Certification

CCMA Certification: The NHA Certified Clinical Medical Assistant Exam

How Do You Get CCMA Certification?

CCMA certification is the Certified Clinical Medical Assistant credential from the National Healthcareer Association (NHA), earned by passing a 3-hour exam with 150 scored questions. You qualify with a high school diploma or GED plus any medical assistant training program finished in the last 5 years, or with 1 to 2 years of supervised work. Of 1,340 programs verified for this site, 299 name the CCMA, and only 40 of those are CAAHEP or ABHES accredited. Compare it with the CMA (AAMA) before you choose a school.

Researched and edited by Taylor Rupe · Updated October 12, 2026

Gloved hands steady a patient's arm below a blue tourniquet and hold a needle ready for a blood draw — Photo: Kirill Dratsevich / Pexels

What CCMA Certification Is

The CCMA is the Certified Clinical Medical Assistant credential from the National Healthcareer Association, usually called NHA. It is one of four national medical assistant credentials, alongside the CMA (AAMA), RMA (AMT) and NCMA (NCCT).

Its appeal is access. The CCMA accepts graduates of any medical assistant training program finished in the last 5 years, accredited or not, and it accepts people with supervised work experience instead of school. That makes it the usual credential for short certificates, adult education programs and non-credit workforce courses. Of the 27 non-credit programs verified for this site, 13 name the CCMA, more than any other exam.

Most states don’t require certification, but the BLS notes employers may prefer or require it. Washington’s Department of Health accepts NHA’s clinical medical assistant exam toward its Medical Assistant-Certified credential; see the Washington programs page.

CCMA Certification Requirements

NHA has two pathways. Both start with a high school diploma or GED.

Pathway	Education	Training or experience	Timing
Training	High school diploma or GED, or scheduled to earn one within 18 months	Completed a medical assistant training or education program	Program finished within the last 5 years
Work experience	High school diploma or GED	Supervised work in a medical assisting field	1 year within the last 3 years, or 2 years within the last 5

Three details are worth knowing:

Testing before the externship. If your school has an agreement with NHA, you can test once classroom coursework is done, and the school confirms your externship afterward. If it isn’t confirmed in time, NHA voids the score.
High school students. If you test before finishing high school, you receive a provisional certification that expires 18 months after the exam unless you convert it after graduating.
The 5-year limit. Once a program is 5 or more years behind you, the training pathway closes and you need the work experience pathway.

What’s on the NHA CCMA Exam

The exam has 150 scored questions and 30 unscored pretest questions, and you get 3 hours. NHA’s test plan, based on a 2022 job analysis, breaks the scored questions down like this:

Content area	Scored questions
Clinical patient care	84
Foundational knowledge and basic science	15
Patient care coordination and education	12
Administrative assisting	12
Communication and customer service	12
Anatomy and physiology	8
Medical law and ethics	7

Inside clinical patient care, general patient care is the biggest block at 28 questions, followed by infection control and safety at 15, patient intake and vitals at 14, phlebotomy at 12, point-of-care testing at 9 and EKG at 6. In short, the CCMA is mostly a hands-on clinical exam, but administrative work still counts for 12 questions.

How to Study for the CCMA

The best free study map is NHA’s own test plan, which lists every task and knowledge statement by domain. Start there and match your notes to it. NHA also sells an official CCMA study guide and practice test through its store.

Study priorities that follow from the test plan:

Spend most of your time on clinical patient care. At 84 of 150 questions, it outweighs everything else combined.
Don’t skip phlebotomy and EKG. Together they account for 18 questions. If your program didn’t teach them, close the gap; 182 of the 299 CCMA programs list phlebotomy and 165 list EKG.
Review the “Do Not Use” abbreviations and dosage math. Both appear in the foundational knowledge section.
Use your score report if you need a retake. NHA’s report rates your performance in each content area, which points you to what to restudy.

Where You Test and What Happens if You Fail

You can take the CCMA at your school, at a PSI testing center, or through live remote proctoring from a place you choose.

If you don’t pass, you can retake the exam after a 30-day wait. NHA allows three attempts with at least 30 days between each. After a third failed attempt, you wait one year. Every retake means registering again and paying the full exam price, so it pays to sit the first attempt ready.

Programs That Prepare You for the CCMA

Credential	Programs naming the CCMA	Median length	Median cost
Certificate	153	36 weeks	$18,034
Diploma	79	43 weeks	$18,572
Associate degree	54	80 weeks	$31,448
Non-credit training	13	26 weeks	$4,900

299 programs name the CCMA (NHA) on their own pages, October 2026. Cost is the published total or published rate x credits (estimated); blank cells mean fewer than three programs give the figure.

Clinical Medical Assistant Programs That Lead to the CCMA

Across the 299 programs that name the CCMA, the median program runs 39 weeks and 780 clock hours, with a median 180-hour externship. There are 153 certificates, 80 diplomas, 54 associate degrees and 13 non-credit programs, in 41 states. California has the most at 34, followed by Texas and Florida at 24 each.

Program	State	Length	Hours and externship	Cost	Note
Pike County Career Technology Center	OH	17 weeks, evenings	252 hours, 60 clinical	$2,100 published total	Phlebotomy and EKG included
Manchester Community College	NH	12 weeks	480 hours, 160-hour practicum	$5,800 published total	Non-credit
Contra Costa Medical Career College	CA	10 weeks	320 clock hours, 160-hour externship	$6,942 published total	Phlebotomy and EKG included
Lake Technical College	FL	About 30 weeks	900 clock hours, 190-hour practicum	$2,592 published total	CAAHEP accredited; exam passage 96.5%
Coffeyville Community College	KS	1 year	160 hours of skills lab	$6,425 published total	CAAHEP accredited; 100% CCMA pass rate, 2020-2024
Westchester School for Medical & Dental Assistants	NY	30 weeks day; 57 weeks evening and weekend	900 hours, 270-hour externship	$12,400 published total	Evening and weekend track
Fortis College	AL	36 instructional weeks	780 contact hours, 180-hour externship	$18,572 published total	Placement rate 71%

If you need to work fast, Contra Costa’s 10-week certificate and Manchester’s 12-week program are among the shortest. Both still include a 160-hour externship. The accelerated programs page lists more.

If you work days, look at evening options: 82 CCMA programs offer evening classes and 6 run on weekends. Community College of Philadelphia’s non-credit program runs 180 hours with day, evening and online asynchronous options for a published $2,964.

If cost matters most, public technical centers and community colleges lead. Pike County’s evening certificate publishes $2,100, and Washington County Career Center in Ohio publishes $2,128 for a 16-week program. The affordable programs page ranks more options.

Medical Assistant vs Clinical Medical Assistant

“Clinical medical assistant” describes the hands-on side of the job: vitals, injections, blood draws, EKGs and helping with exams. A general medical assistant program covers that plus front-office work such as scheduling and billing. The CCMA leans clinical, but its test plan still includes 12 administrative questions, so it isn’t purely clinical.

Some schools split their programs this way. Mt San Jacinto Community College District’s clinical certificate in California focuses on clinical work with an internship in a physician’s office, estimated at $1,219 (published rate times credits, before fees). A program that covers both sides prepares you for the clinical and the administrative questions on the exam.

CMA vs CCMA

The biggest difference is the program requirement. The CMA (AAMA) requires a CAAHEP- or ABHES-accredited program, or the AAMA Alternative Pathway for qualifying graduates of other programs. The CCMA takes any medical assistant program.

That matters because most CCMA programs aren’t accredited: only 40 of the 299 are. If you are choosing a school now and want both options open, look at the 110 CCMA programs that also name the CMA, and confirm accreditation with the accredited program checker.

Renewal differs too. The CCMA renews every two years with 10 continuing education credits; the CMA renews every 60 months. The CMA certification guide covers that route in full, and the medical assistant certification page compares all four credentials.

Who the CCMA Fits Best

The CCMA is the strongest fit in a few situations, each tied to how NHA’s rules work:

You already work as a medical assistant without a credential. One year of supervised work within the last 3 years qualifies you, with no program required. The CMA (AAMA) has no work route for new candidates.
Your best local program isn’t accredited. Graduates of any medical assistant program qualify, so a 16-week adult education course counts the same as a two-year degree for eligibility.
You are finishing high school in a health science track. You can test up to 18 months before graduating and hold a provisional certification until you do.
You want a credential quickly. Testing at your school, a PSI center or from home, plus testing before the externship at participating schools, shortens the gap between classes and a credential.
You plan to work in Washington. NHA’s clinical medical assistant exam is one of the five the state accepts for its Medical Assistant-Certified credential.

If none of these fits and you can reach an accredited program, compare the CMA first.

Keeping Your CCMA Active

Renew every two years by completing 10 continuing education credits. There is no penalty for renewing early. If your certification expires, NHA allows reinstatement for up to a year; after that, you start over with a new registration, the full exam fee and a retake.

Your CCMA Checklist

Confirm you have a high school diploma or GED, or will within 18 months.
Pick a program that teaches phlebotomy and EKG, since the exam tests both.
Ask whether the school has an NHA agreement that lets you test before the externship.
Test within 5 years of finishing your program, or plan on the work experience pathway.
Set a reminder to renew every two years with 10 CE credits.

The BLS reports a median wage of $45,690 a year for medical assistants in May 2025. For the full sequence from enrollment to first job, read how to become a medical assistant, or use the certification pathway tool to check which exams you qualify for today.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Many Questions Are on the NHA CCMA Exam?

180 in total: 150 scored questions and 30 unscored pretest questions, with 3 hours to finish, according to NHA's CCMA test plan. Clinical patient care makes up 84 of the 150 scored questions.

Can You Take the CCMA Exam Without Going to School?

Yes, if you have experience. NHA accepts 1 year of supervised work in a medical assisting field within the last 3 years, or 2 years within the last 5, along with a high school diploma or GED.

Can You Take the CCMA in High School?

Yes. NHA accepts candidates who are scheduled to earn a high school diploma or GED within the next 18 months, if they have completed a medical assistant training program. They receive a provisional certification that expires 18 months after the exam date unless it is converted once they graduate.

Can You Take the CCMA Exam at Home?

Yes. NHA offers the exam at your school, at a PSI testing center, or through live remote proctoring at a location you choose.

What Happens if Your CCMA Expires?

NHA allows reinstatement within 1 year of expiration. After a year, you must register again, retake the exam and pay the full price. There is no penalty for renewing early.

Is CCMA the Same as a Medical Assistant Certificate?

No. A certificate is what your school awards when you finish a program; the CCMA is a national credential you earn by passing NHA's exam. Most people complete a certificate or diploma first, then sit the CCMA.