CCMA Passing Score 2026: What 390 Means

What is the passing score for the CCMA exam?

390 on a scaled range of 200 to 500. Your score is based on the 150 scored questions; the other 30 are pretest questions being tried out for future exams.

How the score works
Item	Number	Source
Questions on the exam	180	NHA test plan
Scored questions	150	NHA test plan
Pretest (unscored) questions	30	NHA test plan
Time	3 hours	NHA test plan
Score range	200 to 500	NHA candidate handbook
Passing score	390	NHA candidate handbook

Pretest questions look like the others and are mixed in at random. You cannot skip them, so answer every question as if it counts.

What percentage do you need to pass the CCMA?

There is no official percentage. NHA converts your number correct into a scaled score so that different versions of the exam are treated the same, and it does not publish the conversion.

You will see figures like 70% or 75% quoted online. None of them comes from NHA, and because the conversion can depend on the exam form, a single percent could not be right for every candidate. Treat any number you read as a guess.

That is why our practice test reports percent correct and a band, not a scaled score. Turning a percent on our questions into an NHA score would mean inventing a conversion NHA keeps private.

What practice score means I am ready for the CCMA?

Clearing 80% on two different full 150-question mocks, on questions you have not seen before, with no area far below the rest.

Our practice bands on a 150-question CCMA-style mock
Band	Percent right	Out of 150	What it means
Early practice	Under 60%	Under 90	Start with vitals, infection control and phlebotomy
Building	60% to 69%	90 to 104	Drill your weakest area
Close	70% to 79%	105 to 119	Close, but too near the guesses for comfort
Practice target	80% to 89%	120 to 134	At the target; confirm on a second mock
Strong	90% or more	135 or more	A comfortable margin

These bands are our labels on our questions, not a prediction of your result and not a percentile. Take the free CCMA practice test to see where you are.

Clear 80% before you book

Eight full 150-question mocks and four drills per area show when you are consistently over the target.

The CCMA Pass Pack gives you 8 full mocks on the real clock, 28 drills of 12 questions for the sections that cost you points, and a predictor that turns your mocks into the odds of reaching your target. One payment, no subscription, and your free score stays free.

Prep courses for these tests usually cost $19 to $129. The CCMA Pass Pack is US$39 (£29), once.

See the CCMA Pass Pack How our questions are built and checked

8
timed mocks: 28
topic drills: 1
score predictor

Why does the CCMA use a scaled score?

Because no two versions of the exam are exactly as hard as each other. Scaling puts every version on the same 200 to 500 range, so 390 stands for the same level of knowledge whichever version you sit.

NHA builds many versions of the CCMA from a large question pool, so candidates testing at different schools and on different days do not see the same questions. One version will always come out a little harder than another. If the pass line were a fixed number of correct answers, a candidate on a harder version would need to know more to pass. Scaling corrects for that: a harder version needs slightly fewer correct answers to reach the line, an easier one slightly more.

Two things follow for you. No fixed raw count or percent can be the pass line, which is why we never print one. And the score on a practice test cannot be turned into an NHA score by anyone outside NHA. What a practice test can tell you is whether you know the material with a margin to spare, which is the question our 80% target answers.

Should I guess on the CCMA if I am not sure?

Yes. Answer every question: a blank cannot earn a point, and the 30 pretest questions mean you cannot tell which items count. Three hours for 180 questions is one minute each, so keep moving.

Check the clock at question 60 and question 120: you should have used about an hour and two hours.
Flag a slow question and move on; come back once the rest are done.
On a scenario, ask first what is within a medical assistant's scope. That alone often removes two options.
On a number (a dose, a rate, a bill), convert units first and check the answer makes sense.
Make sure nothing is left blank when time runs out.

Where do people lose points on the CCMA?

On exact facts inside clinical care: blood pressure categories, injection angles and sites, PPE order, which illness needs which precautions, the order of draw, lead placement, and the scope questions where the kind answer is outside the medical assistant's role.

The NHA test plan, scored items by domain
Domain	Scored items	Share
Foundational Knowledge and Basic Science	15	10%
Anatomy and Physiology	8	5%
Clinical Patient Care: general patient care	28	19%
Clinical Patient Care: infection control and safety	15	10%
Clinical Patient Care: patient intake and vitals	14	9%
Clinical Patient Care: phlebotomy	12	8%
Clinical Patient Care: point-of-care testing and lab	9	6%
Clinical Patient Care: EKG and cardiovascular testing	6	4%
Patient Care Coordination and Education	12	8%
Administrative Assisting	12	8%
Communication and Customer Service	12	8%
Medical Law and Ethics	7	5%

Your score report shows how you did in each domain. Clinical Patient Care is more than half the score, so a weak result there is the first thing to fix: the free drills on clinical patient care, phlebotomy and EKG each target one part of it.

What if I do not pass the CCMA exam?

Retake it after 30 days. NHA requires a 30-day wait after the first and second attempts and a 12-month wait after a third, and each attempt is paid for.

Read your score report and note the two weakest domains.
Take a full practice mock to see where you stand on fresh questions.
Drill the weakest area until it clears 80%, then the next.
Take a second full mock on new questions. Rebook when both clear 80%.

A step-by-step plan is in how to pass the CCMA, and the exam itself is explained in the CCMA exam guide.

What happens after you pass the CCMA exam?

You hold the CCMA credential once NHA confirms the result, and you keep it by renewing every 2 years with 10 continuing education credits.

Give your employer or school a copy of your certificate. If you passed before finishing your program or diploma, NHA may hold the credential until you send proof that the eligibility requirement is met.

Frequently asked questions

Is 390 a percentage?

No. It is a scaled score on a range of 200 to 500. NHA does not publish a percent equivalent.

How many questions can I miss on the CCMA?

NHA does not say, and the number can differ between forms. Aim to miss fewer than 1 in 5 in practice.

How soon can I retake the CCMA?

After 30 days for a second or third attempt; after a third attempt, the wait is 12 months.

Do the pretest questions count?

No, but you cannot tell which they are, so answer every question carefully.

Is LifeScore part of NHA?

No. LifeScore is not affiliated with NHA.

Clear 80% on questions you have not seen

Eight full CCMA-style mocks, four drills per area and every answer explained, for one payment.