Current Washington Skills Administration Map

Skills Testing Is Local To Washington's Current Process

Washington candidates often use the phrase Washington CNA, but the official state credential name is Nursing Assistant Certified, or NAC. For skills testing, the most important current distinction is who controls each part of the competency process. The Washington Board of Nursing states that the NAC exam has two parts: an in-person Skills Test and an online Knowledge Test. Current Washington skills testing is provided through training programs, and most training programs provide skills testing. When a candidate needs another route, the process may involve WABON regional scheduling.

Credentia's Washington role is limited to the online written/oral knowledge exam.

That division matters because a candidate can lose time by following an outdated vendor-centered checklist for scheduling. Use your training program's skills-test instructions first. If your program does not provide the needed test opportunity, follow WABON regional scheduling instructions. For the knowledge portion, use Credentia's Washington process and make sure your NAC credential number is entered correctly to avoid delays.

WABON also says candidates should take the skills test first, are expected to pass skills before registering for the written test, and must pass both parts to be considered for certification.

Before you practice, separate testing administration from skill performance. Administration means who schedules the event, collects any skills fee, checks candidates in, and communicates local instructions. Performance means how you wash hands, introduce yourself, protect privacy, use body mechanics, complete required steps, measure accurately, and record results. The same safe care habits can appear across many skills, but the test day instructions come from the current Washington source that applies to your situation.

A good readiness routine starts with three checks. First, verify which testing route applies to you: program testing or WABON regional scheduling. Second, confirm whether any non-routine eligibility route needs a complete Department of Health Credentialing application and Authorization to Test before testing. Third, build your practice around the WABON skills checklist document as state skills context, remembering that the 22 testable skills are described as WABON checklist and NNAAP-aligned context, not as a skills scheduling source.

This framing also protects you from overconfident shortcuts. Do not assume an old handbook sentence, a school rumor, or a third-party website is the final authority on scheduling. Do not assume the online knowledge test appointment is the same thing as a skills appointment. Washington's current message is more specific: skills are handled through training programs or WABON regional scheduling, while Credentia handles the written/oral knowledge exam.