HCA Written Actual Exam V2
— 2026/2027 —
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Healthcare Assistant Certification Examination
75 Multiple-Choice Questions | 9 Clinical Domains
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Academic Year 2026–2027
, HCA Written Actual Exam V2 — 2026/2027
Table of Contents
Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 3
Domain 1: Fundamental Nursing Skills & Patient Care .................................................... 3
Domain 2: Safety & Emergency Response ............................................................................. 5
Domain 3: Communication & Interpersonal Skills ............................................................ 6
Domain 4: Legal/Ethical Responsibilities & Scope of Practice ....................................... 8
Domain 5: Anatomy & Physiology Basics ............................................................................. 10
Domain 6: Nutrition & Hydration Support ......................................................................... 12
Domain 7: Mobility & Positioning Techniques ................................................................... 13
Domain 8: Mental Health & Psychosocial Support ............................................................15
Domain 9: Infection Prevention & Control Practices ...................................................... 16
Answer Key .....................................................................................................................................17
Page 2
, HCA Written Actual Exam V2 — 2026/2027
Introduction
This written examination is designed to assess the knowledge and competency of Healthcare
Assistant (HCA) candidates across nine core domains essential to safe and effective patient
care. The exam consists of 75 multiple-choice questions, each with four answer options (A
through D) and one clearly identified correct answer accompanied by a clinical rationale.
The nine domains covered in this examination are:
• Fundamental Nursing Skills & Patient Care (Q1–Q10)
• Safety & Emergency Response (Q11–Q18)
• Communication & Interpersonal Skills (Q19–Q27)
• Legal/Ethical Responsibilities & Scope of Practice (Q28–Q38)
• Anatomy & Physiology Basics (Q39–Q47)
• Nutrition & Hydration Support (Q48–Q55)
• Mobility & Positioning Techniques (Q56–Q63)
• Mental Health & Psychosocial Support (Q64–Q70)
• Infection Prevention & Control Practices (Q71–Q75)
Candidates are advised to read each question carefully and select the best possible answer. The
correct answer for each question is indicated in bold green text, followed by an italicized
rationale explaining the clinical reasoning. A comprehensive answer key is provided at the end
of this document for quick reference.
Domain 1: Fundamental Nursing Skills & Patient Care
1. When measuring a patient’s blood pressure, the healthcare assistant should
place the cuff at which location?
A. Below the antecubital fossa
B. At heart level on the upper arm
C. On the forearm
D. On the wrist
Rationale: The blood pressure cuff should be positioned at heart level on the upper arm
to ensure accurate readings. Placement above or below heart level can produce falsely
elevated or depressed measurements.
2. Which action demonstrates proper technique for measuring oral temperature?
A. Placing the thermometer under the tongue immediately after the patient has had hot tea
B. Positioning the thermometer in the sublingual pocket and instructing the patient to keep
the mouth closed
C. Waiting at least 15 minutes after the patient has consumed hot or cold
beverages before measuring
D. Using a tympanic thermometer for an oral reading
Rationale: Hot or cold beverages can alter oral temperature readings. Waiting 15
minutes ensures the oral cavity returns to baseline temperature, producing an accurate
measurement.
3. When assisting a patient with bathing, the healthcare assistant should:
A. Bathe the patient with cold water to improve circulation
B. Ensure privacy, maintain a comfortable water temperature, and wash from
cleanest to dirtiest areas
C. Use the same washcloth for the entire body
D. Leave the patient unattended during the bath
Page 3
— 2026/2027 —
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Healthcare Assistant Certification Examination
75 Multiple-Choice Questions | 9 Clinical Domains
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Academic Year 2026–2027
, HCA Written Actual Exam V2 — 2026/2027
Table of Contents
Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 3
Domain 1: Fundamental Nursing Skills & Patient Care .................................................... 3
Domain 2: Safety & Emergency Response ............................................................................. 5
Domain 3: Communication & Interpersonal Skills ............................................................ 6
Domain 4: Legal/Ethical Responsibilities & Scope of Practice ....................................... 8
Domain 5: Anatomy & Physiology Basics ............................................................................. 10
Domain 6: Nutrition & Hydration Support ......................................................................... 12
Domain 7: Mobility & Positioning Techniques ................................................................... 13
Domain 8: Mental Health & Psychosocial Support ............................................................15
Domain 9: Infection Prevention & Control Practices ...................................................... 16
Answer Key .....................................................................................................................................17
Page 2
, HCA Written Actual Exam V2 — 2026/2027
Introduction
This written examination is designed to assess the knowledge and competency of Healthcare
Assistant (HCA) candidates across nine core domains essential to safe and effective patient
care. The exam consists of 75 multiple-choice questions, each with four answer options (A
through D) and one clearly identified correct answer accompanied by a clinical rationale.
The nine domains covered in this examination are:
• Fundamental Nursing Skills & Patient Care (Q1–Q10)
• Safety & Emergency Response (Q11–Q18)
• Communication & Interpersonal Skills (Q19–Q27)
• Legal/Ethical Responsibilities & Scope of Practice (Q28–Q38)
• Anatomy & Physiology Basics (Q39–Q47)
• Nutrition & Hydration Support (Q48–Q55)
• Mobility & Positioning Techniques (Q56–Q63)
• Mental Health & Psychosocial Support (Q64–Q70)
• Infection Prevention & Control Practices (Q71–Q75)
Candidates are advised to read each question carefully and select the best possible answer. The
correct answer for each question is indicated in bold green text, followed by an italicized
rationale explaining the clinical reasoning. A comprehensive answer key is provided at the end
of this document for quick reference.
Domain 1: Fundamental Nursing Skills & Patient Care
1. When measuring a patient’s blood pressure, the healthcare assistant should
place the cuff at which location?
A. Below the antecubital fossa
B. At heart level on the upper arm
C. On the forearm
D. On the wrist
Rationale: The blood pressure cuff should be positioned at heart level on the upper arm
to ensure accurate readings. Placement above or below heart level can produce falsely
elevated or depressed measurements.
2. Which action demonstrates proper technique for measuring oral temperature?
A. Placing the thermometer under the tongue immediately after the patient has had hot tea
B. Positioning the thermometer in the sublingual pocket and instructing the patient to keep
the mouth closed
C. Waiting at least 15 minutes after the patient has consumed hot or cold
beverages before measuring
D. Using a tympanic thermometer for an oral reading
Rationale: Hot or cold beverages can alter oral temperature readings. Waiting 15
minutes ensures the oral cavity returns to baseline temperature, producing an accurate
measurement.
3. When assisting a patient with bathing, the healthcare assistant should:
A. Bathe the patient with cold water to improve circulation
B. Ensure privacy, maintain a comfortable water temperature, and wash from
cleanest to dirtiest areas
C. Use the same washcloth for the entire body
D. Leave the patient unattended during the bath
Page 3
