1.1 Current Exam Facts

What the Minnesota CNA Exam Is

Quick Answer: Minnesota's nurse aide competency exam has two parts — a 70-question multiple-choice knowledge test (74% to pass = 52 of 70 correct, 60-minute limit) and a hands-on skills (manual) test of 3 or 4 randomly selected tasks in 30 minutes. Both are administered and scored by Headmaster / D&S Diversified Technologies (D&SDT) for the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH). Pass both and you are listed on the Minnesota Nurse Aide Registry.

Minnesota does not operate its own testing centers. Under the federal Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1987 (OBRA ’87), every state must run a Nurse Aide Training and Competency Evaluation Program (NATCEP) and maintain a Nurse Aide Registry. MDH satisfies the testing half of that mandate by contracting with D&SDT, operating as Headmaster, LLP — the same vendor whose National Nurse Aide Assessment Program (NNAAP)-style content is used in many states.

You register, schedule, view confirmations, and read your results through Headmaster's TestMaster Universe (TMU) software at https://mn.tmutest.com, signing in with the email/username and password your training program created. The two parts are scored independently: certification is awarded only when both are passed. Passing one alone does nothing on its own — you simply hold that part while you re-attempt the other within your eligibility window.

The Numbers You Must Know

Watch these traps. The passing score was lowered from 76% to 74% on August 5, 2024 — study to 52 of 70, not the old 53/76% figure. The knowledge test is 60 minutes, not two hours — that still averages about 51 seconds per question, which is comfortable if you do not stall. And the skills test assigns 3 or 4 tasks, not five; older study sheets that say "five skills" are out of date.

What Happens After You Pass

When you pass both parts, the RN Test Observer's skill scores and your knowledge score are finalized by D&SDT scoring teams and reported to MDH, and your name is added to the Minnesota Nurse Aide Registry with an active status and a certificate number.

• The registry listing — not a paper card — is what an employer verifies before assigning you. Employers, the public, and MDH can look you up online by name and certificate number.
• OBRA requires nursing homes and certified boarding care homes to confirm active registry status before letting an aide provide care.
• Active status is maintained by paid nursing-related work: you must perform paid nurse-aide work for at least one period within each 24-month cycle (see Section 1.5). The registry also records any substantiated findings of abuse, neglect, or misappropriation of property, which can bar listing.

If you let active status lapse and have not worked for pay or tested within 24 months, you must re-qualify — in Minnesota that means applying as a test-out (challenge) candidate and passing the exam again.

Why Minnesota Looks Different From Other States

Candidates moving from another state, or comparing online study sheets, get tripped up because Minnesota's details differ from the generic "CNA exam" picture. Three differences matter most.

First, the vendor. Many states use Pearson VUE, Prometric, or the Red Cross. Minnesota uses Headmaster / D&S Diversified Technologies, and everything — registration, scheduling, ID re-presentation, scoring, even test-review disputes — flows through D&SDT's TestMaster Universe (TMU) at mn.tmutest.com. There is no separate state portal; your training program enters your record in TMU, and that is where your name of record lives.

Second, the fees are not statewide. Unlike states that publish one flat exam price, Minnesota's handbook says testing fees are set by each test site — you contact the site where you schedule for the current amount. So do not anchor on a fixed dollar figure copied from another state or an old worksheet; confirm cost with your chosen site. When you retake, you repay only for the portion you failed.

Third, the format numbers. Minnesota's knowledge test is 60 minutes for 70 questions, and the skills test is 3 or 4 tasks in 30 minutes — not the "two hours" and "five skills" you will see in many generic guides. Knowing the real limits keeps your pacing realistic: about 51 seconds per knowledge question, and roughly 7-10 minutes per skill task, including the opening and closing handwash. Build your practice timing around those true numbers, not borrowed ones.