Hawaii | CNA Training Classes and Certifications

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To become a CNA in Hawaii, you complete a state-certified training program of at least 100 hours, 70 of them supervised practical training, pass the Prometric competency exam (a written or oral test plus a skills demonstration), and get listed on the state nurse aide registry kept by the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs (DCCA). You need a 70 percent score on the test, and you must pass all five skills you’re scored on. Your certification is good for up to 24 months, and you renew it every two years.

Hawaii CNA requirements at a glance

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Free CNA training in Hawaii

Federal rules protect nurse aides who train for jobs in nursing homes that take Medicare or Medicaid. If one of those facilities employs you, or has offered you a job, on the day your approved program starts, it can’t charge you for any part of it, including textbooks and required materials. If you pay for a program yourself and a facility hires you, or offers you a job, within 12 months of finishing, the state must reimburse your costs on a pro-rata basis for the time you work there as a nurse aide (42 CFR 483.152(c)). Ask nursing homes near you whether they sponsor students.

What to check before you pay for a CNA program in Hawaii

  • It’s on the state’s approved list. Only an approved program makes you eligible for the competency exam.
  • Its hours meet the state minimum, including the supervised clinical hours, and it tells you where the clinical training happens.
  • The price is complete: tuition, textbooks, uniform, background check and the exam fee.
  • It explains how you register for the exam and when you can test after you finish.
  • It doesn’t promise 100% online certification. Supervised hands-on training is required, so a course with none can’t lead to certification.

Hawaii splits the work between two departments. The Med-QUEST Division of the Department of Human Services, as the state Medicaid agency, sets the curriculum and decides whether a training program qualifies. DCCA certifies nurse aides and keeps the registry. Under the training rule, the 70 practical hours break down as 30 hours of basic nursing skills under an RN, 30 hours of personal care skills under an LPN supervised by an RN, and 10 hours of restorative services taught by a licensed or certified therapist.

The Hawaii CNA exam

Hawaii’s nurse aide exam is given by Prometric. Under the state rule, you choose a written or an oral test, you also demonstrate your skills, and you need a score of 70 percent on the test. Prometric’s candidate bulletin describes the written test as 60 multiple-choice questions with 90 minutes to finish. In the oral version, you hear the questions through a headset and can replay any question.

On the skills test, you’re scored on five skills: three assigned skills, plus handwashing and indirect care while you perform them. You get 31 to 40 minutes, depending on the skills you’re given, and you must pass all five. The rule says the skills are drawn at random from tasks nurse aides generally perform.

You must pass both parts within three attempts and within two years of your first test date; if you don’t, you have to retrain and retest. You can download the exam application from Prometric’s Hawaii nurse aide page, which is linked from the DCCA nurse aide page.

The Hawaii nurse aide registry and renewal

Hawaii’s nurse aide registry belongs to the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, which can contract its daily operation to an outside company while keeping oversight. Prometric handles registry verification. Employers and you can search the Hawaii nurse aide registry to confirm a listing.

Your certification is valid for up to 24 months and must be renewed every two years. DCCA must receive your renewal application by the end of the business day one month before your certification expires. If you work in a Medicare- or Medicaid-certified nursing facility, you must show that you were paid for at least one full day of nursing or nursing-related direct care in a certified facility within the prior 24 months, and your facility signs your renewal form. Prometric’s bulletin puts the work rule as at least eight hours of paid nursing-related work during your current certification period. If you work in a state-licensed or state-certified setting instead, you also need a competency evaluation and 24 hours of continuing education in the two years before your certification expires.

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Moving to Hawaii with a CNA from another state

Hawaii grants reciprocity to nurse aides from states whose requirements are comparable to its own. On Prometric’s testing and reciprocity application, choose Route 2 (Reciprocity/Out of State), and send a copy of your current, active CNA certificate with the reciprocity fee. Prometric checks your status with the other states’ registries, and DCCA then decides whether you go straight onto the Hawaii registry or must take the competency exam. If your certification isn’t active, you’ll have to take the exam. Prometric’s Hawaii page, linked from the DCCA nurse aide page, has the application.

Colleges in Hawaii that reported CNA completions

These 1 institutions reported 18 nursing assistant completions (CIP 51.3902) to the federal IPEDS survey for July 2024 to June 2025. Many approved CNA programs, such as those run by nursing homes, private training schools and the Red Cross, don’t report to IPEDS, so check the state’s approved-program list too.

Institution City Type Completions
Hawaii Medical College Honolulu Private for-profit 18

Source: IPEDS 2024–25 Completions and Institutional Characteristics, National Center for Education Statistics (provisional release); awards to first majors at all award levels.

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Last reviewed November 2026.