from the IDOH Resident Care Procedures (RCPs)
• Each skill has bolded critical steps that must be performed with 100% accuracy — a single missed or incorrect critical step fails that skill and fails the evaluation
• Non-critical steps are scored on a competency basis; minor errors do not fail the skill
• Skills are performed on a live model (another candidate acting as the resident, or a mannequin for invasive simulations such as catheter care)
• The evaluator scores on-site and provides same-day results

If the candidate fails one part but passes the other, only the failed part is retaken. Both parts must be passed within the testing window for the candidate to be listed on INAR.

The 3-Attempt Limit and the 2-Year Testing Window

Indiana enforces a 3-attempt limit:

1. First attempt: the candidate's first sitting of the competency evaluation
2. Second attempt: if any part was failed, the retake of that part
3. Third attempt: the final retake if the second attempt was also failed

The 3 attempts must occur within a 2-year testing window measured from the date of the first attempt. After 3 failed attempts within that window, the candidate is not permitted to test again until they complete a new Indiana-approved 105-hour training program. There is no fourth attempt on the original training record.

If the 2-year window expires before all attempts are used, the candidate must also retrain before testing again — the window does not reset.

Fees and Logistics

Some Indiana employers — typically long-term care facilities with staffing needs — sponsor a candidate's training and pay the $100 exam fee in exchange for a work commitment. High school CNA programs also cover exam fees for their students in many cases.

Pathway from Training to INAR Listing

1. Enroll in an IDOH-approved 105-hour program
2. Complete 75 clinical hours + 30 classroom hours; receive program completion documentation
3. Register with Ivy Tech CNA/QMA Central Testing Office and pay the $100 fee
4. Pass the written/oral exam
5. Pass the skills evaluation (100% on critical steps)
6. Program or candidate submits completion documents to IPLA/IDOH
7. INAR lists the aide with an initial certification date = date skills were passed
8. Begin work; track the 8-hour work requirement for the first 2-year renewal

If the candidate fails any part, retake only that part within the 2-year window, mindful of the 3-attempt cap. If 3 attempts are exhausted, restart with a new training program.