Washington State New Nursing Assistant Skills Testing Started October 1

In Washington state, the new Nursing Assistant skills test went into effect on October 1, 2023. The purpose of the change is to increase access to skills testing following graduation. Graduates will be expected to pass the skills test before registering for the written test, which saves steps and time in the testing and certification process. By 2024, most nursing assistant training programs will provide skills testing routinely after graduation. One of the biggest changes is graduates will no longer register for the skills test on Credentia365 but will continue to use the platform to obtain their Candidate ID number.

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An overview of the new process is below.

New Skills Test Registration Process

For graduates from approved Washington state Nursing Assistant training programs:

Step 1: Get a Credentia Candidate ID number. 

Step 2: Register for the skills test.

• Option A: Register with your training program, if your training program is ready to provide skills testing.
• Option B: Register through WABON online scheduling if your training program is NOT providing skills testing at this time.

Step 3: Register for the written (or oral) test on the Credentia website AFTER you pass the skills test.

Step 4*: Apply for your nursing assistant-certified (NAC) credential with the Department of Health (DOH), if you have not already done so. 

  *Note:  New graduates from approved Washington state Nursing Assistant training programs may do Step 4 at any time.

For detailed information on the Nursing Assistant skills test process, click here.