After all the hard work and professional training, you finally consider yourself ready for the medical office assistant jobs. But wait, how will you convince the employers that you’ve taken in all the knowledge and skills from the training, instead of dozing off during the classes? Thus passing a certificate exam is important; it is to show your employers that you are fully qualified and committed to the profession and the safety of future patients. In addition, it also provide you with a competitive edge in the job market.
Medical Administrative Assistant Certification (CMAA) is considered the gold standard for medical administrative assistants, a.k.a. medical office assistant. It’s administrated by the National Healthcareer Association (NHA), one of the largest allied health certification organizations in the nation, who’s goal is to “increase the quality of patient care and to help provide students with the support and certification needed to succeed in the allied health field”.
CMAA Exam prerequisites
- A High School Diploma, or equivalency
- Written proof of recent completion of a medical office assistant training program or more than one year of work experience within the field.
CMAA Exam Registration
- Candidates who are enrolled in approved National Healthcareer Association school programs may take the exam at test sites.
- Candidates who are eligible to take the exam, but not enrolled in the school programs my register for the exam online, and sit for the exam at PSI/Lasergrade test locations.
Fees and Cancellation Policy
The exam fee is $105.
There are no refunds offered on certification exams unless the scheduled exam date is cancelled by the National Healthcareer Association.
However, the exam fee may be transferred over to a new date for up to six months from the original date. All exams
must be rescheduled a minimum of 24 hours in advance to avoid additional costs.
Exam format and content
There are three formats of the exam:
- Paper/pencil exam
- Proctored Internet testing
- Computer based exam at PSI/Lasergrade center.
The Paper and pencil exam, and the proctored internet testing are offered at National Healthcareer Association recognized school program test sites. The computer based exam at PSI are mostly offered to people who are not enrolled in the above mentioned school programs.
The exam duration is 110 minutes, and there are 110 multiple choice items.
Check National Healthcareer Association website for the Certified Medical Administrative Assistant (CMAA) Handbook with more details on the exam. National Healthcareer Association also provides official study guides for the exam.