The CMA (AAMA) content outline changes in July 2027
What moves, by how much, and what to do depending on when you sit the exam. Nothing here is a rumour: the AAMA has already published both outlines.
The short version. Clinical goes up, administrative goes down, the exam stays the same size, and which outline applies to you depends on one thing only: your exam date. July 2027 is the line.
The two outlines side by side
| Category | Through June 2027 | From July 2027 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| I. Clinical (A-D) | 106 · 59 % | 117 · 65 % | +11 |
| II. General (E-F) | 38 · 21 % | 36 · 20 % | −2 |
| III. Administrative (G-H) | 36 · 20 % | 27 · 15 % | −9 |
| Total scored questions | 180 | 180 | 0 |
Both documents carry the revision mark Rev: 1/26. The AAMA published the new outline alongside the one in force, which is why the change can be read in full today rather than guessed at.
Source: AAMA, Content Outline for the CMA (AAMA) Certification Exam effective July 2027 (Rev. 1/26) and Content Outline for exams through June 2027 (Rev. 1/26)
The one renamed section
Section G, inside the Administrative category, changes name from Billing, Coding, and Insurance to Insurance Basics. Read together with the drop of nine scored questions in that category, the direction is the same one the numbers show: less weight on the billing side of the job, more on the clinical side.
What does not change
- The exam is still 200 questions: 180 scored and 20 unscored pretest items.
- You still get 160 minutes, delivered in four 40-minute segments with three optional breaks between them.
- The minimum passing score is still 405 on the AAMA’s scale, and the AAMA still does not publish how many correct answers that takes.
- The three categories and the eight lettered sections are still the same eight sections; the AAMA still publishes question counts by category and not by letter.
Source: AAMA, CMA (AAMA) Certification Exam Application and Policies, Exam Scheduling and Testing Policies; CMA (AAMA) Certification Exam Content Outline
What to do, by your exam date
Sitting the exam in June 2027 or earlier
Study the outline in force. Administrative is a fifth of your exam and clinical is not yet two thirds of it, so the balance of your revision is different from what someone testing a month later needs. Nothing about the July change affects your result.
Sitting the exam in July 2027 or later
Study the updated outline. Clinical is where two of every three scored questions will come from: patient intake and discharge, safety and infection control, procedures and examinations, pharmacology. Do not spend a fifth of your preparation on billing and coding for an exam that gives that whole category 27 questions.
Not sure yet when you will sit it
Prepare on the clinical side first. It is the largest category under both outlines and it grows under the new one, so no hour spent there is wasted whichever date you end up booking.
How ScrubCert handles the change
ScrubCert carries both outlines. There is one series of practice tests built to the split for exams before July 2027 and another built to the split from July 2027 on, and every question is tagged with the outline it belongs to. You pick the series that matches your exam date, and the app keeps them apart from then on.
The full picture of the exam — format, scoring, fees, recertification — is on the CMA (AAMA) exam page.
Questions people ask
When does the new CMA (AAMA) content outline start?
It applies to CMA (AAMA) certification exams taken on or after July 2027. Exams through June 2027 use the outline in force today.
What changes in the July 2027 outline?
The Clinical category rises from 106 scored questions (59 %) to 117 (65 %). General goes from 38 (21 %) to 36 (20 %). Administrative drops from 36 (20 %) to 27 (15 %). Section G is renamed from Billing, Coding, and Insurance to Insurance Basics.
Does the exam get longer or shorter?
No. It stays at 200 questions, of which 180 are scored, in 160 minutes delivered as four 40-minute segments. What changes is how those 180 scored questions are distributed.
Which outline should I study?
The one that matches your exam date. If you sit the exam in June 2027 or earlier, study the current outline; from July 2027 on, the updated outline is the one that applies to you.
Are older study materials wrong now?
Not wrong, but not built to the new weights. A book written for the current outline still covers the same subject matter; it gives roughly a fifth of its attention to administrative topics that will be down to 15 % of the exam, and less than it should to clinical topics that will be 65 %.
This app is an independent study aid. It is not official and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the National Healthcareer Association (NHA), the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP), the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA), American Medical Technologists (AMT), the National Center for Competency Testing (NCCT), any school or training program, any test administration company, or any publisher. All names of examinations and organizations are used only to describe the exams this app prepares for. It does not reproduce any real exam question.
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