Question 1
A patient is scheduled for a cholecystectomy. What procedure is this?
The medical assistant exams, explained
Two national exams certify medical assistants. The CMA (AAMA) exam is 200 multiple-choice questions in four 40-minute segments. The CCMA exam is 180 items in 3 hours. Both test the same job, with different weights.
| CMA (AAMA) exam | 200 multiple-choice questions (180 scored, 20 pretest) in four 40-minute segments: 160 minutes |
|---|---|
| CCMA exam | 180 items (150 scored, 30 pretest) in 3 hours |
| Scores | CMA (AAMA): 200 to 800, pass at 405. CCMA: 200 to 500, pass at 390. |
| Where | A test center or live remote proctoring, for both |
What the CMA (AAMA) exam covers
The Content Outline (Rev 1/26) splits the 180 scored questions into three categories. Exams on or after July 2027 use an updated outline, which the AAMA has already published.
- Clinical Competency: 106 scored questions (59%). Patient intake and discharge, safety and infection control, procedures and examinations, pharmacology.
- General: 38 scored questions (21%). Legal and ethical issues, communication.
- Administrative: 36 scored questions (20%). Billing, coding and insurance; scheduling appointments and health information management.
What the CCMA exam covers
The CCMA Test Plan, from NHA's 2022 job analysis, lists seven domains. Clinical Patient Care alone is 84 of the 150 scored items.
- Foundational Knowledge and Basic Science: 15 items
- Anatomy and Physiology: 8 items
- Clinical Patient Care: 84 items (Patient Intake and Vitals 14, General Patient Care 28, Infection Control and Safety 15, Point of Care Testing and Laboratory Procedures 9, Phlebotomy 12, EKG and Cardiovascular Testing 6)
- Patient Care Coordination and Education: 12 items
- Administrative Assisting: 12 items
- Communication and Customer Service: 12 items
- Medical Law and Ethics: 7 items
How the time works
CMA (AAMA): an optional tutorial of up to 5 minutes is not counted. The exam then runs in four 40-minute segments, with optional breaks of 5, 10 and 5 minutes between them. The whole appointment is at most 3 hours, not counting the tutorial or survey.
CCMA: 3 hours for all 180 items. On both exams you cannot tell which questions are unscored pretest questions, so answer every one.
How this course follows both
One bank of original questions is written to both outlines and sorted into eight areas. Pick your exam on the course home page: the full practice exam in your exam's format, the pace of timed sets and your study plan follow it.
Try 3 questions
Question 2
While deflating the cuff, the medical assistant hears the first clear tapping sound at 128 mm Hg. What does this number record?
Question 3
Which report sorts patient balances by how long they have gone unpaid, such as 0 to 30, 31 to 60 and 61 to 90 days?
Next step
Questions people ask
How many questions are on the CMA (AAMA) exam?
200 multiple-choice questions. 180 are scored and 20 are pretest questions that do not count.
How long is the CMA (AAMA) exam?
160 minutes of testing, in four 40-minute segments, with up to 20 minutes of optional breaks between them.
How many questions are on the CCMA exam?
180 items: 150 scored and 30 pretest items, in 3 hours.
Which areas carry the most questions?
Clinical work on both: 59% of the CMA (AAMA) exam is Clinical Competency, and 84 of the 150 scored CCMA items are Clinical Patient Care.