Free MACE Practice Test (Medication Aide Certification Exam)

Colorado, Kentucky, South Carolina, Utah and Washington · 60 questions in 2 hours · passing score not published

Take the full MACE practice exam

60 questions in 2 hours, drawn in the outline’s domain counts, with a score for each part and an explanation for every answer.

Or start with a free 10-question drill

400 original questions for this exam · 3 outline domains · a 60-question timed mock

Free sample · Question 1 of 3Routes

How should the medication aide position a resident's lower eyelid to give eye drops?

Choose the best answer

The MACE exam at a glance

MACE is the national medication aide exam that Credentia gives in Colorado, Kentucky, South Carolina, Utah and Washington. NCSBN developed it; NCSBN says it no longer develops or owns the content and sends questions to Credentia. The test is 60 multiple-choice questions in 2 hours, taken online with a live proctor. 50 questions are scored in three domains, and 10 are unscored pretest questions.

Where it is used
Credentia runs MACE for medication aides (medication assistants) in Colorado, Kentucky, South Carolina, Utah and Washington
Format
60 multiple-choice questions in English. 50 are scored and 10 are unscored pretest questions you cannot tell apart from the rest
Time
2 hours (Credentia’s Colorado handbook); you are told when 15 minutes are left
Content
Authorized Duties 16% (8 questions), Medication Administration, Observation and Reporting 60% (30), Medication Concepts and Measurements 24% (12)
How you take it
Online, with a live remote proctor, through your Credentia account. It is scored as soon as you finish; results post within 24 business hours
Passing score
Credentia sets the passing score and does not publish it
Fee
$80 in Kentucky, South Carolina and Washington; $120 in Utah. Colorado’s help center does not list the amount. A new fee is due for each retake
Attempts
Kentucky: 2 per application, within 60 days of training. South Carolina and Washington: 3 within 2 years of training. Utah: unlimited within 5 years of training. Colorado: 3 attempts, 48 hours apart
Line drawing of a private room with a laptop and webcam on a desk, a phone on a stand, a desk lamp and a chair
MACE mock exam: 60 questions in 2 hours

What the MACE test covers

The MACE outline sets how many of the 50 scored questions come from each domain. Each topic has a free ten-question drill.

Free mixed drill: every topic

How to study for the MACE test

  • Spend most of your time on Domain II: Medication Administration, Observation and Reporting is 30 of the 50 scored questions.
  • Learn the limits of the role as well as the duties. Many Authorized Duties questions ask what the aide does when something is outside her role: hold, report and let the nurse decide.
  • Practice the measurements until they are automatic: 5 mL in a teaspoon, 15 mL in a tablespoon, about 30 mL in an ounce, 1,000 mg in a gram.
  • Take the 60-question mock under the 2-hour clock, then drill the two topics you scored lowest in.

Sit the full exam under the real clock

Take the full MACE practice exam

60 questions in 2 hours, drawn in the outline’s domain counts, with a score for each part and an explanation for every answer.

Or start with a free 10-question drill

Common questions

How many questions are on the MACE?

60 multiple-choice questions. 50 are scored and 10 are unscored pretest questions mixed in at random, so answer every question as if it counts.

How long is the MACE exam?

Credentia’s Colorado handbook gives two hours for the 60 questions and says you are told when 15 minutes remain.

What score do you need to pass the MACE?

Credentia sets the passing score and does not publish it. Figures you see elsewhere do not come from Credentia or NCSBN. Our mock shows your score on the 50 scored questions and in each domain, with no passing line.

Which states use the MACE?

Credentia lists MACE programs for Colorado, Kentucky, South Carolina, Utah and Washington. Other states, including North Carolina, Ohio, Michigan, Arizona, Tennessee and Oklahoma, give their own medication aide exams.

Does NCSBN have an official MACE practice test?

NCSBN’s MACE page says it no longer develops or owns the content and refers questions to Credentia. These questions are original practice written to the MACE content outline, not MACE questions.

Take the full MACE practice exam

60 questions in 2 hours, drawn in the outline’s domain counts, with a score for each part and an explanation for every answer.

Or start with a free 10-question drill

Other medication aide exams

Sources

Original practice questions written to the MACE content outline, the North Carolina Board of Nursing outline and the D&SDT state test plans; they are not exam questions. Independent practice, not affiliated with or endorsed by NCSBN, Credentia, D&S Diversified Technologies (Headmaster) or any state board of nursing or health department. Follow your facility’s policies, your state’s rules and the supervising nurse in practice.