How Long Does It Take to Become a CNA?

The federal floor is 75 hours of training, 16 of them supervised practical work, and 22 states stay right there. Wyoming, Wisconsin, Vermont, Tennessee, and South Dakota are among them. Missouri requires the most at 175 hours, 100 of them clinical, followed by California at 160, Alaska and Virginia at 140, and Maine at 130. The typical state requires 90 hours, and 15 states go past 100.

At 20 hours a week, a 75-hour state such as Wyoming takes about 4 weeks; at 10 hours a week, about 8. Missouri's 175 hours works out to about 9 weeks full time and 18 weeks part time. Treat these as typical, not rules, since programs set their own calendars. The table below lists every state's hour requirement alongside both paces.

Full-time programs run 4 to 12 weeks on weekday daytime schedules, with classroom hours first and clinical rotations at a partner facility later. Part-time and evening programs spread the same hours over 8 to 16 weeks, which suits people holding another job. Accelerated programs compress those hours into 2 to 4 weeks of full days, and they exist only where a state's hour total allows it.

Clinical placement is the usual holdup, since a program can schedule rotations only when a partner facility has room. Missed sessions are the second, because you have to make up required hours before a program signs you off. Prerequisites sit before day one rather than inside the program, so starting them early keeps them off your calendar later.

You schedule the exam after finishing the program, commonly within a few weeks, depending on your state's testing vendor and test-site availability. It comes in two parts: a written knowledge section and a hands-on skills demonstration. States generally allow a retake if you miss one part, and the number of attempts and the wait between them vary by state.

Once you pass, your name goes onto the state nurse aide registry, usually automatically within days to a few weeks. Federal law requires every state to maintain one, and employers must check your status there before hiring you. There is no national registry. Many facilities hire trainees or let new graduates start while a listing is pending, though rules vary by state, so confirm with the employer.

Enrolling full time is the single biggest choice, and an accelerated program trims more where one runs near you. If you can choose where you train, a state at the 75-hour floor finishes weeks sooner than one at 140 or 160 hours. Clear the background check, immunizations, and TB test before you enroll, not during. Book the exam as soon as your program allows, since open test dates are the piece you control least.

Online coursework can cover the classroom portion, but clinical hours are always done in person, so no format removes them. A program without state approval will not qualify you for the exam, and weeks spent there count toward nothing. Confirm state approval before you pay a deposit.

The latest government wage data (May 2025) puts typical CNA pay at $42,260 a year, or $20.32 an hour. Entry-level positions pay around $33,940 a year, and the top end reaches $51,980. About 1,448,910 people hold these jobs. Employment is projected to grow 2.6 percent between 2025 and 2035, with about 196,200 openings a year.

Many CNAs keep going. Practical nursing programs run about 12 months, and typical pay for LPNs and LVNs is $64,400 a year. An associate degree in nursing takes about two years and a BSN about four, with registered nurses at $97,550. Nurse practitioners, who need a graduate degree, are at $132,300. Hours logged as a CNA count as real patient experience on those applications.

Plan on about 1 to 4 months from enrollment to registry listing. Two things move that number: your state's hour requirement, anywhere from 75 to 175 hours, and whether you train full time or on evenings. Find your state in the table and read its hours and typical weeks. Then enroll in a state-approved program, finish prerequisites before the first class, and book the exam as soon as you are eligible.