The two NAB exams are only part of the story. As of September 2026, 30 jurisdictions (29 states plus DC) also have a state-specific exam on that state's laws and rules, for all applicants or, in Alabama, for reciprocity and reinstatement applicants only. Here is the verified list, what these exams actually test, and how to prepare from the primary sources.
Each link goes to that state's full licensing guide, with the requirement's source cited.
Alabama (reciprocity and reinstatement) Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut District of Columbia Florida Illinois Indiana Kansas Louisiana Maryland Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana New Hampshire North Carolina North Dakota Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Vermont West Virginia Wisconsin
You study the state rules from the primary sources. But the Core and NHA Line of Service exams are gates too, and those you can prepare for the structured way: a guided daily path of 100 explained questions, weak-spot training, and weekly timed Checkpoints across all four domains.
See prep plansRisk-free for 7 days. Full refund if it is not the right fit.
Per each board's published requirements, checked September 2026. Hawaii's current application lists only the NAB exams, but its 1988 rule (HAR 16-90-18(b)) still describes a Hawaii state examination part, so ask DCCA which applies to you. Rules change, so confirm when you apply.
Alaska Delaware Georgia Hawaii Idaho Iowa Kentucky Maine Massachusetts Michigan Nebraska Nevada New Jersey New Mexico New York Ohio Rhode Island Utah Virginia Washington Wyoming
Where the NAB exams test the national body of knowledge, state exams test the layer that varies: the state's nursing facility licensure law, its administrative code, and state-specific operational rules. Formats differ far more than the NAB exams do. Verified examples of the range:
A 25-question jurisprudence examination on Connecticut law; at least 18 correct answers to pass (per CT DPH).
The Indiana Jurisprudence Examination, taken after the NAB exams and proctored by the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency, with no fee for the first attempt (per IC 25-19-1 and IPLA).
A Board-developed written test on DC nursing home law with a 75 percent passing score, plus an interview with the Board (per DC Health regulations).
A state exam given by the Board at times and places it designates, with at least 75 percent of questions answered correctly to pass (per the Mississippi State Board of Nursing Home Administrators rules).
Most fall somewhere in that range: a written test on the state's rule chapters, taken around the time of the NAB exams or at application.
The most reliable material for a state exam is the primary sources, and studying them is more doable than it sounds:
Your state's page here links the board and its published sources: find yours in the state-by-state guide. For the NAB side of preparation, the Core vs NHA breakdown and the LOS guide cover the national exams.
License transfer processes commonly accept your NAB exam scores (NAB's handbook says that in most cases NAB keeps a candidate's scores for 30 years), but still require the destination state's own exam, because it tests that state's law. If a move is in your future, check the destination board's reciprocity rules early; it changes nothing about the NAB exams and everything about the state layer.
The lists above were verified against NAB's state requirement pages and state board sources in September 2026, and each state page on this site cites its source. Boards change exam requirements on their own schedules; the board's current published rule is always the final word.
While you study your state's rules from the primary sources, the daily path here keeps the Core and NHA Line of Service preparation structured: 100 explained questions a day, weak-spot training, weekly timed Checkpoints.
See prep plansRisk-free for 7 days. Full refund if it is not the right fit.