Virginia CNA Practice Test — Free NNAAP Prep

Virginia employs roughly 37,000 certified nursing assistants across a state with one of the most diverse healthcare markets on the East Coast — academic medical centers in Charlottesville and Richmond, federal employment-driven Northern Virginia, Hampton Roads' military medicine footprint, and rural Southside and Southwest Virginia all generating different kinds of CNA demand. The state's 65+ population is growing faster than its under-65 population, and the Virginia Health Care Association has flagged direct-care workforce capacity as a critical issue.

Demand is heaviest across Northern Virginia (Fairfax, Loudoun, Prince William counties), Richmond, and Hampton Roads (Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Newport News), but rural Southwest Virginia and the Southside face tighter relative shortages because their populations skew older and their workforces are smaller. Rural Virginia facilities consistently offer sign-on bonuses, shift differentials, and tuition assistance that Northern Virginia academic systems don't need to match. The state's enormous veteran and military-retiree population supports strong VA, DoD, and state veterans-home CNA pipelines.

The average CNA wage in Virginia is approximately $16.67/hour, with Northern Virginia wages running noticeably higher than the rest of the state — often above $19/hour around the DC suburbs. Virginia taxes earned income on a graduated scale topping out at 5.75%, and cost of living varies sharply by region: Northern Virginia is among the most expensive in the country, while Roanoke, Lynchburg, and Southwest Virginia run well below national medians.

Virginia requires 75 hours of state-approved Nurse Aide Education Program instruction — the federal minimum — though most Virginia programs run longer because the state mandates supervised clinical hours and skills-lab time on top of the classroom theory. Programs are offered through community colleges in the Virginia Community College System (VCCS), career-technical centers, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and many Virginia nursing facilities that train candidates in exchange for an employment commitment.

The exam is administered by Prometric on behalf of the Virginia Board of Nursing. The written portion covers the six NNAAP content domains, and the clinical skills portion requires demonstrating five randomly assigned hands-on skills (always including handwashing) in front of a Prometric evaluator. Once you pass, your name is added to the Virginia Nurse Aide Registry maintained by the Virginia Department of Health.

You have up to 3 attempts within 2 years of completing your training program. If you exhaust all three or let the 2-year window lapse, Virginia requires you to complete a new approved program before retesting. Schedule through prometricncs.com once your training program submits your eligibility. Virginia also requires criminal background clearances before certification can be issued.

The largest CNA employers in Virginia include Inova Health System (the largest health system in Northern Virginia), HCA Virginia, Sentara Healthcare (Hampton Roads-based, the largest system in southeastern Virginia), VCU Health, UVA Health, Bon Secours Mercy Health, Carilion Clinic (Roanoke), Riverside Health System, and the Veterans Affairs medical centers in Richmond, Hampton, and Salem. Inova and Sentara set the wage ceiling for the state and offer some of the strongest LPN/RN pipeline benefits in the Mid-Atlantic. Most prefer 6–12 months of facility experience before hiring CNAs into acute care.

Long-term care operators are the most common entry point for new Virginia CNAs. Medical Facilities of America (Virginia-headquartered), Saber Healthcare Group, Trio Healthcare, Genesis HealthCare, and dozens of independent SNFs hire new graduates aggressively. Many will pay for your community college training in exchange for a 6- to 12-month employment commitment.

Home health is one of the fastest-growing CNA segments in Virginia, particularly across Northern Virginia and rural Southwest Virginia where facility beds are scarce. BAYADA, Encompass Health, Interim HealthCare, Right at Home, Visiting Angels, and dozens of regional agencies recruit CNAs statewide. Home health roles in Virginia typically require a reliable vehicle outside of dense Northern Virginia and Norfolk cores, but offer scheduling flexibility and per-visit pay structures that often beat facility hourly rates.