How to Take the Nursing Home Administrator Exams

For those of you who have asked…here, finally is my recommendation for taking the nursing home administrator exams. Not to sound overly confident, but I had no trouble with either test (NAB or state). Of course, I listened to some very wise people in deciding what to do. At the time my preceptor said, “don’t even attempt” to take these exams without a review course. She claimed books and study guides were insufficient on their own.

For the most part, I would agree with her. The material I received from the review courses was by far the most relevant. Originally, I looked into a lot of different avenues. For example James E. Allen has a long term care administration online review course which runs about $600 for both parts. At the time, I was student and this was far more than I could afford. So instead I bought a few books that had been recommended, and decided to sign up for a local review course, which cost me about $150 each.

Below I have listed out a few books, I would recommend to those taking the NAB exam. The most relevant is the NAB Nursing Home Administrators Examination. I read this book several times, and each time I found more relevant material. When taking the exam, it seemed many questions came directly from this text.

Whatever you do, take your time to review all material so you feel prepared. Know your weaknesses, and properly study for them. If you need any help or have questions, don’t hesitate to contact me.

Recommended Books & Study Guides:

NAB Nursing Home Administrators Examination

Principles to Health Care Administration

The Licensing Exam Review Guide in Nursing Home Administration: 1000 Test Questions in the Nation Examination Format on the 1996 Domains of Practice

The Licensing Exam Review Guide in Nursing Home Administration: Fifth Edition

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This entry was posted on Saturday, November 1st, 2008 at 9:45 pm and is filed under Education, Nursing Home. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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21 Responses to “How to Take the Nursing Home Administrator Exams”

  1. Karyn Moses Says:
    December 22nd, 2008 at 8:03 pm

    Hello, I just took the NHA test for the first time and did not pasa. Can you please tell me where you took the review courses. I live in Youngstown, OH

    Thanks, Karyn

  2. Erin Blakely Says:
    December 23rd, 2008 at 8:18 pm

    Hi Karyn,

    I’m sorry to hear you didn’t pass the Nursing Home Administrator exam. For the NAB exam, I used Batiste & Associates from San Antonio, Texas. I do not endorse them. At the time, I did find their material to be extremely useful, as well as slightly disorganized. They normally provide a local review course, but I am aware they sometimes make exceptions.

    Please remember there are other review courses available. You may want to contact your Board of Examiners of Nursing Home Administrators. When I relocated to Florida, they gave me information on review courses available. Hope this information is useful. If you need more specifics, please don’t hesitate to contact me back.

    Good Luck!

    Erin Blakely

  3. Karyn Moses Says:
    December 24th, 2008 at 9:13 pm

    Thank you Emily for your reply. I found a review course that i will be going to next week. Thank you and Happy Holiday’s. Karyn

  4. Becky Landrum Says:
    January 9th, 2009 at 4:17 pm

    I was looking for the book that you suggested to study to take the exam and it apparently is no longer in print. Wonder if you would sell me yours?

  5. Erin Blakely Says:
    January 9th, 2009 at 10:32 pm

    Hi Becky,

    Thanks for your email. You can actually find the book on the National Association of Boards (NAB) website: http://www.nabweb.org/nabweb/common/storefront.aspx?id=388

    The NAB sells the book new for $130. You can sometimes find a used version listed on Amazon or Half.com for a discounted price. Hope this is helpful.

    Good Luck!

    Erin Blakely

  6. Free Nursing Home Administrator Practice Exam (NAB) | Nursing Home Talk Says:
    January 11th, 2009 at 2:36 pm

    [...] written by individuals that know the NAB exam far better than I do. (Check out my other recent post on recommended books for NAB exam). These questions may not even be similar to the ones you [...]

  7. Chantelle Fernandez Says:
    September 1st, 2009 at 6:35 pm

    Hello, I have found this website to have some helpful tips. I am preparing to take the exam and wanted to ask if you knew of any inexpensive review courses in Miami, Florida?

  8. Erin Blakely Says:
    September 3rd, 2009 at 8:26 pm

    Hi Chantelle,

    Thanks for your post, and I appreciate your kind feedback. I am not aware of any specific courses in Miami. I do know of a course in Central Florida. I took this one, and just stayed in a hotel for the weekend. Another option is to take the course online. If you would like more information, let me know. Good luck!

  9. Chantelle Fernandez Says:
    September 7th, 2009 at 8:55 pm

    Hello Erin,

    Thank you for responding. Any information you can give me will help. It would be great if I can get the name of the instructor and contact information from you. I am asking around and trying to gather all the information I can get before making decisions. Thanks again.

  10. John Rich III Says:
    December 4th, 2009 at 4:20 pm

    If you want to pass the NAB and take Batiste’s course, its a sure thing.

  11. autumn graham Says:
    June 13th, 2010 at 1:57 am

    IM GETTING READY TO STUDY FOR MY EXAM AND I NEED SOME MATERIALS AND WEBSITES TO STUDY FROM MONEY IS TIGHT SO HELP ME PLEASE.

  12. Erin Blakely Says:
    June 14th, 2010 at 6:51 pm

    Hello Autumn,

    Thanks for your email. I understand where you are coming from — I was also a financially burdened student when studying for my exams. So much so that at one point I debated not taking a practice study course to save money. I still feel that would have been a mistake because I got a lot out of the study course. If you think about what your time is worth, and then you add in the cost of retaking the exam, it’s worth it to do it right the first time, even if it takes you a bit longer. However, everyone is different and therefore you must do what you need to do.

    Check out my recommended books for the NAB exam. Most of them you can purchase from Amazon.com, Ebay, or Half.com for a fraction of the price. Also if you go to http://www.indeed.com they have a forum for nursing home administrators and students that gives helpful information. You can post a question and get feedback from administrators all over the country. Hope this helps.

    Good luck!

    Erin

  13. Jordan Says:
    September 28th, 2010 at 3:53 pm

    How exactly do you go about signing up for the exam? Do you have to contact your state board first and then contact the NAB for taking the exam?

  14. autumn graham Says:
    December 4th, 2010 at 2:53 pm

    I CONTACTED YOU BEFORE, I HAVE BEEN STUDYING AND I HAVE DECIDED TO TAKE A REVIEW COURSE AND WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHICH ONE SHOULD I TAKE,I LIKE IN CHICAGO ILLINOIS. PLEASE ALL YOUR INFO HAVE BEEN SO HELPFUL THANK YOU.

  15. Erin Blakely Says:
    December 7th, 2010 at 8:01 pm

    Sorry, Autumn. I am not familiar with study courses in your specific area.

  16. Debby H Says:
    December 28th, 2010 at 4:59 pm

    Erin,
    Do you know of any weekend courses to supplement books and schooling for the NAB and KS State exams? I’m just about to finish my MA and AIT hours. I understand the course probably won’t be in KS itself.
    Thank you kindly for all input, you are a blessing,
    Debby

  17. BARBARA FINNEY Says:
    January 8th, 2011 at 10:55 pm

    Hello everyone I have read Townsend, and Allen material 3 times I have Joesph Townsend’s study questions, and the study guide of Allen’s and the watermelon book still failed the NAB three times I need help.

  18. Deborah Bronaugh Says:
    August 10th, 2011 at 5:28 pm

    So you have a program that we help me pass the NAB, or are you saying to just read all the books you listed. I want to prepare, for the exam.

  19. Jodi Says:
    January 17th, 2012 at 5:14 pm

    Erin -

    I recently took my NAB exam and failed. I was so disappointed b/c I felt fairly confident that I passed. I took the state exam back in October and passed. However, I felt that I had failed. Not sure what to think on taking the NAB a second time. Any suggestions?

    Jodi
    Illinois

  20. Brian Holzheimer Says:
    January 23rd, 2012 at 8:14 pm

    I am sitting to take the state and NAB exam for the second time. I feel like my approach to studing is not accurate; there is so much information, I want to make sure I am studing the most relevent info. Above the $600 exams from Allen were mentioned but they seem more like homework and that is a lot of money too. What is a good online review class? Is there one that anyone is aware of in the Cleveland Ohio area? Any feedback would be gratefully appreciated. Thanks Brian

  21. JR in MA Says:
    January 28th, 2012 at 2:23 pm

    Hi Erin,

    I am in the beginning stages of studying for the NAB exam in MA. Do you know of any study courses in MA? Thanks JR.

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