The Certified Medical Assistant, CMA (AAMA) exam
Awarded by the Certifying Board of the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA) · what the exam is, how it is weighted, how it is scored, and what it takes to keep the credential.
| Questions on screen | 200 |
|---|---|
| Scored questions | 180 |
| Unscored pretest items | 20 |
| Time limit | 160 minutes, in four 40-minute segments (about 48 seconds per question) |
| Passing score | 405, scaled |
| Version in force | Current outline for exams through June 2027; a new outline applies from July 2027 |
Source: CMA (AAMA) Certification Exam Content Outline (exams through June 2027) and Content Outline effective July 2027, both Rev. 1/26; CMA (AAMA) Certification Exam Application and Policies
What the exam is
The CMA (AAMA) exam has 200 multiple-choice questions: 180 are scored and 20 are unscored pretest questions placed at random, which you cannot tell apart from the rest.
You get 160 minutes, delivered in four 40-minute segments with three optional breaks between them (five, ten and five minutes). Declining a break does not add time to the exam. Before the exam there is an optional five-minute tutorial that does not count against your time. The whole appointment, not counting tutorial and survey, is capped at three hours.
The content outline has three categories, Clinical, General and Administrative, and eight lettered sections under them (A through H). The AAMA publishes how many scored questions go to each category, but not to each letter.
Source: AAMA, CMA (AAMA) Certification Exam Application and Policies, Exam Scheduling and Testing Policies; CMA (AAMA) Certification Exam Content Outline
The areas and their weight
| Category | Scored questions | Share |
|---|---|---|
| I. Clinical (A-D) | 106 | 59 % |
| II. General (E-F) | 38 | 21 % |
| III. Administrative (G-H) | 36 | 20 % |
| Total scored questions | 180 | 100 % |
This is the split for exams through June 2027. The AAMA publishes the number of scored questions by category but not by lettered section (A through H). A different split applies from July 2027 on.
Source: CMA (AAMA) Certification Exam Content Outline (exams through June 2027) and Content Outline effective July 2027, both Rev. 1/26; CMA (AAMA) Certification Exam Application and Policies
How it is scored
The AAMA reports a scaled score, and the minimum passing score is 405. A pass/fail notice appears immediately when you finish; the official score report follows by email about 24 hours later, with bar graphs for the three categories.
The AAMA does not publish the percentage of correct answers that corresponds to 405. This app uses 70 % as a study target on practice tests built with the official category weights.
Because the AAMA publishes weights by category and not by letter, this app splits each category among its letters in proportion to the number of numbered points the outline lists under each letter. That is our rule, and the numbers are shown on the coverage screen; the category totals are always the official ones.
Source: AAMA, CMA (AAMA) Certification Exam Application and Policies, Post-Exam Information and Policies; CMA (AAMA) Content Outline (Number and Percent of Questions by Category)
What the questions look like
- All 200 questions are multiple choice.
- The 20 unscored pretest questions are placed at random and cannot be told apart from the scored ones.
Source: AAMA, CMA (AAMA) Certification Exam Application and Policies.
What it costs to sit
- $125 for AAMA members and for completing students or recent graduates; $250 for non-members.
- A fee is required for each attempt.
- If your credential has expired, a $50 reactivation fee is charged on top of the exam fee.
Source: AAMA, CMA (AAMA) Certification Exam Application and Policies, Exam Fees.
The outline changes in July 2027
The AAMA has already published the content outline that applies to exams taken on or after July 2027. Under it the Clinical category rises from 106 scored questions (59 %) to 117 (65 %), General goes from 38 (21 %) to 36 (20 %), and Administrative drops from 36 (20 %) to 27 (15 %). Section G is renamed from "Billing, Coding, and Insurance" to "Insurance Basics".
There is a page on this site devoted to that change: what moves, by how much, and what to do depending on your exam date — the CMA (AAMA) outline change of July 2027.
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)
Keeping the credential
Passing is the start of a cycle, not the end of one. This is what the AAMA requires afterwards.
- Recertify every 60 months, either by continuing education or by exam.
- By continuing education: 60 CEUs, of which 30 must be AAMA CEUs. The minimum split is 10 administrative, 10 clinical and 10 general, plus 30 from any combination. No more than 30 non-AAMA CEUs count.
- Recertification by continuing education costs $80 for AAMA members and $160 for non-members; an expired credential adds a $50 reactivation fee.
- By exam: the same CMA (AAMA) exam, $125 for members and $250 for others, plus the $50 reactivation fee if the credential expired.
- If your credential has been expired for more than three months you can no longer recertify by continuing education: only by exam. A third failed attempt ends your eligibility.
- While it is expired you cannot use the CMA (AAMA) initialism after your name.
Source: AAMA, Recertify Your CMA (AAMA) Certification.
How to study for it
- Work in the proportions above. A practice test that pulls at random from a whole question bank hides your weak areas by burying them among the strong ones; one built with the published split shows you where the exam will actually hurt.
- Train at the pace of the real thing: this exam runs at about 48 seconds per question.
- Check your exam date against July 2027 before you start, and study the outline that applies to you.
- Study by area, not by volume. Finish one area, then measure it, then move on. A score of 90 % on eight questions is not mastery of anything.
- Read the explanation of the questions you got right, not only of the ones you missed. A lucky guess and a correct answer look identical on a score line.
- Answer every question as if it counts: you cannot tell the unscored pretest items apart from the rest.
How ScrubCert prepares you for it
ScrubCert is an iPhone app. Its CMA (AAMA) practice tests carry the same number of questions as the scored part of the real exam, the same time limit, and the split by area explained above, built from the published weights. Every explanation says why the correct answer is correct, why each of the other three is not, and names the public document it rests on.
Without paying anything you get the full guide to this exam, the first three questions of every area with their explanations, a diagnostic you can repeat every week, and five new questions a day. The rest is unlocked with a single payment that never renews: no subscription, no advertisements, no account, and nothing sent off your phone.
Read how we write the questions and which sources we use and which we refuse.
Questions people ask
How many questions is the CMA (AAMA) exam?
The exam has 200 questions: 180 are scored and 20 are unscored pretest items placed at random among them.
How long do you get?
You get 160 minutes, in four 40-minute segments, which works out to about 48 seconds per question.
What score do you need to pass?
The AAMA reports a scaled score, and the minimum passing score is 405. A pass/fail notice appears immediately when you finish; the official score report follows by email about 24 hours later, with bar graphs for the three categories.
What does the exam cost?
$125 for AAMA members and for completing students or recent graduates; $250 for non-members. A fee is required for each attempt. If your credential has expired, a $50 reactivation fee is charged on top of the exam fee.
How do you keep the credential after you pass?
Recertify every 60 months, either by continuing education or by exam. By continuing education: 60 CEUs, of which 30 must be AAMA CEUs. The minimum split is 10 administrative, 10 clinical and 10 general, plus 30 from any combination. No more than 30 non-AAMA CEUs count.
Is ScrubCert an official product of the certifying body?
No. ScrubCert is an independent study aid. It follows the published outline, it does not reproduce any real exam question, and it has no connection with any certifying body.
The other certifications
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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