Every rung, one ladder
The nursing career ladder — and the exam at every rung
Most people don’t enter nursing as an RN. They climb: a Home Health Aide or Personal Care Aide becomes a Certified Nursing Assistant, a CNA becomes an LPN/LVN, and an LPN/LVN becomes an RN — each step its own licensure exam, its own exam-prep need, and often years apart. NursingCEA is built to follow you up that whole ladder with one free account. Five fields are live today: the NCLEX-RN (with 10,000+ free practice questions) and the NCLEX-PN for LPNs/LVNs, the entry rung CNA, plus the two allied entry credentials — Patient Care Technician (CPCT) and Phlebotomy Technician (CPT) — with more of the ladder on the way.
10,455
free NCLEX-RN-style practice questions, live today
5
fields live now — NCLEX-RN, NCLEX-PN, CNA, Patient Care Tech, and Phlebotomy
1
more credentials on the roadmap, starting with the Home Health Aide
How the climb works
Four rungs, one career
Each rung below is a real, separately-licensed or certified role with its own exam. Employment and exam-volume figures are U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) occupational-employment data and NCSBN/vendor exam-statistics estimates — figures marked “est.” are estimates, not official registries.
- Coming soon
Rung 1 of 4 · in development
Home Health Aide (HHA)
The largest and fastest-growing caregiving workforce — entry point to the whole ladder.
~4.0M employed in the U.S. · No national registry — requirements are fragmented by state exam candidates/yr
- Practice free →
Rung 2 of 4 · live
CNA
The entry rung of the nursing ladder — a state competency exam with a written test plus a hands-on skills demonstration.
1.50M employed in the U.S. · ~150,000–500,000 (est.) exam candidates/yr
- Practice free →
Rung 3 of 4 · live
LPN/LVN
The practical/vocational nurse licensure exam — next rung up from CNA, next rung below RN.
651k employed in the U.S. · ~63,000 exam candidates/yr
- Practice free →
Rung 4 of 4 · live
NCLEX-RN
The RN licensure exam — the highest-paid destination on the nursing career ladder.
3.39M employed in the U.S. · ~318,000 exam candidates/yr
The full roadmap
Every credential we’re building toward
Beyond the core CNA → LPN/LVN → RN climb, two more credentials sit alongside the ladder — Patient Care Technician and Phlebotomy Technician — both real, exam-gated roles many aides and CNAs move into. Both are live now with their own original question banks; the remaining rungs are still in development, and nothing here links out to an empty page.
Live now
Patient Care Technician (CPCT)
The multi-skilled patient-care credential — direct care plus EKG and phlebotomy, one rung above the plain CNA.
1.5M employed in the U.S. · ~30,000–40,000 exam candidates/yr
Live now
Phlebotomy Technician (CPT)
The dedicated blood-draw credential — venipuncture, order of draw, specimen handling, and safety.
140k employed in the U.S. · ~60,000–80,000 exam candidates/yr
Still in development
In development
Home Health Aide (HHA)
The largest and fastest-growing caregiving workforce — entry point to the whole ladder.
~4.0M employed in the U.S. · No national registry — requirements are fragmented by state exam candidates/yr
Why we build it this way
One free account, the whole climb
A Personal Care Aide who becomes an HHA, then a CNA, then an LPN/LVN, then an RN is one person over several years — not four separate audiences. As each field’s question bank ships, it’ll live under the same free account as your RN practice, so your progress and history follow you up the ladder instead of starting over at every rung.
Employment and exam-candidate figures are drawn from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) occupational-employment data and NCSBN/vendor exam-statistics publications; figures marked “est.” are estimates where no single official registry exists. NursingCEA is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by NCSBN, NHA, or any state Board of Nursing. NCLEX® is a registered trademark of the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, Inc. (NCSBN). All practice questions and study material on this site are original and written for practice and study only.
Common questions
The career ladder, explained
- What is the nursing career ladder?
- The progression most people actually take into nursing: a Home Health Aide or Personal Care Aide becomes a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA), a CNA becomes an LPN/LVN, and an LPN/LVN becomes an RN — each rung its own licensed or certified role, with its own exam and often years apart. Patient Care Technician and Phlebotomy Technician sit alongside this core climb as two more allied entry credentials.
- Which nursing exam should I start with?
- It depends on where you are today. If you're training as a nurse aide, you'll sit a state CNA competency exam (often the NNAAP). If you've completed a practical/vocational nursing program, it's the NCLEX-PN. If you've completed an RN program (ADN or BSN), it's the NCLEX-RN. Patient Care Technician (CPCT/A) and Phlebotomy Technician (CPT) are separate, faster-to-earn credentials many people pursue alongside or before that climb.
- How many fields are live on NursingCEA today?
- 5 — NCLEX-RN, NCLEX-PN, CNA, Patient Care Technician, and Phlebotomy Technician all have their own free, original practice question banks live right now. 1 more credential, starting with the Home Health Aide, is on the roadmap.
- Are Patient Care Technician and Phlebotomy Technician part of the CNA-to-RN ladder?
- Not directly — they sit alongside the core CNA → LPN/LVN → RN climb rather than on it. Both are real, exam-gated allied-health roles many CNAs and aides move into, and both have their own live, original question banks today.
- Do I need a separate NursingCEA account for each field?
- No. One free account follows you up the whole ladder — as each field's question bank ships, it lives under the same account as your other practice, so your history doesn't reset every time you move to a new rung.
- Is NursingCEA affiliated with NCSBN, NHA, or Credentia?
- No. NursingCEA is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by NCSBN, NHA, Credentia, or any state Board of Nursing. NCLEX® is a registered trademark of the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, Inc. (NCSBN). All practice questions and study material on this site are original and written for practice and study only.