Free CNA Practice Test
Legal and Ethical Issues
22 NNAAP-style questions, one at a time — just like exam day. Score and full explanations at the end.
Free CNA practice test on legal and ethical issues — scope of practice, mandatory reporting, abuse and neglect, false imprisonment, assault and battery, negligence, ethics, and standards of care. Covers the "Legal and Ethical Behavior" NNAAP block.
Need a refresher first? Read our free Legal & Ethical Issues study guide before taking the test.
Exam-simulator mode: picking an answer saves it and automatically moves you to the next question. You will not see right/wrong until you finish — just like the real NNAAP.
Question 1 of 22.Which is OUTSIDE the CNA's scope of practice?
Prefer to read? All 22 questions with answers
Which is OUTSIDE the CNA's scope of practice?
- Measuring vital signs
- Administering medications (correct answer)
- Helping with bathing
- Reporting changes in condition
CNAs do not administer medications, perform sterile procedures, give IV therapy, or interpret data. Even seemingly minor medication tasks (like applying lotion containing medication) require a nurse's delegation per facility policy.
Negligence is BEST defined as:
- Intentional harm
- Failure to provide care that a reasonable person would provide, resulting in harm (correct answer)
- Refusing to work overtime
- Asking for clarification
Negligence is the failure to perform care that a reasonable, prudent CNA would perform under similar circumstances, leading to actual harm. Examples: not turning a resident, ignoring call lights, skipping vital signs.
Locking a competent resident in a room is an example of:
- Reasonable supervision
- False imprisonment (correct answer)
- Privacy protection
- Standard care
Restricting a competent resident's movement against their will is false imprisonment, a tort under state and federal law. Restraints — physical, chemical, or environmental — require a physician's order and strict criteria.
Threatening to harm a resident is:
- Battery
- Assault (correct answer)
- Negligence
- Acceptable when frustrated
Assault is the threat of harm — words or gestures that make the resident reasonably believe they will be touched without consent. Battery is the actual unwanted touching.
Which is the BEST example of beneficence?
- Doing harm
- Acting in the resident's best interest (correct answer)
- Ignoring requests
- Sharing PHI
Beneficence is the ethical duty to do good. The four core healthcare ethics principles are: autonomy (respecting choices), beneficence (do good), nonmaleficence (do no harm), and justice (fairness).
A CNA is told by a coworker, 'Don't worry about charting that one, no one will notice.' The CNA should:
- Agree
- Refuse — accurate documentation is a legal and ethical requirement (correct answer)
- Report only to the coworker's friend
- Ignore
Falsifying or omitting documentation is fraud, can harm the resident, and is grounds for termination and loss of certification. Always chart actual care, report concerns up the chain, and follow facility policy.
Which is the CNA's responsibility regarding suspected abuse?
- Investigate
- Confront the suspected abuser
- Report immediately to the charge nurse, administrator, and appropriate authorities (correct answer)
- Wait until proof is gathered
CNAs are mandatory reporters in every state. Suspected abuse, neglect, or exploitation must be reported immediately. The CNA does not investigate — that is the responsibility of agencies and administration.
Confidentiality means:
- Sharing PHI with friends
- Posting on social media without names
- Sharing PHI only with care-team members on a need-to-know basis (correct answer)
- Discussing residents in public
Confidentiality under HIPAA limits sharing to care-team members who need the minimum necessary information to perform their duties. Even non-identifying social media posts can violate HIPAA.
Accepting money from a resident is:
- A nice gesture
- Financial exploitation and grounds for termination and loss of certification (correct answer)
- Allowed if the resident insists
- Allowed during the holidays
Accepting money, gifts, or property from residents is considered financial exploitation and is forbidden in nearly every CNA Code of Conduct. Politely refuse and report any pressure.
The CNA finds a coworker drinking alcohol on shift. The CNA should:
- Cover for them
- Drink with them
- Report immediately to the charge nurse — impairment endangers residents (correct answer)
- Ignore
Working while impaired by alcohol or drugs is a safety violation that endangers residents. Report immediately to the supervisor. State law and facility policy require action.
Defamation is BEST described as:
- Helping a resident
- Making false statements about another person that damage their reputation (verbal: slander; written: libel) (correct answer)
- Reporting suspected abuse
- Charting accurately
Defamation is false statements harming reputation. Spoken is slander, written is libel. Truthful reports of abuse made in good faith are protected from defamation claims.
Informed consent for a procedure is the responsibility of:
- The CNA
- The physician or nurse, not the CNA (correct answer)
- The family
- The patient's neighbor
Informed consent is obtained by the licensed professional performing the procedure. The CNA's role is to ensure the consent form is present in the chart before assisting and to respect the resident's right to refuse.
Which BEST describes autonomy?
- Doing what's best for someone without asking
- Respecting the resident's right to make decisions about their own care (correct answer)
- Following the family's wishes
- Following only what the doctor says
Autonomy is the resident's right to self-determination — to make choices about their own body and care, including the right to refuse. Even confused residents may have decision-making capacity for some choices.
Which document outlines a CNA's expected behavior?
- The nurse's diary
- The Code of Conduct or Code of Ethics for nursing assistants (correct answer)
- The newspaper
- A roommate agreement
Most state nurse aide registries publish a Code of Conduct outlining honesty, dignity, confidentiality, scope, and reporting expectations. Violations can lead to registry sanctions.
Which action by a CNA is BEYOND the legal scope of practice?
- Recording vital signs
- Sterilizing surgical instruments (correct answer)
- Repositioning a resident
- Helping with feeding
Sterile procedures, IVs, medication administration, and skin assessments below the surface are outside CNA scope. Always clarify orders with the nurse before acting.
A resident who has the capacity to make decisions refuses a recommended treatment. The CNA must:
- Force the treatment
- Threaten the resident
- Respect the refusal, document, and report to the nurse (correct answer)
- Tell the family to convince them
Competent residents have the legal right to refuse any treatment. The CNA documents the refusal, the reason, and reports to the nurse. Forcing care is considered battery.
Battery is:
- Unwanted physical contact with another person (correct answer)
- A verbal threat only
- Helpful care
- Documenting accurately
Battery is unwanted, non-consensual physical contact. Examples: bathing a resident over their refusal, restraining without an order, force-feeding. Assault is the threat; battery is the act.
The CNA notices that the nurse made a medication error. The CNA should:
- Do nothing
- Tell other residents
- Report immediately up the chain of command (correct answer)
- Confront the nurse alone in public
All errors that affect resident care must be reported up the chain promptly. CNAs are part of the safety net; honest reporting protects residents and is legally protected when made in good faith.
Which is NOT considered abuse?
- Verbal threats
- Withholding meals
- Sexual contact without consent
- Following a resident's stated refusal of a bath (correct answer)
Honoring a resident's refusal is upholding their rights, not abuse. Abuse includes physical, emotional, verbal, sexual, financial, and neglect-based harm.
Which standard is used to evaluate negligence?
- What the CNA personally thinks is right
- What a reasonable, prudent CNA with similar training would do in similar circumstances (correct answer)
- What was done last shift
- What a doctor would do
Negligence is judged against the 'reasonable, prudent CNA' standard — a peer with similar training and circumstances. Facility policy, state regulations, and nurse-aide training set the expectation.
Which is an example of an ethical dilemma in CNA practice?
- Choosing between two cups of coffee
- A resident asks the CNA to keep secret that she is hoarding pills (correct answer)
- Choosing which uniform to wear
- Selecting break time
Ethical dilemmas pit competing values. Confidentiality is important, but safety overrides it when the resident is at risk. The CNA must report the disclosure to the nurse despite the resident's wish for secrecy.
A 'whistleblower' protection law generally protects:
- Employees who falsify records
- Employees who in good faith report abuse, neglect, or unsafe conditions from retaliation (correct answer)
- Employees who steal
- Only managers
Whistleblower protections shield employees who report abuse, neglect, or unsafe conditions in good faith from retaliation (termination, demotion, harassment). Many states extend this protection specifically to CNAs.
FAQ: Legal and Ethical Issues on the CNA Exam
How many legal and ethical issues questions are on the actual NNAAP exam?
The NNAAP written exam has 60 scored questions distributed across eight content areas. Legal and Ethical Issues is one of the most heavily tested categories, with several questions appearing on every form of the exam. Drilling these questions repeatedly until you can explain why each correct answer is correct is the best way to lock in the material.
What should I do if I miss several questions on this legal and ethical issues practice test?
Re-read the corresponding free study guide (linked above and below) before retaking the test. Take notes on the exact concept you missed — for example, 'I confused contact and droplet precautions' — and review the explanations until the pattern is clear. Most students need 2 to 3 cycles of test, review, and retake before consistently scoring above 80%.
Are these questions identical to the real CNA exam?
No. The actual NNAAP, Prometric, Headmaster, and PSI exams are confidential and only the official testing vendors have access to live items. Our questions are written by us to mirror NNAAP style, difficulty, and content distribution based on the publicly available NNAAP content outline. Performing well here is a strong predictor of passing the real test.
Do I have to pay or sign up to take this practice test?
No. Every practice test, study guide, and resource on freecnatraining.org is 100% free, with no signup or paywall. Most other CNA practice test sites charge $30 to $100 per month for access; we are funded by our nursing-school directory and keep the study material free for students.