1.5 Study Calendar and Practice Plan
Key Takeaways
A strong STNA plan prepares both finish lines at once: the 79-question knowledge test and the 3- or 4-task skill test.
Most candidates need 30–50 hours of focused review after a 75-hour program, structured as learn → drill → simulate under time.
Rehearse every skill from the first hand hygiene step to the last, and learn each task's bolded key steps, because they differ from task to task.
You are ready when you score 80%+ on mixed timed sets and can perform any random skill aloud hitting every key step without prompting.
1.5 Study Calendar and Practice Plan
A strong STNA plan covers two finish lines at once: a knowledge test you pass by knowing rules cold, and a skills test you pass by performing 3 or 4 procedures flawlessly under a proctor's eye. Build both into your calendar from day one, because cramming the written test does nothing for trembling hands at the skills station.
A four-week framework
Most candidates finishing a 75-hour program need 30 to 50 hours of focused review. Scale this to your background, but keep the structure: learn, drill, then simulate under time.
| Phase | Focus | Daily/weekly habit |
|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Blueprint map + vocabulary | Read one heavy domain/day; build flashcards for vital-sign ranges, PPE order, scope rules |
| Week 2 | Domain drills | 20–30 practice questions/day; convert each domain into 3–5 decision rules |
| Week 3 | Skills rehearsal | Practice all 21 skill tasks aloud; verbalize key steps; have a partner score you |
| Week 4 | Timed mixed review | Full 79-item timed practice; repeat your 5 weakest skills; logistics + rest |
Rehearse the skills the way they are scored
The manual test fails candidates on skipped key steps, not on style. Ohio scores only the steps printed on each task sheet. A few appear on all 21 sheets: perform hand hygiene, explain the procedure, keep a respectful, courteous manner, and place the call light within reach; most also include providing privacy, and many include raising the bed and lowering it again. Knocking and greeting are good habits, but they are not listed steps. Then drill the high-frequency individual skills — handwashing, measuring and recording vital signs, transfers with a gait belt, perineal care, the PPE tasks, and ambulation — until the key steps are automatic.
Measure readiness honestly
Familiarity is not readiness. You are ready for the knowledge test when you can score above 80% on a mixed timed set and explain why the most tempting distractor is unsafe or out of scope. You are ready for the skills test when you can perform any randomly chosen skill, out loud, hitting every key step, without prompting and within the time block.
Final 48 hours
- Lock down logistics: confirm site, time, and route; pack a current photo ID matching your registration.
- Review only quick-recall facts: vital-sign normals, PPE donning/doffing order, RACE/PASS, and the report-don't-treat rule.
- Run your five weakest skills once aloud, then stop and rest. Sleep beats one more cram session.
- Wear scrubs and closed-toe shoes; arrive early so the skills lab does not start with you rushed.
The universal skill wrapper, memorized
Most Ohio task sheets open and close with the same few steps, so memorize them as a single chant so they never get skipped under pressure. Opening: perform hand hygiene, explain what you will do, provide privacy (pull the curtain) and, where the task calls for it, raise the bed between mid-thigh and waist level. Closing: lower the bed if you raised it, open the curtain, place the call light within easy reach, and perform hand hygiene. These wrapper steps are scored as non-key steps; the bolded key steps are task-specific, so learn them from each task sheet.
High-frequency skills to over-rehearse
| Skill | Key steps people forget |
|---|---|
| Handwashing | 20 seconds of friction; clean paper towel to turn off faucet; do not touch the sink |
| Pulse and respirations | Radial pulse; count 60 seconds or 30 seconds times two and tell the observer which; record within 6 beats and 4 breaths of the observer |
| Transfer to wheelchair | Chair close to the bed; lock the wheelchair and bed brakes (bolded key steps); lower the bed so the feet are flat on the floor; gait belt at the waist |
| Perineal care | Front to back (top to bottom); a clean portion of the washcloth for each stroke (bolded key step); privacy maintained throughout |
| Measuring urinary output | Use a graduate; read at eye level; clean and document |
| Occupied bed and PPE tasks | Linen never touches the floor or your uniform; on the PPE tasks, remove gloves before the gown |
Practice both formats every week
Do not let the knowledge and skills tracks drift apart. A workable weekly rhythm is two domain lessons, two timed question sets, one error-log review, and one skills rehearsal session with a partner scoring you out loud. As test day nears, shift time from passive reading toward mixed timed questions and full skill run-throughs, because that is what the exam actually measures.
Manage exam-day nerves
Knowledgeable candidates can still fail a task by freezing and skipping a step, because one missed bolded step fails the task. Counter it by narrating every step aloud during practice so the words cue the action, slowing down rather than racing the 35-minute clock, and treating the evaluator as neutral, not hostile. If you blank, pause, picture the wrapper chant, and resume — you have time. On the written side, a candidate who has consistently scored 80%+ on mixed timed practice should clear the 70% line comfortably, so trust the preparation and read each stem carefully rather than second-guessing answers you already reasoned through.
One-week-out checklist
Confirm both test dates and the site address; assemble scrubs, closed-toe shoes, and a photo ID matching your registration; run each high-frequency skill aloud once; take at least one more full 79-item timed practice; and protect your sleep the night before. Walking in calm, on time, and rehearsed is worth more than any last-minute fact you might cram.
To prevent falls while ambulating a resident with a gait belt, the nurse aide should position themselves:
Slightly behind and to the weaker side of the resident
Directly in front of the resident to clear obstacles
Several feet away, allowing independent walking with observation
Holding the resident's arm above the elbow with no gait belt
In a long-term care facility, the RACE acronym for responding to a fire stands for:
Run, Alert, Call, Evacuate
Remove, Alert, Cover, Exit
Rescue, Assemble, Call, Escape
Rescue, Alarm, Contain, Extinguish or Evacuate
Sections you finish are checked off in the contents.