Medical Assistant Exam FAQs
The Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) credential is a professional marker of distinction, one that demonstrates to employers and colleagues that a medical assistant adheres to a stringent set of professional medical assistant standards. The credential and exam are administered by the AAMA in consultation with the National Board of Medical Examiners.
The American Association of Medical Assistants is one of the certifying bodies in the field and administers the registry examination to all medical assistant candidates. The AAMA also determines the content specifications for the certification examination, as well as the competency requirements for all candidates. There are a number of organizations that offer credentialling in the field of medical assisting. Four such organizations are:
- Certifying Board of the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA) which offers the Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) credential
- American Medical Technologists (AMT) which offers the Registered Medical Assistant (RMA) credential
- National Center for Competency Testing (NCCT) which offers the National Certified Medical Assistant (NCMA) credential
- National Healthcareer Association which offers the Clinical Medical Assistant Certification (CCMA)
Except for some specialty areas of practice, there is no general state requirement for licensure for medical assistants in the United States. However, medical assistants looking for work may find it difficult without a professional credential. Employers typically look to hire those who have taken the step to obtain a professional credential.
The AAMA CMA consists of multiple choice questions. Questions are displayed one at a time. You can flag questions that you are unsure about, so you can come back to them prior to submitting the exam.
The AAMA CMA exam is a computer-based test that is comprised of 200 multiple-choice questions. Questions are given in four 40-minute segments with an optional 20 minutes of break time that may be used in between segments. A total of three hours and 15 minutes is allotted for the test.
The AAMA CMA exam is timed, and you have three hours and 15 minutes to finish the exam after you begin. Questions are displayed one at a time. You can flag questions that you are unsure about, so you can come back to them prior to submitting the exam.
An application to test will be approved or disapproved within 30 days of application. Once a test candidate's application has been approved, the candidate will be provided instructions on scheduling their exam. Candidates are given a 90-day test window in which they must schedule their exam. Exams are offered year-round at Prometric Testing Centers which has test centers in every US state and territory.
Your score is based on the number of correct responses on the total examination. This score has been standardized and fixed on a scale that ranges from 200 to 800. The Certifying Board of the AAMA establishes the minimum score required to pass the exam for each examination. The minimum score is 405. There is no penalty for selecting incorrect answers.
The CMA covers the following domains:
- Clinical Workflow: Patient Intake and Discharge
- Safety and Infection Control
- Procedures and Examination
- Pharmacology
- Legal and Ethical Issues
- Communication
- Billing, Coding, and Insurance
- Schedule Appointments and Health Information Management
The AAMA CMA is offered on a daily basis, year-round at testing sites across the United States and US territories. Tests can be scheduled any day of the week, year round.
The Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) credential is a professional marker of distinction, one that demonstrates to employers and colleagues that a medical assistant adheres to a stringent set of professional medical assistant standards. Except for some specialty areas of practice, there is no general state requirement for licensure for medical assistants in the United States. However, medical assistants looking for work may find it difficult without a professional credential. Employers typically look to hire those who have taken the step to obtain a professional credential.
The AAMA has three categories for candidate eligibility for the exam:
- Recent or soon-to-be graduates of an accredited medical assistant program
- Non-recent graduates of an accredited medical assistant program, or those who have been graduated at least one year
- Those with previous AAMA CMA certification who need recertification; recertification is required every five years.
All candidates register to test through the American Association of Medical Assistants website. Candidates may test through PSI, the national testing vendor for the CMA. PSI has test centers in every US state and territory.
Candidates who do not pass the exam on your first or second try can reapply to take the CMA exam. You may only take the AAMA CMA exam three times. If a test taker does not pass after three attempts, they are no longer eligible for the CMA credential.
At the end of the examination, you will receive your preliminary results indicating whether you passed the exam. You will be emailed an official report of the score achieved approximately 24 hours after the exam date. You can also sign in to your AAMA account to check your results.
AAMA requires that you perform continuing education (60 CEU credits) to maintain your credential. You may also recertify by taking the CMA Exam again.
Practice tests, such as Tests.com's CMA Practice Exam, are a good way to study as it goes over the material you need to know while giving you a chance to practice your test taking skills. Additionally, study guides, text books, class notes, flashcards and videos are important study tools. It is best to use a wide range of test prep to get the most comprehensive coverage of the subject matter.
Tests.com has worked with instructors in the medical assistant field to create a CMA Practice Test to help you prepare for the CMA. Tests.com's TestSim online interactive platform allows you to tailor tests to the subjects you want to study and to form tests to fit your study schedule. You can even simulate the actual CMA exam by setting the number of questions and timer to the time period allowed for the actual test. Get experience reading multiple-choice questions and taking timed tests. Tests.com will help you pass your CMA Exam on your way to a successful career as a Certified Medical Assistant. Click here for a free CMA Practice Exam.
