1.1 Current Ohio CNA (STNA) Exam Facts

1.1 Current Ohio CNA (STNA) Exam Facts

In Ohio the entry-level long-term care credential is the State Tested Nurse Aide (STNA), the state's statutory name for what other states call a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA). The credential is governed by the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) under the federally required Nurse Aide Training and Competency Evaluation Program (NATCEP), and the competency examination is delivered by D&S Diversified Technologies (D&SDT), operating as Headmaster, through the TMU scheduling portal (oh.tmutest.com). ODH owns the Nurse Aide Registry; Headmaster owns and scores the test.

Both facts matter on exam day, because you will see role-and-scope questions about who does what.

The two-part competency evaluation

You must pass both parts to be placed on the registry. The knowledge test is 79 multiple-choice questions with a 90-minute limit and a 70% passing score (about 56 correct); an oral version is available for candidates who request it. The skills (manual) test runs 35 minutes and assigns 3 or 4 tasks: a mandatory first task with embedded handwashing (drawn from 5 possible options) plus 2 or 3 additional tasks randomly selected from the 21-task skill list.

The skills scoring rule is precise and trips people up: on each assigned task you must perform every bolded "key" step correctly AND at least 80% of the non-key steps. Missing one key step fails that entire task, no matter how clean the rest was.

Handwashing is always tested, because it is embedded in the mandatory first task.

Why "recognize, then act" beats memorizing

The knowledge test rarely asks for a bare definition. It describes a resident, a setting, and a task, then asks what the aide should do first or do next. The high-value habit is to scan the stem for four cues: the resident's condition, the safety risk, the aide's scope, and the resident's rights. The keyed answer is almost always the one that is safe, within nurse-aide scope, and preserves dignity. Any choice that performs a nurse-only task — sterile procedure, medication, oxygen flow-rate change, tube insertion, clinical interpretation — is a distractor by design.

Two STNA traps to internalize now

• Report, don't diagnose or treat. When something is abnormal (new pain, redness over a bony prominence, refusal of care, suspected abuse), the aide observes, reports to the nurse, and documents objective findings. Aides do not interpret, medicate, or treat on their own authority.
• Key steps are pass/fail. On the skills test, the bolded steps that protect safety, infection control, and dignity are automatic failures if skipped. Build them into muscle memory: wash hands, identify the resident, provide privacy, lock wheels, check water temperature, lower the bed, place the call light, and report when done.

STNA vs CNA: same job, Ohio's label

Candidates often ask whether "STNA" and "CNA" are different credentials. They are not. STNA is simply Ohio's statutory title for the federally defined nurse-aide role created by the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1987 (OBRA '87).

Every state must maintain a Nurse Aide Registry and a training/competency program that meets the federal floor (at least 75 total hours, at least 16 supervised clinical); Ohio implements that through ODH and brands the result "State Tested Nurse Aide." Knowing this prevents confusion on reciprocity and job-listing questions: an Ohio STNA who moves applies to the new state's CNA registry by endorsement, and an out-of-state CNA in good standing can apply to the Ohio registry without repeating training.

The skills station, concretely

On skills day you report to a regional test site (often hosted at a training facility) where an RN test observer and a "resident" actor wait. You are handed 3 or 4 tasks from the 21-task pool, most with attached scenarios. Your mandatory first task always has handwashing embedded in it; the other 2 or 3 are random, typically a measurement task (a vital sign or measuring urinary output) and a care or mobility task (perineal care, transfer, ambulation, range of motion, or making an occupied bed).

Two recurring key steps fail well-prepared candidates: keeping linens or your uniform from touching the floor or your body (indirect contact / infection control), and placing the call light within reach before you leave the resident. Miss either and the whole skill is unsatisfactory.

Fees and what to confirm

Fees are split between the knowledge and skills portions and are paid through the Headmaster TMU portal; many Ohio employers reimburse or pre-pay testing for new hires, so confirm whether your facility covers it. Because dollar amounts and any oral-test surcharge change periodically, treat the figure in any third-party guide as approximate and verify the current amount in your candidate handbook before you pay.

The load-bearing facts to lock in are the structure (two parts; 79 questions / 90 minutes / 70%; 3 or 4 skill tasks from a 21-task pool with all key steps required) and the window (3 attempts per part within 24 months) — those rarely change and are exactly what the exam can test.