1.1 Current Ohio CNA (STNA) Exam Facts
Key Takeaways
Ohio's nurse aide credential is listing on the Ohio Nurse Aide Registry as a certified nurse aide (CNA), still widely called STNA (State Tested Nurse Aide); it is governed by the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) and tested by D&S Diversified Technologies / Headmaster.
The competency evaluation has two parts: a 79-question knowledge test (90 minutes, 70% to pass) and a skills test (3 or 4 tasks from a 21-task pool, 35 minutes).
Skills scoring is step-based: you must perform every bolded key step correctly plus at least 80% of the non-key steps on each assigned skill.
You must pass BOTH parts within 24 months of finishing an ODH-approved 75-hour training program; each part allows up to 3 attempts.
Current Ohio CNA exam facts
The Ohio Department of Health maintains the Nurse Aide Registry. Current Ohio Revised Code 3721.32(E) calls an aide listed in good standing a certified nurse aide (CNA); STNA remains a familiar older name. D&S Diversified Technologies/Headmaster delivers the competency evaluation and uses the Ohio TMU portal for candidate records and scheduling.
The two components
| Component | Current handbook requirements |
|---|---|
| Knowledge | 79 multiple-choice questions, 90 minutes, 70% passing score |
| Skills | 3 or 4 assigned tasks, 35 minutes |
| First skills task | One of five specified mandatory tasks, with soap-and-water handwashing embedded at the end |
| Other tasks | 2 or 3 additional randomly selected tasks from the current 21-task list |
| Skills pass rule | Every bolded key step and at least 80% of all non-key steps on each assigned task |
| Training route | 75 total hours: the first 16 classroom hours, then 59 hours including 16–25 hours of supervised clinical experience |
| Testing window | Three attempts per component within 24 months of training completion |
Do not add a requirement that the additional random tasks must include a measurement task. The current handbook's first-task selection and random selection rules control the assignment.
Learn the actual task checklist
Bolded key steps are task-specific. Privacy, safe equipment use and a reachable call device are important care habits, but a general mnemonic does not tell you which step is bolded on every task. Check each assigned task's published checklist. Missing a designated key step cannot be offset by a high score on its other steps; every assigned task must meet the pass rule independently.
The handbook says that steps must actually be demonstrated. Verbalizing or simulating a step does not count except where a task expressly allows it, such as the specified fingernail-soak instruction. Steps are not order-dependent unless the checklist says BEFORE or AFTER. You may actually redo or correct a task step before the 35-minute limit or your declaration that you have finished. Do not rely on merely telling the observer what you would do.
The observer may repeat the scenario, but cannot answer questions once the timed evaluation has begun. Rehearse the exact sequence and task-specific reporting instructions from the current handbook before the appointment.
Keep training and testing rules separate
Ohio's minimum program splits the first 16 classroom hours from the remaining 59 hours, which include the clinical component. It does not require 59 classroom hours plus a separate 16 clinical hours. Confirm that the program is ODH-approved and that your completion is recorded before booking. Special eligibility routes need the applicable approval; a practice score is not eligibility evidence.
Use the current Ohio Headmaster candidate handbook and Ohio training rule 3701-18-12 for the controlling wording. Keep official exam counts and scoring separate from the number of independent practice questions on this site.
Under Ohio Department of Health (ODH) Chapter 3701-18 regulations, what is the minimum training requirement to become a State Tested Nurse Aide in Ohio?
50 hours of classroom instruction only
100 hours total (60 classroom + 40 clinical)
120 hours of combined instruction and clinical practice
75 total hours: the first 16 classroom hours, then 59 hours including 16–25 hours of supervised clinical experience
On the Ohio STNA skills evaluation, how is each assigned task scored?
The candidate must correctly perform every bolded key step plus at least 80% of the non-key steps
The candidate passes a task with any score of 50% or higher on its steps
Only the final reporting step is scored on each task
The evaluator averages all tasks, and a 70% overall average passes
Sections you finish are checked off in the contents.