Physical Care Skills: CNA Practice
Blueprint-aligned practice questions for the Physical Care Skills domain of the Certified Nursing Assistant (state nurse aide credential), with rationales and topic-focused study paths.
Domain I: Physical Care Skills
NNAAP 2024 allocation: 38 of 60 scored items (64%).
Physical Care Skills is the largest part of the NNAAP written exam. It covers activities of daily living, basic nursing skills, and promoting self-care or independence. Most items are scenario-based: you choose the safest next action for a nurse aide within scope of practice.
High-yield traps include skipping infection control steps, choosing tasks that belong to the nurse, and doing for the client what the client can safely do with assistance.
Official NNAAP areas in this domain
Activities of Daily Living (22%)
Hygiene, dressing and grooming, nutrition and hydration, elimination, and rest, sleep, or comfort.
Basic Nursing Skills (35%)
Infection control, safety and emergency response, technical procedures, and data collection with reporting.
Self Care / Independence (7%)
Promote independence, use assistive devices correctly, and support restorative goals without over-assisting.
Application errors to avoid
Skipping infection control
Hand hygiene and PPE come before most care tasks. Distractors often jump straight to the procedure and ignore standard precautions.
Doing the task for the client
When a client can participate safely, encourage independence. Over-helping can look kind but scores as the wrong restorative choice.
Acting outside aide scope
Assessing, diagnosing, or changing the care plan is not a nurse aide role. Report changes to the nurse instead of improvising clinical decisions.
Domain study sequence
- 1
Master infection control and safety first
These threads appear across ADLs and technical procedures. Weakness here costs points in multiple subdomains.
- 2
Drill ADLs with positioning and comfort
Practice bathing, feeding, toileting, and comfort scenarios that force you to choose the safest sequence.
- 3
Practice observation and reporting language
Know what to measure, what to report immediately, and what belongs in routine documentation.
- 4
Finish with independence and restorative care
Review when to encourage self-care, how to use assistive devices, and how to avoid learned dependence.
Readiness checklist
- Apply hand hygiene and PPE before and after care
- Sequence ADLs safely for hygiene, nutrition, elimination, and comfort
- Recognize fall, choking, and emergency priorities
- Collect and report observations without diagnosing
- Promote independence whenever it is safe for the client
Sample questions
Preview exam-style items from this topic, then sign in to practice with instant feedback.
A CNA has no visible soil on hands after leaving a resident room and wants to perform hand hygiene before the next task. When is alcohol-bas…
View questionA CNA is providing perineal care for a female resident after she uses the bedside commode. In which direction should the CNA wipe?
View questionA resident who is NPO for a scheduled diagnostic test reaches for a cup of coffee a family member left on the tray. What should the CNA do F…
View questionA CNA is about to feed a resident who had a stroke and has difficulty swallowing. How should the resident be positioned BEFORE the meal begi…
View questionA CNA is helping transfer a heavy resident from bed to chair using a gait belt. Which body mechanic is MOST important for the CNA?
View questionFrequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Physical Care Skills prep, score improvement, and planning for your certification exam timeline.
Related study guides
Continue studying this domain with focused guides and practical exam tips.
Master Physical Care Skills for CNA
Sign in to practice this domain with blueprint-aligned questions, mocks, and AI explanations, then track what to study next.
Other exam topics
Jump to another topic in the same exam blueprint and keep your study flow moving.
Current topic: physical-care