1.1 The Wyoming CNA Competency Exam: Format, Passing Score, and Test Logistics

The Wyoming CNA Competency Exam: Format, Passing Score, and Test Logistics

To earn certification as a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) in the State of Wyoming, candidates must pass a two-part competency evaluation given on behalf of the Wyoming State Board of Nursing (WSBN). WSBN has approved D&S Diversified Technologies, LLP (D&SDT)-Headmaster, LLP to provide testing and scoring services for Wyoming nurse aide testing. Candidate records, scheduling, payment, scoring and registry linkage are all handled in the web-based TestMaster Universe (TMU©) application at wy.tmutest.com.

There are two parts — a multiple-choice knowledge test and a manual demonstration skill test. You must pass both parts to be listed on the Wyoming Nurse Aide Registry (WYNAR).

---

The Knowledge Exam

Structure and Delivery

• Question Count: 60 multiple-choice questions.
• Time Limit: A maximum of 60 minutes. You will be told when 15 minutes remain.
• Passing Standard: 76% or better — at least 46 of the 60 questions correct.
• Delivery Medium: All Wyoming test sites use electronic TMU© testing on internet-connected computers; you sign in with your TMU© username or email and password, and the Knowledge Test Proctor (KTP) gives you a code to start the exam.

[!NOTE] Wyoming's 76% cut score is set by the Wyoming State Board of Nursing and is higher than the 70–75% thresholds several other states publish. Two extra wrong answers that would be survivable elsewhere can fail you here: 46 correct passes, 45 correct fails.

The Published Wyoming Test Plan

Questions are drawn from subject areas defined by the WSBN-approved Wyoming test plan and cover every category required by federal regulation. D&SDT-Headmaster publishes the exact number of items per subject area — not percentages — in the Wyoming Nurse Aide Candidate Handbook:

Wyoming Knowledge Exam Blueprint (60 items | 60 minutes | 76% = 46 correct)
=========================================================================
Role and Responsibility ......... 9   |||||||||
Basic Nursing Skills ............ 8   ||||||||
Disease Process ................. 7   |||||||
Resident Rights ................. 6   ||||||
Safety .......................... 6   ||||||
Communication ................... 5   |||||
Infection Control ............... 4   ||||
Mental Health ................... 4   ||||
Personal Care ................... 4   ||||
Care Impaired ................... 3   |||
Aging Process & Restorative Care  2   ||
Data Collection ................. 2   ||
=========================================================================

Study-time allocation should follow these counts. Role and Responsibility (9 items) is the single largest area — scope of practice, delegation, reporting and recording, and professional conduct — followed by Basic Nursing Skills (8) and Disease Process (7). Together, Role and Responsibility plus Resident Rights account for 15 of 60 items (25%), which is why the legal and ethical chapters of this guide carry as much weight as the procedural ones.

Audio (Oral) Knowledge Exam Option

An audio version of the knowledge exam is available, but you must request it before you submit your testing fee payment by checking "Enable Audio Testing" under your TMU© profile.

• The audio version costs an additional $10 (a total of $42 for the knowledge exam).
• For a remotely proctored audio exam you need wired headphones or earbuds that plug into the computer — Bluetooth-connected devices are not allowed.
• The candidate handbook includes a self-assessment reading comprehension exam. If you miss more than three (3) of its questions, D&SDT-Headmaster advises you to use the audio option.

Remotely Proctored Knowledge Exam

Wyoming offers a remotely proctored knowledge exam scheduled through TMU©. The test site is listed as "Remotely Proctored Testing Site," and instructions plus the video-conferencing meeting ID and password are emailed to you and posted in your TMU© notifications.

• You must be signed in to the waiting room at least 10 minutes before your listed start time (10–20 minutes is recommended); otherwise you are a no-show and forfeit your fees.
• You must show your identification and your surroundings to the remote proctor at check-in.
• Your device must not be muted, and the video connection must be maintained for the entire exam. If the connection drops you must reconnect immediately or the proctor will disconnect you and score the test as a failed attempt.
• Scratch paper is allowed: you show both sides to the proctor before and after, then tear it up on camera.

What You May and May Not Bring

• Scratch paper is provided by the testing team at on-site events for math calculations and must be left with the KTP.
• Calculators of any type are not allowed.
• Published foreign-language word-for-word paper translation dictionaries are allowed and must be shown at check-in; a dictionary containing any writing or definitions is not permitted, and electronic dictionaries/translators are prohibited.

---

The Manual Demonstration Skill Test

The skill test evaluates your performance of WSBN-approved nurse aide skill tasks in person, in front of a RN Test Observer, with a trained resident actor for most tasks. Two tasks — catheter care for a female and perineal care for a female — are demonstrated on a manikin.

Three or Four Tasks, Not Five

                WYOMING SKILL TEST STRUCTURE (30 MINUTES TOTAL)
=========================================================================
  TASK 1  -->  MANDATORY, drawn from a pool of four tasks, each with
               EMBEDDED soap-and-water HAND WASHING at the end:
                 * Assist Resident with the use of a Bedpan with Hand Washing
                 * Catheter Care for a Female with Hand Washing  [MANIKIN]
                 * Don PPE (gown + gloves), Empty a Urinary Drainage Bag,
                   Measure and Record Urine Output, Doff PPE with Hand Washing
                 * Perineal Care for a Female with Hand Washing  [MANIKIN]

  + 2 or 3 ADDITIONAL tasks selected at random by the TMU(c) skill test
    assignment algorithm from the published Wyoming skill task listing.
=========================================================================
  TOTAL: 3 OR 4 TASKS  |  30 MINUTES  |  Alerted when 15 minutes remain
=========================================================================

Hand washing with soap and water is embedded in each of the four mandatory tasks and must be demonstrated at the end of that task. Every skill test assigned by the TMU© algorithm is designed to be comparable in overall difficulty and average completion time.

How the Session Runs

• You re-present the ID you showed at check-in before the skill test begins.
• Read and understand all instructions in the waiting area first: once the skill test begins and the timer starts, you may not ask questions and the RN Test Observer may not answer them.
• Each task has a scenario that the RN Test Observer reads to you immediately before that task. You may ask to have any scenario repeated at any time during the skill test.
• When you finish a task, tell the RN Test Observer you are finished and move to the designated "relaxation area" while the observer and actor set up the next task.
• Steps are not order dependent unless the words BEFORE or AFTER appear in the step.

[!WARNING] All steps must actually be demonstrated. Steps that are only verbalized or simulated will not count. This applies to every task, not just the mandatory one — there is no "I would wash my hands" shortcut anywhere on the Wyoming skill test. On the non-mandatory tasks, hand hygiene is still a real, performed step: cover all surfaces of your hands with hand sanitizer and rub them together until they are completely dry.

Scoring: Key Steps and the 80% Rule

To pass the skill test you must, on each task assigned:

The RN Test Observer records what they observe; D&SDT-Headmaster scoring teams officially score and double-check the test afterwards.

Corrections During the Skill Test

Wyoming's correction rule is more generous than most candidates assume, and it is worth knowing precisely:

• If you believe you made a mistake, tell the RN Test Observer you would like to make a correction, then correctly demonstrate the step or steps you think you performed incorrectly.
• You may repeat or correct any step on any task you believe you performed incorrectly at any time during your allotted 30 minutes, or until you tell the RN Test Observer that you are finished with the skill test.
• In other words, the window does not slam shut when you finish an individual task — it closes when the clock runs out or when you declare the whole skill test finished. If you realise during task 3 that you forgot to lock the wheelchair brakes in task 2, you can still say so and re-demonstrate it.

The Skill Test Recording Form

If your skill test includes a task that requires recording a count or measurement — urine output, pulse, respirations, or food and fluid intake — the RN Test Observer provides a pre-signed recording form for you to write the value on.

---

Fees, Scheduling, Rescheduling, and No-Shows

All transactions run through your personal TMU© account. Testing fees must be paid before you can schedule a test date, using a Visa or MasterCard credit or debit card. Some training programs pre-pay for their graduates — check with your instructor before paying twice.

Published Wyoming Testing Fees

Retesting is priced by component: if you pass the knowledge exam and fail the skill test, you repay only the skill test fee before you can schedule the retest.

Rescheduling

All candidates may reschedule free of charge online in TMU© any time up until one (1) full business day before the scheduled test day, excluding Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. D&SDT-Headmaster is open until 6:00 PM Mountain Time, Monday through Friday.

Reschedules are not granted less than one full business day before a scheduled test date.

Test Day Check-In and No-Shows

You need to be at your confirmed test site 20 to 30 minutes before your exam starts, and testing begins promptly at the listed start time.

[!WARNING] You are recorded as a NO-SHOW — forfeiting all fees paid and having to pay again — if you fail to appear without notifying D&SDT-Headmaster one business day beforehand, or if you are turned away for lack of proper identification, improper attire, or any other reason that makes you ineligible to test.

No-show status can be excused, with fees refunded or a free reschedule authorised, for documented car breakdown or accident, weather or road conditions, medical emergency or illness, death in the family, or remotely proctored testing issues (internet or device failure). In every case you must contact D&SDT-Headmaster within one business day and submit documentation within three business days of the exam date — seven business days for a death in the immediate family.

Results and Attempts

• Official results are available by signing in to TMU© after 6:00 PM Mountain Time the business day after your test event. Results are not released over the phone and no paper results letters are mailed.
• Once you pass and meet all WSBN requirements, the WSBN-issued CNA certificate may take 3–5 business days to process after results are received.
• You have five (5) attempts within the two (2) year period following graduation to pass the knowledge and skill test portions. Fail five attempts on either component and you must complete a new WSBN-approved training program to become eligible again.
• You may dispute a result with a Test Review Request after first discussing the outcome by phone; a $25 deposit applies and D&SDT-Headmaster completes the review within ten business days.

[!CAUTION] Security violations are scored as failed attempts with forfeited fees. Disruptive or impaired behaviour ends your exam and requires WSBN clearance before you can retest. Removing or attempting to remove test material bars you from retesting for a minimum of six (6) months and requires WSBN permission, and is subject to prosecution.