Certification

Medical Assistant Certification: CMA, RMA, CCMA and NCMA Compared

Which Medical Assistant Certification Should You Get?

Medical assistant certification comes from four national bodies: the CMA (AAMA), RMA (AMT), CCMA (NHA) and NCMA (NCCT). The CMA has the strictest entry rule, since its standard route requires a CAAHEP- or ABHES-accredited program, and only 339 of 1,340 verified programs qualify. The CCMA accepts graduates of any medical assistant program, and 299 programs name it as their exam. Use the certification pathway tool to see which you qualify for.

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

A student with a tattooed forearm reads a printed study packet with a pen in hand beside an open laptop — Photo: Max Vakhtbovych / Pexels

Medical Assistant Certification: The Four National Credentials

Four organizations certify medical assistants nationally. Each one writes its own exam, sets its own eligibility rules and charges its own fees. None of them is a state license, and none is required by most states, but employers may prefer or require one, according to the BLS.

Credential	Full title	Certifying body	Programs naming it	Fee or exam fact
CMA (AAMA)	Certified Medical Assistant	American Association of Medical Assistants	450	$125 students and recent graduates; $250 nonmembers otherwise
RMA (AMT)	Registered Medical Assistant	American Medical Technologists	331	$150, including first annual fee
CCMA (NHA)	Certified Clinical Medical Assistant	National Healthcareer Association	299	150 scored questions in 3 hours
NCMA (NCCT)	National Certified Medical Assistant	National Center for Competency Testing	133	$119 exam fee

The “programs naming it” counts come from 1,340 medical assistant programs checked on the schools’ own sites in October 2026. Many programs name more than one exam, so the counts overlap.

Who Qualifies for Each Exam

Eligibility is where the four credentials really differ. Read this before you pick a school, because your program choice can lock you out of one route.

Credential	Through a school program	Through work experience	Other routes
CMA (AAMA)	Student or graduate of a CAAHEP- or ABHES-accredited program; or the Alternative Pathway for qualifying unaccredited programs	None for new candidates	MA educators with 1,000 teaching hours
RMA (AMT)	Graduate within 4 years of an accredited program with 720 hours, including 160 externship hours	3 years as an MA within the past 7	Military, instructor, and competency-based routes
CCMA (NHA)	Any MA training program finished within the last 5 years	1 year within 3, or 2 years within 5, supervised	High school students within 18 months of graduating
NCMA (NCCT)	Current student or graduate within 5 years of an NCCT-authorized school	1 year full-time within the past 5	Military training or service, instructors

Notice the word “accredited” means different things. For the CMA, it means programmatic accreditation by CAAHEP or ABHES. For the RMA, it means the program or the school holds accreditation from an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education or CHEA, or AMT approval. That makes the RMA open to graduates of many more programs.

Why Accreditation Decides Your CMA Route

Only 339 of the 1,340 programs carry CAAHEP or ABHES accreditation: 319 through CAAHEP and 20 through ABHES. Graduates of those programs take the CMA (AAMA) by the standard route, and they can register as soon as their classroom coursework is done, before the externship ends.

Graduates of other programs aren’t shut out completely. The AAMA Alternative Pathway accepts graduates of a postsecondary program that meets every one of these requirements:

the equivalent of two semesters, with at least 560 academic contact hours, not counting the externship;
a practicum or externship of at least 160 hours in an outpatient setting, or 1,000 hours of medical assisting work after finishing;
a diploma, certificate or associate degree from a school accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education or CHEA;
training in injections and phlebotomy, with at least 10 injections and 10 blood draws performed.

You submit transcripts and a signed attestation, and the review is free. The catch is that approval isn’t guaranteed. If you know you want the CMA, choosing an accredited program removes the risk. The accredited program checker confirms a program’s status, and the accredited programs page compares all 339.

Accredited programs also tend to be affordable. Across the 179 with a published total or a rate-based estimate (published rate times credits or clock hours, before fees), the median is $6,519, led by community colleges such as Dallas College, which publishes $1,980 for an 8-month certificate.

What Certification Costs and How the Exams Work

Exam fees are modest next to tuition, and each body runs its own testing setup.

CMA (AAMA): $125 for current students and graduates within 12 months. Graduates of more than 12 months pay $125 as AAMA members or $250 as nonmembers. The exam runs in four 40-minute segments at a PSI test center or by live remote proctoring, and you schedule within a 90-day window.
RMA (AMT): $150, which covers the application, the exam and your first annual fee. You test at a Pearson VUE center, and results reach AMT within 48 hours.
CCMA (NHA): the exam has 150 scored questions and 30 unscored pretest questions, with 3 hours to finish. Clinical patient care is the largest area, at 84 of the 150 scored items. You can test at your school, a PSI center or by live remote proctoring.
NCMA (NCCT): $119.

If you fail the CCMA, you can retake it after 30 days, up to three attempts, paying the full price each time. After a third failed attempt, NHA makes you wait a year.

Keeping Your Certification Current

Passing is the start. Each credential has its own upkeep, and letting it lapse can mean testing again.

Credential	How often	What it takes
CMA (AAMA)	Every 60 months	60 continuing education points, at least 30 from AAMA, with 10 each in administrative, clinical and general topics; or retake the exam. Renewal by CE costs $80 for members and $160 for nonmembers.
RMA (AMT)	Annual fee; points every 3 years	Continuing education points through AMT’s Certification Continuation Program
CCMA (NHA)	Every 2 years	10 continuing education credits

The Four Medical Assistant Exams by the Numbers

Exam	Certifying body	Programs naming it	Of those, CAAHEP or ABHES accredited
CMA (AAMA)	American Association of Medical Assistants	450	200
RMA (AMT)	American Medical Technologists	331	71
CCMA (NHA)	National Healthcareer Association	299	40
NCMA (NCCT)	National Center for Competency Testing	133	15

Exams named on each program's own page, October 2026; a program can name several. 339 of the 1,340 programs are CAAHEP- or ABHES-accredited (directories captured October 12, 2026), the standard education route to the CMA (AAMA).

Which Programs Prepare You for Which Exam

The exam a program names tells you what its final review targets. Among the 339 accredited programs, 200 name the CMA, 71 the RMA, 40 the CCMA and 15 the NCMA. Several post their own pass rates:

Hawkeye Community College in Iowa, a CAAHEP-accredited one-year diploma naming the CMA and RMA, reports 98% exam passage for 2020-2024.
Anoka Technical College in Minnesota reports 93.98% exam passage and 91.40% job placement as five-year averages, with a 280-hour externship.
Treasure Valley Community College in Oregon reports 100% CCMA exam passage for 2024 on an evening and weekend schedule.
Grand Rapids Community College reports that 100% of its 2024 graduates passed the RMA, after a 22-week, 772-clock-hour certificate.
Loma Linda University reports an 87% first-attempt pass rate on the NHA exam for its fall 2023 cohort.

Pass rates vary, so read the year and the exam. Modesto Junior College reports 62.16% exam passage for 2024 against a five-year average of 67.88%.

Can You Get Medical Assistant Certification Online?

You can study online, and you can sit the CMA or CCMA by live remote proctoring. What you can’t do online is the hands-on training. Every route that runs through a school expects supervised clinical work: the RMA education route asks for at least 160 externship hours, and the AAMA Alternative Pathway asks for 160 practicum hours plus 10 injections and 10 blood draws.

Of the 1,340 programs, 508 offer online or hybrid coursework and 13 are listed as fully online. Online programs still arrange clinic time. Herzing University-Madison’s online diploma runs 10 months with a 180-hour externship over 8 weeks and names the CCMA, for a published $12,720. Bryan University’s online certificate uses a virtual externship through NHA and names the CCMA, for $18,650. None of the fully online programs is CAAHEP or ABHES accredited, so the CMA would mean the Alternative Pathway. The online programs page compares them.

Do States Require Medical Assistant Certification?

Most don’t. Washington and California show the range.

Washington state medical assistant certification works through the Department of Health. Its Medical Assistant-Certified credential accepts five national exams: the CMA (AAMA), RMA (AMT), NHA’s clinical medical assistant exam, the NCMA and AMCA’s clinical medical assistant exam, passed within five years before you apply. See the Washington programs page for schools.

California doesn’t license medical assistants and says they can work without a certification. Certification matters there if you want to train other medical assistants: a “qualified medical assistant” must be certified by one of five Board-approved organizations, which include the AAMA and AMT. The California programs page lists schools.

Working as a Non-Certified Medical Assistant

Being a non-certified medical assistant is legal in most states, and some people start that way while an employer trains them. Work experience can later carry you into certification: the CCMA after 1 year of supervised work within 3, the NCMA after 1 year of full-time work within 5, or the RMA after 3 years within 7.

The faster path for most people is to test soon after training. The CCMA training route stays open for 5 years after you finish a program, the RMA education route for 4, and the CMA’s lowest fee applies within 12 months of graduation.

How to Pick the Right Credential

Match the credential to your plans with these checks:

You want the widest entry route: the CCMA accepts any medical assistant program finished in the last 5 years. The CCMA certification guide covers the exam in detail.
You want the CMA (AAMA): enroll in a CAAHEP- or ABHES-accredited program. The CMA certification guide walks through the route and its fees.
You already work as an MA: compare the work routes above, since the CMA has none for new candidates.
You plan to work in Washington: any of the four national exams counts toward the state credential.
You train others in California: choose an exam from a Board-approved organization, such as the AAMA or AMT.

The how to become a medical assistant guide puts certification in the full sequence, and the program matcher filters programs by the exam they name.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Medical Assistant Certification Is Most Recognized?

Employers differ. The CMA (AAMA) has the strictest standard route, tied to CAAHEP or ABHES accreditation, and it is the exam named most often by programs: 450 of 1,340. Washington's Department of Health accepts all four national exams, CMA, RMA, CCMA and NCMA, for its Medical Assistant-Certified credential.

Can You Get Certified as a Medical Assistant Without Going to School?

Yes, through work experience. NHA accepts 1 year of supervised medical assisting work within the last 3 years for the CCMA. NCCT accepts 1 year of full-time verifiable experience within the past 5 years for the NCMA. AMT's RMA work route takes 3 years within the past 7. The CMA (AAMA) has no work experience route for new candidates.

How Long Is Medical Assistant Certification Good For?

It depends on the credential. The CMA (AAMA) must be recertified every 60 months, the CCMA every two years with 10 continuing education credits, and AMT certifications such as the RMA carry an annual fee with continuing education points due every three years.

What Happens if You Fail the CCMA Exam?

You can retake it 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. Each retake requires registering and paying the full exam price again.

Is a Medical Assistant Certificate the Same as Certification?

No. A certificate is the award your school gives when you finish a program. Certification is the credential you earn by passing a national exam such as the CMA or CCMA. Most people need the first to qualify for the second.

Can You Take a Medical Assistant Certification Exam From Home?

For some exams, yes. The AAMA offers the CMA (AAMA) at a PSI test center or by live remote proctoring, and NHA offers the CCMA at your school, a PSI testing center or by live remote proctoring. AMT schedules the RMA at Pearson VUE testing centers.