CareAide PrepThe Alberta HCA exam blueprint
What is on the Alberta HCA exam, domain by domain. These are the real weightings — worth knowing before you decide what to study.
The six competency domains
Every one of the 100 questions belongs to one of these, in these proportions:
| Domain | Share of the exam |
|---|---|
| Provision of Care | 25–35% |
| Safety | 16–20% |
| HCA Role and Responsibility | 13–17% |
| Communication | 12–16% |
| Health Across the Life Span | 11–15% |
| Collaborative Care | 8–12% |
Provision of Care is up to a third of the paper on its own. Collaborative Care can be as little as eight questions. If your study time is limited, that ordering is the answer to where it goes.
It is mostly application, not recall
| Cognitive level | Share of the exam |
|---|---|
| Remembering & Understanding | 18–38% |
| Applying | 53–73% |
| Critical Thinking | 7–11% |
Up to 73% of the exam asks you to apply knowledge to a situation, not to recall a fact. Memorising definitions is the most common way candidates over-prepare for the wrong thing.
Who the clients are
Roughly 65% of questions involve clients aged 61 or over, about 30% adults aged 19–60, and about 5% children and youth. Gender is balanced. Work settings are named only when the setting changes the right answer.
What this means for studying
Practise applied scenarios with older adults, weighted toward Provision of Care and Safety. That is not a study hack — it is simply what the blueprint says the paper is made of.
Common questions
What is on the Alberta HCA exam?
The Alberta HCA Registration Examination covers six competency domains: Provision of Care (25-35% of the exam), Safety (16-20%), HCA Role and Responsibility (13-17%), Communication (12-16%), Health Across the Life Span (11-15%) and Collaborative Care (8-12%).
Which domain is worth the most marks on the Alberta HCA exam?
Provision of Care carries the most weight at 25 to 35 percent of the Alberta HCA Registration Examination, which is up to a third of the paper on its own.
Is the Alberta HCA exam memorisation or application?
Mostly application. Between 53 and 73 percent of the Alberta HCA Registration Examination asks candidates to apply knowledge to a situation, while only 18 to 38 percent tests recall and understanding.
What ages are the clients in Alberta HCA exam questions?
About 65 percent of Alberta HCA exam questions involve clients aged 61 or over, roughly 30 percent involve adults aged 19 to 60, and about 5 percent involve children and youth.