CCMA practice test/CCMA vs CMA vs RMA
Medical assistant certification
CCMA vs CMA vs RMA: Which Medical Assistant Certification?
The NHA CCMA has 180 questions in 3 hours and accepts a training program or a year of supervised work. The CMA (AAMA) has 200 questions and is built around CAAHEP- and ABHES-accredited programs. The AMT RMA has 210 questions in 2 hours and five eligibility routes.
Checked November 11, 2026 against NHA, AAMA and AMT · Not affiliated with any of them
NHA CCMA3 h
AAMA CMA4 × 40 min
AMT RMA2 h
Scored Pretest (unscored)
Side by side
CCMA vs CMA vs RMA exam comparison
Every line names the NHA, AAMA or AMT page it comes from.
How to choose
Which medical assistant certification should you get?
Your training, your work history and the clinics near you decide it more than the exam does.
Your program decides the CMA
The CMA (AAMA) is built around CAAHEP- and ABHES-accredited programs. If yours is not accredited, look at AAMA's other routes, or at the CCMA or RMA.
Working, no program?
The CCMA accepts 1 year of supervised work in the last 3 years. The RMA accepts 3 years of medical assisting work in the past 7.
Read local job posts
Some clinics name one credential and many accept any of the three. A national certificate is not a state license, so check your state's rules too.
Count the upkeep
The CCMA renews every 2 years with 10 credits, the RMA every 3 years, the CMA every 60 months with 60 CEUs.
Practice
Free CCMA practice
Our questions follow NHA’s CCMA test plan. The clinical skills overlap with the CMA and RMA, but their outlines weigh topics differently, so check yours before you rely on a CCMA score.
CCMA vs CMA vs RMA FAQ
Which is better, pass rates, routes without a program, and licenses.
Neither is better everywhere. The CMA (AAMA) requires a CAAHEP- or ABHES-accredited program or another AAMA route, and some employers ask for it by name. The NHA CCMA is open to graduates of other training programs and to people with a year of supervised work. Read the job posts where you want to work before you pay a fee.
The published rates are close: NHA reported 75.10% of 55,836 CCMA exams passed in 2022, and AMT reported 71% of 8,223 RMA exams in 2025. We found no current CMA (AAMA) pass rate on AAMA's pages. The years differ, so treat these as a rough guide, not a ranking.
AAMA lists four routes: a student or graduate of a CAAHEP- or ABHES-accredited medical assisting program, a past CMA (AAMA), a medical assisting educator with at least 1,000 hours, or its Alternative Pathway. Check AAMA's eligibility guide for the details of each.
Yes, for two of them. NHA accepts 1 year of supervised work in the last 3 years or 2 years in the last 5, plus a high school diploma or GED; California CCMA applicants on this route need 2 years in the last 5. AMT accepts 3 years of medical assisting work in the past 7, covering both clinical and administrative duties.
The NHA CCMA has 180 (150 scored, 30 pretest) in 3 hours. The CMA (AAMA) has 200 (180 scored, 20 pretest) in four 40-minute segments. The AMT RMA has 210 questions in 2 hours.
Both are NHA credentials. The CCMA is the clinical medical assistant exam: patient care, vitals, injections, phlebotomy and EKG. The CMAA (Certified Medical Administrative Assistant) covers the front office.
No. NHA, AAMA and AMT certify you nationally; whether a state requires a credential to do certain tasks is a separate question for that state. Check your state's medical board or health department.
Method: we read each linked AAMA and AMT page, AAMA’s content outline and AMT’s candidate handbook (revised April 2026) on November 11, 2026. NHA’s site blocks automated reading, so the NHA rows follow NHA’s test plan, its Annual Pass Rates report and its candidate handbook, and the $169 fee was read on the NHA store on November 10, 2026. Fees and rules change, so check with the certifying body before you apply. Written by Md Mojno Miya, edited for QuizCram. QuizCram is not affiliated with NHA, AAMA or AMT.