The Massachusetts Department of Public Health’s (DPH) Nurse Aide Registry Services (NARS), through its testing vendor, D&S Diversified Technologies – HEADMASTER (“D&S”), will begin offering the nurse aide certification exam in Spanish and Chinese, in addition to English, click here to review the guidance. Starting July 1, 2024, CNA candidates can indicate their intent to take the CNA exam in a language other than English during the exam registration process. Administration of exams in languages other than English will begin July 15, 2024. Individuals who have completed an approved Massachusetts Nurse Aide Training Program or have an approved Nurse Aide Training Waiver Application may apply to take the CNA exam in English, Spanish, or Chinese. An increase of 10 minutes has been added to all Skills Tests, resulting in a maximum of forty (40) minutes to complete the three or four tasks.
Additionally, beginning July 1, 2024, first-time nurse aide certification exams, whether in English, Spanish, and Chinese, will be free of charge. The charge for subsequent test attempts will remain unchanged from current pricing: $40 (Written), $50 (Oral), and $70 (Skills). To learn more about this change, visit www.mass.gov/nurse-aide-registry-program.