Loading...It is vital to apply and take the NNAAP (National Nurse Aide Assessment Program) examination to seek Nurse Aide certification in Texas and appear on the Texas Nurse Aide Registry. The examination determines minimal competency to qualify as a certified nurse assistant in the state of Texas. The Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services (DADS) works in association with in a nationally recognised group called Pearson VUE to conduct, score and report the result of the NNAAP Examination. The NACES (Nurse Aide Competency Evaluation Service) works with Pearson VUE to administer and schedule the examination in the state.
Eligibility
Aspirants who qualify any one of the given below registration routes are eligible to apply for the Nurse Aide examination:
- Retrained or new Nurse Aides- These candidates must complete a state- approved training program within the last 2 years.
- Eligibility Routes 5528: Nurse Aides with expired CNA Registration- Nurse Assistants who do not perform nursing duties in a health-care setting during the past 2 years from the day of registration then license gets expired.
- Eligibility Route 5511: Military Personnel- Individuals with have finished military training (equivalent to civilian Nurse Assistant training) of at least 100 hours post 1st July, 1989.
- Eligibility Route 5512: LVN/RN Graduates- Candidates falling in this eligibility route must complete form obtainable at: http://www.dads.state.tx.us/providers/nf/credentialing/NATCEP/forms.html and submit the form to DADS or make a call to DADS at 512-438-2017 for authorization to test.
- Eligibility Route 5513: RN/LVN Student- These students must fill a form obtainable at: http://www.dads.state.tx.us/providers/nf/credentialing/NATCEP/forms.html and submit it to DADS or make a call to DADS at: 512-438-2017.
- Eligibility Route 5510:Out-of-State Training- Candidates who have finished approved nurse aide training courses in another state within the last 2 years. These candidates must avail form from the website: http://www.dads.state.tx.us/providers/nf/credentialing/NATCEP/forms.html and submit it to DADS or call DADS at 512-438-2017.
- Eligibility Route 5525: Training Program Closed- In this category those candidates fall who have taken training program, which is closed within the time duration of the last 2 years.
Required Documents
These are the documents that are required by candidates of all eligibility routes to apply for the examination:
- Legible copy of Military I.D. card, Social Security Card showing persons’ ITIN or SSN card.
- Completed Application (completely filled and original ink signed Part II).
- Non –expired (current) legible copy of Federal or State issued Photo Identification card.
- DADS issued original Approval Letter, and
- Appropriate fees
Components of the NNAAP Examination
There are 2 sections in the NNAAP Examination: the NNAAP Written/Oral Examination and the Texas Skills Evaluation. After passing the Skills Evaluation, candidates appear for the Written/Oral Examination.
Written Examination:
- In Written Examination, seven multiple -choice questions are asked in English.
- Candidates are given 2 hours to complete the examination.
- Any kind of marking on the test booklet is not allowed.
- There are “Pre-test” questions in the written examinations. Pre-test questions help candidates in constructing future exams as on these questions statistical information is collected.
- Candidates’’ response to pre-test questions does not affect their score in the NNAAP examination.
- Scored questions and pre-test questions are not identifiable as they are mixed in the test booklet.
Oral Examination:
- Candidates with difficulty in reading English language may give Spanish or English Oral Examination in place of Written Examination.
- This examination contains 60 multiple- choice questions (read twice) and 10 reading comprehension questions (read thrice).
- Questions are read aloud on a cassette tape.
- Candidates who want to give the Oral Examination must request for it while submitting the examination application.
Skills Evaluation:
- Candidates are supposed to perform 5 randomly chosen nursing aide skills.
- There is a checklist of 34 skills in the Texas Curriculum for Nurse Assistant in Long-Term Care Facilities. Candidates need to effectively demonstrate 4 nurse aide skills to qualify Skill testing.
- A Nurse Aide Evaluator rates performed nurse aide skills.
- Candidates must perform bold marked, “Critical Element Steps” of every skill correctly to pass the skills examination.
Application and Scheduling
- To write the examination, candidates must fill an examination application which can be availed:
- From Nurse Aide training program
- From nurse facility employer
- By contacting NACES
- By downloading it from www.pearsonvue.com (website of Pearson VUE)
- Any kind of query related to the application can be resolved by contacting NACES Customer Service Representative at- (800) 444-5178.
- NACES must receive all required documents in an envelope around 10 days before the scheduled date of examination. New or re-trained nurse assistant send their documents to training program instructor and then instructor mail those documents to NACES. Others should call NACES at 800-444-5178 to know instructions that they need to follow.
- Candidates who are appearing for testing for the first time must get scheduled for both- the Written /Oral examination and the Skills Evaluation.
- If candidates are enrolled in state approved training programs then their training program coordinators help them in scheduling Written/Oral Examination and Skills Evaluation.
- If candidates are employed in long term care facility, then their facility administrator coordinates and schedules the Written/Oral Examination and Skills Evaluation.
- Testing Location: The Written/Oral Examination and the Skills Evaluation are taken in long-term care facilities.
- Pearson VUE offers appropriate and reasonable accommodations to candidates with documented disabilities. Test accommodations may involve- a Recorder or a Reader for candidates with vision or mobility impairment, extra testing time and a separate testing room.
Examination Fees
| Exam Type |
| Fee |
| Written & Skills | Both | $ 93 |
| Oral English & Skills | Both | $ 106 |
| Oral Spanish & Skills | Both | $ 106 |
| Written ONLY | Re-take | $ 58 |
| Oral Spanish ONLY | Re-take | $ 71 |
| Oral English ONLY | Re-take | $ 71 |
| Oral English and Skills Retest | Both | $ 35 |
| Oral Spanish and Skills Retest | Both | $ 35 |
| Written and Skills Retest | Both | $ 35 |
| Additional Fee to Switch from Written to Oral Spanish |
| $ 13 |
| Additional Fee to Switch from Written to Oral English |
| $ 13 |
- Examination fee is acceptable only in the form of a money order, company or certified check payable to “NACES”. Cash and personal checks are unacceptable.
- Fee once received by NACES, is non-transferrable and non-refundable.
On the Exam Day
- Candidates must arrive at the testing site 30 minutes before the schedules examination time for both the Skills Evaluation and the Written/Oral Examination.
- The examination fee of late comers is non- refundable.
- Students must bring proper identification to the test center. This involves 2 forms of official identification, valid (current) photo bearing identification and original Social Security card. One of the two identification, one must carry signature. Identifications must be original; their photocopies are not allowed. Valid Photo identification includes:
- U.S. Passport
- U.S. state issued identification
- U.S. State or Federal issued identification
- Student identification
- Work identification
- U.S. financial institution issued identification
- Alien Registration card
- Military I.D. issued by the U.S. government
- Name on identification must be similar to the name used on the examination application. Students bring a proof of name change, if the name differs.
- Without proper identification, students are not allowed to give the examination.
Exam Rescheduling
NACES considers missing the exam on a scheduled date and re-schedules the exam if students provide acceptable reasons for skipping the exam in written at least 30 business days prior to the scheduled date. Following are the acceptable excuse for rescheduling the examination:
- Death in the family
- Jury or court appearance date
- Illness of candidates or their immediate family member
- Military duty
- Disabling traffic accident
- Weather emergency
Candidates must mail their request for rescheduling the exam to:
NACES
Texas Nurse Aide Program
8501 North Mopac Expressway, Suite 400
Austin TX 78759
Score Reporting
- Examination result or score is not declared over the phone.
- After finishing the Skills Evaluation, the nurse aide evaluator discusses the candidates’ results with them. The candidates are made to sign the “Candidate Performance Summary Sheet” and its copy is given to them.
- Candidates receive unofficial preliminary results of their Written/Oral Examination from the nurse aide evaluator after completing the exam, but it takes maximum 10 days to receive official result. Official results are mailed to students when Pearson VUE marks their testing materials.
- Candidates, whose results somehow get delayed for over 30 business days, must call Pearson VUE at 800-274-2900.
Failure
Skills Evaluation: Candidates who fail this part of examination must contact their employer or training to re-test.
Written/Oral Examination: Candidates with the failing score report of the written exam must contact their employer or training program to re-test. Score Report contains instructions on what needs to be done in this case.
NOTE: NACES must receive examination fee and a new application within 10 business days before the examination date. Testing fees is charged every time when candidates retest the examination.
Passing
Candidates who pass both the Written/Oral Examination and the Skills Evaluation receive their Wallet Identification Card and their name is given to the DADS for listing on the Texas Nurse Aide Registry.