1.2 Eligibility & 75-Hour Training

Who Can Sit for the Exam

Minnesota's Candidate Handbook defines who is eligible to apply for the competency exam. There are three practical routes:

• Program completer (standard route) — You finished an MDH-approved Nurse Aide Training and Competency Evaluation Program (NATCEP) within the past 24 months. You take both the knowledge and skills tests. This is how most candidates qualify.
• Expired-registry re-tester — You previously completed an approved program, passed both parts, and were on the Minnesota registry, but your status has expired. You re-establish eligibility by taking both parts again.
• Test-out / challenge candidate — You do not meet either route above — for example you never took a Minnesota program, or you have not worked as a nurse aide in the last 24 months. You may still apply, but you must take both parts and contact a test site directly to arrange it.

A separate out-of-state reciprocity ("transfer") process exists through the MDH Nurse Aide Registry for aides who hold an active certification in good standing in another state and want to be added to Minnesota's registry without retesting.

The 75-Hour Training Requirement

Federal OBRA ’87 sets a national floor of 75 hours of nurse aide training, and at least 16 of those hours must be supervised clinical (hands-on) training. Minnesota-approved curricula build on that floor, splitting the hours among classroom theory, supervised laboratory skills practice, and supervised clinical experience in a facility.

The lab and clinical hours are exactly what prepare you for the skills test in Section 1.4 — the procedures you rehearse in lab (handwashing, vital signs, transfers, perineal care) are the same MDH-approved tasks the RN Test Observer scores. Treat every lab session as a dress rehearsal, narrating each step the way you will on test day. A Minnesota-approved program also provides a completion record that your test site uses to confirm your eligibility window.

Eligibility Snapshot and Common Mistakes

• Age: generally 16 or older to enter an approved program.
• Education: a high school diploma or equivalent is helpful but not universally required by every program.
• Background study: Minnesota requires a background study for nurse aide work in licensed long-term care settings; a disqualifying finding (such as substantiated abuse) can bar registry listing.
• Name match: the first and last name on your government ID must exactly match the name your training program entered in TMU — a mismatch is treated as a No Show, forfeiting fees.
• 24-month clock: standard candidates must complete both parts within 24 months of finishing training; let it lapse and you become a test-out candidate.

The biggest misconception: finishing the 75-hour program does not certify you. It makes you eligible to test. You are not a CNA — and cannot legally work as a nurse aide in a covered facility — until you pass both exam parts and appear on the registry.

The Four-Month Work Rule and Choosing a Program

One Minnesota-specific nuance catches new aides who start working before testing. Federal OBRA lets a facility employ a not-yet-certified aide for a limited grace period — generally up to four months — but only if the aide is enrolled in or has completed an approved program and is actively pursuing certification. After that window, the facility cannot keep assigning nurse-aide duties until the aide is on the registry. So even if an employer hires you out of class, the clock to pass both parts is real and short; do not treat employment as a substitute for passing the exam.

Choosing an MDH-approved program. Only programs on the MDH-approved list make you a standard candidate. Approved curricula are offered through community and technical colleges (for example, the Minnesota State system), nursing facilities, the Red Cross, and some high schools and workforce centers. Before enrolling, confirm three things:

• The program is currently MDH-approved (not just "accredited" generally).
• It includes the supervised clinical and lab hours — these are what prepare you for the skills test.
• The program will enter your name in TMU and provide a completion record your test site can verify.

Background study reminder. Minnesota's background study (run for long-term care settings) is separate from the exam but gates where you can work. A disqualifying finding — or a substantiated finding of abuse, neglect, or misappropriation already on the registry — can prevent listing regardless of your test scores. Resolve any background concerns early, because they cannot be fixed on test day and will not be waived by a passing score.

Out-of-state reciprocity. If you are already certified and active in another state, you generally do not re-take the exam. You apply through the MDH Nurse Aide Registry to have your certification transferred, and MDH verifies your status with the originating state's registry. The key condition is that your home-state certification is active and in good standing with no disqualifying findings; an expired or revoked out-of-state status will not transfer, and you would fall back to the test-out route.

Start this process early, because cross-state verification can take time and you cannot work as an aide in a covered Minnesota facility until your name appears on the Minnesota registry.