1.2 Knowledge Exam Format, Fees & Passing Score

Knowledge Exam Format, Fees & Passing Score

The Wisconsin knowledge (written/electronic) examination is one of two required components of the Nurse Aide Competency Examination. It is a closed-book, timed, multiple-choice test delivered through Headmaster’s TMU electronic system. Understanding the exact format, blueprint weights, fees effective June 7, 2026, and test-day materials rules prevents avoidable fails caused by pacing, wrong fee selection, or prohibited tools.

Core Specs at a Glance

Pacing Math You Should Internalize

Sixty minutes for 75 items is 48 seconds per question if you use every second evenly. In practice you should move faster on straightforward safety and rights items and bank time for multi-step infection-control or prioritization stems. A practical approach:

1. First pass: answer everything you know in under 40 seconds each.
2. Flag only items that need rereading—do not "research" the whole exam on first view.
3. Second pass: resolve flagged items.
4. Final 3–5 minutes: ensure no blank answers (unanswered items are wrong).

Because the pass line is 71%, you can miss roughly 21 items and still pass—if the misses are not concentrated in a weak domain that also shows up on skills. Use that margin wisely; do not treat it as permission to skip infection control or resident rights.

Official 12-Subject Blueprint (Question Counts)

Headmaster publishes a test plan of subject areas with exact item counts. Study time should track these weights—not a random national CNA flashcard deck that ignores Wisconsin’s distribution.

How to Use the Table for Study Planning

• Highest volume (8–10 items): Basic Nurse Skills, Care Impaired, Personal Care, Safety. Weakness here costs the most points.
• High-stakes mid-volume (7 items): Infection Control and Resident Rights—also heavily reinforced on the skills exam through hand hygiene, privacy, and dignity behaviors.
• Lower volume (4–5 items): Still testable. Do not zero out Mental Health, Data Collection, or Disease Process; four wrong answers in one thin domain is almost 20% of your allowed miss budget.

Later chapters in this study guide map directly onto these twelve areas so practice stays blueprint-aligned.

Fees Effective June 7, 2026

Handbook V75 fee schedule candidates must budget for:

• Knowledge only: $37.49
• Audio knowledge: $42.94
• Skills only: $107.21 (covered in depth in Sections 1.3–1.4)
• Knowledge + skills package: $144.70 standard, or $150.15 when knowledge is taken with audio

Pay inside TMU when you schedule. Fee amounts change by handbook effective date—always confirm the live schedule in your account if you test after a future revision, but for current 2026 preparation use the June 7, 2026 figures above.

Audio Knowledge Option

Candidates who need questions read aloud may select the audio knowledge exam for the higher fee ($42.94). Critical Wisconsin-specific rule:

• The system reads the first 67 questions aloud.
• The last 8 questions are reading comprehension items—you must read and answer them without the same full audio support as the first 67.

That design means audio is not a complete substitute for literacy. If reading English medical-care vocabulary is a major barrier, plan extra vocabulary practice for those final eight items rather than assuming headphones solve every stem.

Remote Proctored Knowledge Testing

Wisconsin offers a remote proctored knowledge option where Headmaster enables it. Remote testing still requires:

• A quiet, private room
• Stable internet and a supported device with camera/microphone
• Government photo ID
• Compliance with on-camera environment checks
• The same no scratch paper / no calculator rules

Remote proctoring does not lower the 71% standard or change the 75-item blueprint. Skills remain in-person demonstration exams with an RN Test Observer—you cannot "Zoom" the bedpan or gait-belt tasks.

TMU Electronic Rules: Materials and Dictionaries

On test day for knowledge:

• No scratch paper for calculations or notes.
• No calculators (or phone calculator apps).
• No smartwatches, earbuds (except approved audio exam equipment), notes, or phones in the secure testing space.
• A foreign language word-for-word translation dictionary may be allowed only if it is inspected and approved—no definitions, no medical encyclopedia notes written in the margins, no electronic translators unless the handbook explicitly permits a specific device (assume paper word-for-word only unless TMU instructions say otherwise).

If you rely on translating individual English words, inspect your dictionary before test day and remove any inserted notes. An unapproved resource can void the attempt.

What "71%" Looks Like in Real Scores

Always aim well above 54 correct in practice so test-day anxiety does not push you under the cut score. Treat practice banks as diagnostic: if Infection Control is 50% in practice, fix that domain before paying $37.49 again.

Connecting Knowledge to Skills

Many knowledge items are the cognitive version of skills key steps: wash hands, lock brakes, provide privacy, measure and record accurately, dress the weak side first, and protect dignity. Studying for 71% on knowledge while ignoring skills is inefficient. Use this section’s blueprint to prioritize reading, then rehearse the matching psychomotor tasks for the 30-minute skills exam.

Quick Pre-Knowledge-Exam Checklist

• Confirm appointment type: standard knowledge vs audio.
• Know your login for TMU and arrive early (or complete remote system checks early).
• Government ID name matches TMU registration.
• No prohibited materials; dictionary pre-approved if used.
• Mental plan for 48-second average pacing and a second-pass strategy.
• Target ≥ 54 / 75 with domain balance—not lucky guessing on one weak area.

Master the format first; the remaining chapters fill the twelve subject tanks that the 75 items actually sample.