Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Official Illinois Nurse Assistant/Aide Competency Examination (INACE) results will be available on the Health Care Worker Registry (HCW) approximately two weeks after testing. Registry status may be verified through the HCW Registry website at http://www.hcwrpub.dph.illinois.gov. If you go to the website, hcwrpub.dph.illinois.gov, in the middle of that page, you will see “Search the Health Care Worker Registry”, where you will be prompted to enter your name (enter last name, first name, — NO middle name or middle initial). Once you enter your name and click search, your name will appear on a separate page. At the end of your name will be a square icon of a silhouette of a person with a magnifying glass. Click on that icon, and another page will open up with your name and other information. At the bottom of that page, you will see the word Competency, and after that will be the date of the test and either an F1, 2 or 3, NS, or P. F = fail, NS = no show, P = Pass. You may print that page out as verification for any employer that wants to know your result of the exam.

If you fail or no show, you may login and reschedule your test.

English as a second language is not considered by the Illinois Department of Public Health to be a disability under which accommodations may be made for testing. 

NOTE: English as a second language is not recognized as a disability by the Illinois Department of Public Health and does not qualify the individual for accommodation testing. Individuals who are working in primarily English speaking facilities are expected to be able to read and speak English fluently and are required to take the Illinois Nurse Aide Competency Exam in English.

A written request for specific testing accommodations from a qualified disability support person along with documentation of a learning disability (Individualized Education Plan) are needed in order to provide accommodations for testing due to a learning disability. This information should be provided to the Nurse Aide Testing Project at least 30 days prior to the desired testing date. If a student requires testing accommodations beyond extended time, he/she should select a paper-based exam as availability for accommodations in computer-based tests vary site by site and are limited.

If a nurse aide is in good standing with no findings of abuse, neglect or theft and has not worked for pay in the nursing-related services for 24 consecutive months or more, he/she may be able to re-certify by competency testing only. Check out the following link on this website for re-certification information: http://www.nurseaidetesting.com/recertification-process/.

When a student is creating account, they enter their email address, SSN and DOB to verify their eligibility. The student will then enter their email address in the same way and it should match up. It is case specific. The use of a student’s personal email address as opposed to a school email address is important as, when a student finishes school, their school email may be deactivated which causes a student to not be able to access it once they are done.

If a student’s information is entered incorrectly, the only solution is for the student to contact the program coordinator to have their correct information entered on a new roster and submitted so the student will receive an email and then be able to create their account. The NAT office cannot create their account for them if the wrong information is entered.

• Duty A: Communicating Information – 31 tasks
• Duty B: Performing Basic Nursing Skills – 59 tasks
• Duty C: Performing Personal Care Skills – 43 tasks
• Duty D: Performing Basic Restorative Skills – 42 tasks
• Duty E: Providing Mental Health and Social Service Needs – 11 tasks
• Duty F: Providing Residents’ Rights – 14 tasks

• identify the tasks (jobs) that nurse aides perform on the job.
• review important facts and information associated with skills required to perform those tasks.
• practice doing the task.
  (Repetition increases your skill and what you remember about the task.)
• study in small groups.
  (Another person may be able to share information you did not know, explain a concept or procedure that is unclear, and reinforce information you already know.)
• take a timed practice exam.
  (A timed practice exam can help examinees learn how to pace themselves so they can use time efficiently to complete the exam. A practice exam also familiarizes the examinee with the types of questions expected on an exam.)
• review explanations of correct answers.
  (May provide new facts and help understand new information, aid in applying information already known, reinforce current knowledge, increase confidence and reduce anxiety about taking the exam.)