Certified Medical Assistant Exam Guide
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Certified medical assistants (CMAs) are highly sought-after healthcare professionals. Are you looking to become one of them? One essential step in becoming a CMA is passing the CMA certification exam.
Learn everything you need to know about the CMA certification test, including how to register, examples of exam questions, and study tips.
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What Is the Certified Medical Assistant Exam?
The American Association of Medical Assistants administers the CMA exam, which assesses candidates’ knowledge and skills needed to work as competent, safe medical assistants. This timed, computerized test includes 200 questions and is divided into four sections with three optional breaks.
The exam covers anatomy and physiology, medical terminology, pharmacology, clinical procedures, and administrative tasks. Your certification will remain current for 60 months before requiring renewal.
Benefits of Becoming a Certified Medical Assistant
Earning the certification provides medical assistants with many benefits:
- Holding a certification provides medical assistants with increased employment opportunities. It highlights their dedication to the field and displays their advanced knowledge of CMA duties. Some employers only hire certified medical assistants.
- CMAs enjoy higher medical assistant salary pay rates and bonuses than non-certified workers.
- Certified professionals are more likely to maintain employment, even when certification is not required.
- Since the certification requires renewal every five years, CMAs remain up to date on new practices and procedures, making them more appealing to employers.
CMA Exam Eligibility Requirements
To qualify for the exam, you must meet one of three categories:
- Category 1: Candidates must have completed or are in the process of completing a medical assisting program accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) or the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES). Candidates can take the medical assistant certification test no more than 30 days before the completion of their program.
- Category 2: Non-recent CAAHEP or ABHES program graduates who graduated more than 12 months ago are eligible to take the exam.
- Category 3: Candidates who have previously passed the CMA exam can apply to recertify their credentials.
What to Expect When You Take the Certified Medical Assistant Exam
After qualifying to take the CMA exam, you can begin to prepare. Reduce the likelihood of encountering surprises by understanding how the exam is administered, its length, and the topics it covers.
CMA Exam Format
Prometric, a technology-based testing and assessment services provider, administers the CMA certification test. Upon receiving approval from the AAMA, test-takers receive a 90-day window to schedule and complete the exam at a Prometric testing location.
Testing centers include video and audio monitoring throughout the exam and digital cameras to verify test-takers’ identities.
CMA Exam Length
The medical assistant certification exam is administered in four 40-minute segments with optional breaks. The breaks combined cannot exceed 20 minutes. Skipping the tutorial and breaks will not affect the overall exam time.
The maximum time for the exam is 195 minutes, including 15 minutes for the tutorial and 20 minutes for breaks. Once the test-taker begins, the exam cannot be paused, canceled, or rescheduled.
CMA Exam Topics
The exam is divided into three areas — clinical competency, general, and administrative — containing 180 questions. An additional 20 pre-test questions are placed randomly throughout the exam. The pre-test questions do not affect the test-taker’s final score.
Categories cover questions that determine the test-taker’s proficiency and aptitude. Items covered include medical procedures, legal issues, and billing practices.
CMA Exam Difficulty
Between July 2021 and July 2022, the AAMA administered 9,047 exams with 58% of test-takers passing. The difficulty of the CMA certification test depends on how much time an individual sets aside to study.
The AAMA recommends completing medical assistant certification practice tests and paying close attention to how long it takes to answer each question. Starting with easy questions before returning to difficult prompts is a common strategy that provides more time to focus on challenging questions.
CMA Exam Registration
Register for the exam with the following steps:
- Verify your eligibility.
- Gather the necessary documentation.
- Review the exam policies and procedures.
- Determine a start date for the testing period (90-day testing window).
- Apply for the exam after the AAMA approves a 90-day testing period.
- Schedule your exam appointment.
CMA Exam Scoring
The score is based on the number of correct responses on the exam. The scale ranges from 200-800, with a minimum passing score of 430. The AAMA conducts a study approximately every three years to establish the standard level of competency and may adjust the passing score if appropriate.
How to Pass the Certified Medical Assistant Exam
To pass the exam, candidates should take advantage of the resources available. Practice exams and signing up for review courses can help you prepare. Understanding standard medical terminology, basic autonomy and physiology, and basic knowledge of the healthcare field can also benefit test-takers.
Understand Exam Materials Beyond Memorization
The exam may include questions and topics not covered in any official study guides. A thorough understanding of terminology and procedures may help determine correct answers for questions not found in study materials. Test-takers must be able to apply knowledge and not just simply regurgitate information.
“Being sure to keep index cards on their person two weeks before the exam and reviewing as they see fit will also help to ensure passing the exam on the first try. Making a game out of it or setting up a rewards system helps tremendously as well. It removes the anxiety that tends to surround standardized tests and makes the learning more interactive, lighthearted, and increases self-confidence,” said Elizabeth Opurum
Take the Practice Tests
Completing medical assistant certification practice tests is one of the best ways to prepare for the exam. The practice exam provides an overview of test topics and content but also helps with pacing and finishing within the time limit.
Opurum said, “Take a practice exam and then create a study guide based on the most difficult questions or topics.”
The AAMA provides a CMA practice exam that costs $30 to access. Test-takers can complete the 200-question practice exam twice. They also offer a free sample practice exam with five questions.
Sign Up for a Review Course
The AAMA offers review courses with accredited medical assisting programs through their local chapters. These courses provide candidates with study guides, practice tests, and a review of exam material. Taking one of these courses allows test-takers to refresh their knowledge and ensure they understand the exam’s concepts.
Individuals interested in review courses can visit the AAMA website to search for state and local chapters in their area.
Identify Which Subjects and Sections Will Require Additional Focus
Using practice tests, guides, and the AAMA’s content outline, test-takers can identify exam sections that need improvement.
Study Resources
Outside of review courses, there are many free study resources available online that can help in exam preparation.
Quizlet Flashcards
Quizlet is a free website that provides flashcards to help individuals review and study various subjects. The following links provide flashcards that can help test-takers prepare for the CMA exam:
Chegg Flashcards
Chegg allows users to create and share flashcards. The website specifically provides a CMA exam review with over 500 flashcards.
“One other thing to keep in mind while studying is the benefit of physical flashcards. The virtual ones are a great tool, but they don’t have the ability to be edited or curated for topics specific to the person studying,” said Opurum.
YouTube
YouTube can be used as a study resource as it contains videos that explain the proper techniques for procedures like injection, disinfection, and calculating heart rate from an electrocardiogram.
AAMA Practice Questions
The AAMA provides free practice questions in the following subject areas:
Frequently Asked Questions About the Certified Medical Assistant Exam
Candidates can take the exam three times. Individuals pursuing recertification also have three attempts. Each attempt will require a new application and exam fee. Aspiring CMAs who cannot pass after three attempts are no longer eligible for the certification unless they complete another or the same certified medical assistant program before reapplying to take the CMA certification test.
Page last reviewed on May 29, 2024
