BASICS
Thank you for choosing the American Red Cross for your Nurse Assistant Competency Testing needs. Your written and skills tests will be from 8:30 AM. to 4:00 PM., however you may finish earlier.
Please plan to arrive 30 minutes before your appointment time.
- We suggest that you bring water and a non-perishable lunch for yourself.
- Please wear your uniform/scrubs (any color), non-skid shoes, and a second-hand watch.
- Please bring a pen (black or blue). Pencils will be provided.
WHAT TO BRING (Application & ID Requirements)
- EACH STUDENT MUST BRING THE FOLLOWING THREE (3) ITEMS TO THE TESTING SITE
One (1) State Application: (HS 283B) Your 283B must be completed correctly; it must be signed and dated (in pen) by a Registered Nurse; and his/her signature must include the title (,RN ) for the form to be valid. You (“the applicant”) must also sign and date this application (in pen). Note: If you were required to mail your application to the State (to get CDPH approval to take the Exam), the document they mailed back to you must have the official State stamp, seal, and the ATCS representative’s signature & date, to be valid. Also, please check to see if they’ve stamped a “must test by” date on your application.
Two (2) Legal IDs : The IDs listed below, along with your State application, are required by the State of California Department of Public Health (CDPH) for testing, as well as re-testing.
One ID MUST be a “Photo ID”, as listed below:
- Driver’s License or an ID Card issued by a governmental agency or entity thereof provided it contains a photograph and information including, but not limited to, date of birth, sex, height, eye color, hair color, and address.
- High School ID Card with a photograph provided the student is 18 years of age or younger and the ID has not expired.
- U.S. Military ID Card
- Military Dependant’s ID Card
- U.S. Coast Guard Merchant Mariner Card
- Native American Tribal Document
- U.S. Passport or Foreign Passport
- Alien Registration Card
The other form of ID MUST be one of the items listed below :
The printout ( i.e. “abstract” ) MUST be stamped and initialed by a Social Security Administration representative.
- Social Security Card issued by the Social Security Administration.
- Social Security Printout (showing social security number) issued by the Social Security Administration
ALL REQUIRED DOCUMENTS AND IDs PRESENTED AT THE TESTING SITE MUST BE ORIGINALS AND CANNOT BE EXPIRED. *NO COPIES OF ID’S OR DOCUMENTS WILL BE ACCEPTED.
*THE ONLY EXCEPTION:
A “COPIED” 283B FORM MUST BE COMPLETELY RE-SIGNED AND RE-DATED (IN PEN) BY YOU (“THE APPLICANT”) AND THE RN, IN ORDER TO BE VALID. EACH MUST RE-SIGN AND RE- DATE NEAR THEIR “COPIED” SIGNATURE / DATE. BE CAREFUL NOT TO OVERLAP, SO THE EXAMINER CAN CLEARLY DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE “COPIED” AREAS AND THE ”RE-SIGNED / RE-DATED” AREAS.
ALL INFORMATION ON YOUR IDs AND DOCUMENTS MUST BE CLEARLY READABLE AND UNALTERED.
ALL NAMES AND INFORMATION, THAT APPEAR ON YOUR STATE APPLICATION (283B, 283C, OR THE COMPETENCY EVALUATION APPROVAL FORM), MUST MATCH THE PHOTO ID AND SOCIAL SECURITY CARD, IN ORDER FOR YOU (“THE APPLICANT”) TO BE TESTED.
PASSING BOTH PARTS OF THE EXAM
There are two (2) parts to the Competency Exam; a Skills Test and a Written Test. When you pass the Skills Test, you will be given a Skills Completion Card by the RN (Skill Evaluator). When you pass the Written Test, you will be given a Written Completion Card by the Proctor. The ARC will also give you a Completion Certificate that says you are now a Certified Nurse Assistant ! The Completion Certificate and the two (2) Completion Cards will allow you to work as a CNA, in most facilities, until your State *Certificate arrives from the California Department of Public Health (CDPH). CDPH will mail your State *Certificate to you within 16 weeks.
*Note: This is a Certificate, not a License.
FAILING ONE OR BOTH PARTS OF THE EXAM
If you are unsuccessful with either part of the exam, you will need to schedule yourself for a ‘re-test’:
You have three (3) attempts to pass both parts of the exam, during the two (2) years that your 283B is valid. Your 283B is valid for two (2) years after the date you completed your training program.
Pay only for the exam(s) that you need to retake: $55.00 (Skills); $35.00 (Written) or $50.00 (Oral Test).
If you passed one (1) part of the exam, you must bring that one (1) Completion Card to your next exam! For 3rd time testers that have one (1) completion card: You will not be allowed to test without the card !
If you do not pass the entire exam after your 3rd attempt, the examiner must take your State application and your completion card (if you have a card). To re-test, you must be re-trained and receive a brand new 283B; (your new 283B cannot have the same “beginning date of training” as your previous 283B).
RESCHEDULING / CANCELLATION POLICY
You will need to ‘reschedule’ yourself and pay a $25 rescheduling fee for the following reasons:
- Failure to bring ALL required documents and IDs to the testing site.
- Failure to ‘cancel’ your appointment 48 hours in advance (48 hours before your scheduled testing date).
Note: If you cancel your test date 48 hours in advance, no rescheduling fee will be charged. This applies for the first time only; every subsequent cancellation will result in an automatic $25 rescheduling fee.
Do you need to ‘re-test’, ‘reschedule’, or ‘cancel’ ? If so, please call: 1-800-627-7000
THERE ARE NO REFUNDS / ARC WILL NOT REIMBURSE TESTING FEES
