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CMA (AAMA)® Certification Exam
The CMA (AAMA) Certification Exam is the national certification examination for medical assistants administered under the Certifying Board of the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA) and delivered by PSI at test centers or via live remote proctoring.
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Questions200 multiple-choice questions, of which 180 are scored and 20 are unscored pretest
Testing time160 minutes of question time, administered in four 40-minute segments (optional 5-minute tutorial plus 20 minutes of optional breaks; maximum appointment time 180 minutes)
ScoringMinimum passing score of 405 on a scale ranging from 200 to 800; score is based on the number of correct responses to scored questions only
Exam feeUSD 125 for AAMA members and for all current students/recent graduates (applying within 12 months of graduation); USD 250 for nonmembers; nonrefundable (a USD 65 fee applies to transfer to a new 90-day testing period)
Prep options
Study resources for CMA (AAMA) Exam
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Courses and study resources
Exam overview
What to know before choosing your prep
- Who runs it
- AAMA
- Category
- Medical Assisting
- Current version
- Content Outline informed by the 2018–2019 AAMA Occupational Analysis, effective through June 2027 (a new outline informed by the 2025 occupational analysis is effective beginning July 2027)
- Where it applies
- United States — national
- Exam languages
- English
- Score scale
- 200–800
- Testing provider
- PSI
- Format
- Computer-based: at a PSI test center or via live remote proctoring
- Availability
- Year-round by appointment with PSI within an assigned 90-day testing period
- Results
- Pass/fail notification immediately upon completion; official score report emailed approximately 24 hours after testing
- Remote testing
- Available
Exam structure
200 multiple-choice items; the 180 scored items are allocated across three sections: Clinical Competency (106 items, 59%), General (38 items, 21%), and Administrative (36 items, 20%); the remaining 20 items are unscored pretest questions randomly placed throughout the exam.
Where rules vary
National U.S. certification exam; eligibility is based on graduation from a medical assisting program accredited by CAAHEP or ABHES (U.S. Department of Education- or CHEA-recognized accreditors) and the certification program is accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA)
Eligibility
Eligibility by category: current student/recent graduate of a CAAHEP- or ABHES-accredited medical assisting program (within 12 months of graduation), graduate of such a program, recertifying CMA (AAMA), approved alternative pathway, or medical assisting educator with a minimum of 1,000 hours teaching experience
Retake policy
Six attempts to take and pass the exam within any 12-month period beginning with the first attempt; no required waiting period between attempts; each attempt requires a new application and fee