CCMA practice test 2026: a free 150-question NHA-style exam

This free CCMA-style practice test has 150 original questions on a 150-minute clock: the 150 scored questions of the NHA Certified Clinical Medical Assistant exam, at its real pace of one minute a question, split by the NHA test plan. You get your percent right, a practice band, a score for each area, and every answer explained in plain English.

150
questions, the scored length: 150 min
one minute a question: 7
areas, scored separately: Free
no sign-up

Last checked 22 October 2026 · Exam facts from nhanow.com and the NHA test plan; clinical rules from the CDC, CLSI and ACC/AHA

150
questions
150 min
time limit
Free
instant score

By the LifeScore Editorial Team · Updated 22 October 2026 · How we check facts · How this is scored

What is on this CCMA practice test?

One hundred and fifty original questions in the NHA test plan's proportions: more than half on clinical patient care (vitals, general care, infection control, phlebotomy, point-of-care testing and EKG), with the rest on foundations and anatomy, care coordination, administration, communication and law.

Our seven areas, how many questions each has in our mock, and the test plan domains behind them
Area	In our mock	NHA test plan (scored items)
Foundations, terminology and anatomy	23	Foundational Knowledge 15 + Anatomy and Physiology 8
Patient care, intake and vitals	42	General patient care 28 + intake and vitals 14
Infection control, safety and lab	24	Infection control and safety 15 + point-of-care testing 9
Phlebotomy	12	Phlebotomy 12
EKG	6	EKG and cardiovascular testing 6
Care coordination and administration	24	Care Coordination and Education 12 + Administrative Assisting 12
Communication, law and ethics	19	Communication and Customer Service 12 + Medical Law and Ethics 7

Clinical Patient Care is 84 of the 150 scored items on the real exam, 56%, so it is 84 of our 150 too. Inside it, general patient care is the biggest single piece: positioning and exam assisting, medication administration and injections, wound care, minor procedures, and what to do in an emergency.

About a quarter of our questions are generated from verified tables and formulas: blood pressure and BMI categories, temperature and weight conversions, dosages, injection angles, precautions, order of draw, EKG rates and patient bills. The numbers change in every mock and the key is computed, so you cannot pass by remembering an answer.

What this practice test copies, and what it does not
Questions	150, the real exam's scored length, four options each, all areas mixed together
Clock	150 minutes: the real exam's pace of one minute a question
Split	The NHA test plan's 150 scored items, grouped into seven practice areas
Your result	Percent right, a practice band and a score for each area. Never a scaled score, never a pass
Numbers	Vital signs, dosages, EKG rates, order of draw and patient bills are generated with new values in every mock and the key computed

Can I practise one CCMA area at a time?

Yes. Every area has a free 12-question drill on a topic page, at the real exam's pace, with every answer explained and the facts that area asks about most.

CCMA clinical patient care practice test
2 free drills
Vitals and intake, positioning, injections, dosage math, infection control, PPE, safety and point-of-care tests.
Phlebotomy practice test
1 free drill
Order of draw, tube additives, site selection, technique, complications and special collections.
EKG practice test
1 free drill
Lead placement, EKG paper, waveforms, rate methods, basic rhythms, artifacts and ambulatory monitors.
CCMA administrative, law and ethics practice test
2 free drills
Scheduling, referrals, records, insurance and coding basics, communication, HIPAA, consent and scope.
CCMA medical terminology and anatomy practice test
1 free drill
Prefixes, roots and suffixes, abbreviations, body systems, basic pharmacology and nutrition.

Take the full test first, then drill the area with the lowest score. Patient care carries the most questions, so a weak score there moves your total more than any other area.

How does the real CCMA exam work?

It is 180 questions in 3 hours, taken with a proctor at a school or test center, or online. 150 questions are scored and 30 are unscored pretest questions; the score is scaled from 200 to 500, and 390 passes.

The real exam, with where each fact comes from
Who gives it	The National Healthcareer Association (NHA), at a school or test center with a proctor, or online with a remote proctorPublished by the ownerNHA, Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA): eligibility and exam
Questions	180 multiple-choice questions: 150 scored and 30 unscored pretest questions you cannot tell apartPublished by the ownerNHA, CCMA test plan (2022 job analysis): 150 scored and 30 pretest items, 3 hours
Time	3 hoursPublished by the ownerNHA, CCMA test plan (2022 job analysis): 150 scored and 30 pretest items, 3 hours
Score	Scaled from 200 to 500; 390 or higher passes. NHA does not publish a percent equivalentSourcedNHA, candidate handbook: scoring, retakes and recertification
Eligibility	High school diploma or equivalent, plus a medical assisting program finished in the last 5 years, or 1 year of supervised work in the last 3 yearsPublished by the ownerNHA, Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA): eligibility and exam
Retakes	A 30-day wait after the first and second attempts; after a third, a 12-month wait. Each attempt is paid forSourcedNHA, candidate handbook: scoring, retakes and recertification
Fee	About $160 per attempt; many schools include it in tuition, and NHA shows the price when you registerSourcedNHA, candidate handbook: scoring, retakes and recertification
Renewal	Every 2 years, with 10 continuing education creditsPublished by the ownerNHA, certification renewal: every 2 years with 10 CE credits

This practice test has 150 questions, not 180, because only 150 are scored and we cannot know which 30 the real exam leaves out. It keeps the real pace instead: one minute a question.

The full picture of the 390 line is on CCMA passing score. Eligibility, registration and renewal are in the CCMA exam guide.

What do CCMA exam questions look like?

Short clinical and office scenarios with four options: a blood pressure to classify, a tube order to set, a patient to position, a bill to work out, a phone call to handle. Try the six below; two are worked step by step and the rest open when you tap.

CCMA-style question 1 · Blood pressure
A patient's blood pressure is 132/78 mm Hg. Under the 2017 ACC/AHA categories, how is it classified?
1. ANormal
2. BElevated
3. CStage 1 hypertension
4. DStage 2 hypertension
Worked answer
C: Stage 1 hypertension. Stage 1 hypertension is a systolic of 130 to 139 or a diastolic of 80 to 89. The systolic 132 is in that range, so the reading is stage 1 even though the diastolic is under 80.
1. Systolic 132: 130 to 139 is stage 1.
2. Diastolic 78: under 80, normal on its own.
3. The higher category wins: stage 1 hypertension.
The trap: Calling it elevated because the diastolic is normal. Elevated needs a systolic of 120 to 129.
CCMA-style question 2 · Order of draw
The orders are a CBC (lavender), a PT/INR (light blue) and a plasma chemistry panel (green). In what order are the tubes drawn?
1. ALavender, light blue, green
2. BLight blue, green, lavender
3. CGreen, light blue, lavender
4. DLight blue, lavender, green
Worked answer
B: Light blue, green, lavender. In the CLSI order of draw, light blue (citrate) comes before green (heparin), which comes before lavender (EDTA). That keeps EDTA and heparin from carrying over into the coagulation tube and EDTA out of the chemistry tube.
1. Order of draw: cultures, light blue, red/gold, green, lavender, gray.
2. Of these three: light blue, then green, then lavender.
3. EDTA (lavender) is drawn late because it ruins calcium-dependent tests.
The trap: Drawing lavender first because the CBC is the most common test. The order depends on additives, not on which test is ordered most.
CCMA-style question 3 · Transmission-based precautions
A child with suspected measles arrives at the clinic. Which precautions does the CDC call for?
1. AContact precautions
2. BDroplet precautions
3. CAirborne precautions
4. DStandard precautions only
Show the worked answer
C: Airborne precautions. Measles spreads on tiny particles that stay in the air, so it needs airborne precautions: a private room with the door closed (an airborne infection isolation room where available) and an N95 or higher respirator for staff.
1. How does measles spread? On airborne particles.
2. Airborne spread needs airborne precautions.
3. Room the child at once to protect the waiting room.
The trap: Choosing droplet, as for influenza or pertussis. Measles, chickenpox and TB are the classic airborne three.
CCMA-style question 4 · Heart rate
A 6-second rhythm strip shows 7 QRS complexes. What is the approximate heart rate?
1. A42 beats per minute
2. B60 beats per minute
3. C70 beats per minute
4. D76 beats per minute
Show the worked answer
C: 70 beats per minute. The six-second method multiplies the QRS complexes in 6 seconds by 10: 7 × 10 = 70 beats per minute. It works for regular and irregular rhythms.
1. Count the QRS complexes in 6 seconds: 7.
2. Multiply by 10 (6 seconds × 10 = 1 minute).
3. 7 × 10 = 70.
The trap: Multiplying by 6. The strip is 6 seconds long, so multiply by 10 to reach 60 seconds.
CCMA-style question 5 · Patient billing
A visit costs $500. The patient has $200 of the annual deductible left to pay, and the plan then covers 80% (20% coinsurance). What does the patient owe for this visit?
1. A$100
2. B$240
3. C$260
4. D$300
Show the worked answer
C: $260. The patient first pays the $200 left on the deductible. The remaining $300 is shared: the patient pays 20%, which is $60. $200 + $60 = $260.
1. Deductible first: $200.
2. Left over: $500 − $200 = $300; patient share 20% = $60.
3. Total: $200 + $60 = $260.
The trap: Taking 20% of the whole $500 ($100). The deductible comes off before coinsurance starts.
CCMA-style question 6 · HIPAA
A patient's employer calls asking whether the patient really had an appointment yesterday. There is no authorization on file. What should the medical assistant do?
1. AConfirm the appointment but nothing else
2. BDecline to confirm or deny, and explain that written authorization is needed
3. CRead the visit note to prove the patient was seen
4. DAsk the employer for the patient's date of birth, then confirm
Show the worked answer
B: Decline to confirm or deny, and explain that written authorization is needed. Whether someone is a patient is itself protected health information. Without the patient's written authorization, the medical assistant may not confirm the visit to an employer, even partly. The patient can bring a work note instead.
1. Is the caller entitled to PHI? An employer is not, without authorization.
2. Is "yes, they came in" PHI? Yes.
3. So decline politely and explain the authorization rule.
The trap: Confirming "only the appointment". Confirming the visit discloses PHI.

These were written for this page, so none of them is in a mock. More, each with its trap, are on CCMA sample questions.

After the free CCMA-style test

One mock shows your weakest area. Seven more, and four drills for each area, prove you are over 80% on questions you have not seen.

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

How do I read my CCMA practice result?

You get the percent you got right, a practice band (Early practice, Building 60%+, Close 70%+, Practice target 80%+ or Strong 90%+), and a score for each area. These are our labels on our questions, never a scaled NHA score.

NHA reports a scaled score, and 390 passes. It does not publish how many correct answers that takes, so no honest practice test can turn a percent into a scaled score. We use 80% as the target because it leaves a margin for the difference between our questions and the real ones.

Then look at the areas. A total of 80% with phlebotomy at 58% is a warning: phlebotomy and EKG are small areas, but they are also the skills employers check first. Your result page names the weakest area and starts your plan there.

The safest sign you are ready is clearing 80% on two different mocks, on questions you have not seen.

Do CCMA practice tests help you pass?

Yes, when every miss sends you to the fact behind it. Memorizing practice answers does not work, because the real exam asks the same facts in new scenarios.

Most candidates who fall short know the job in general but lose points on exact facts: the order of draw, which illness needs airborne precautions, where V4 goes, which blood pressure is stage 1, whether a task is within a medical assistant's scope. A practice test finds those gaps in two and a half hours, and every answer here names the rule behind it.

Failing costs time as well as the fee. NHA asks you to wait 30 days between early attempts, and many employers make an offer conditional on certification. The step-by-step plan is in how to pass the CCMA.

If you are weighing other health exams, our CNA practice test, NREMT practice test, HESI A2 practice test, TEAS practice test and PTCB practice test work the same way.

Frequently asked questions

Is this the real NHA CCMA exam?

No. It is a CCMA-style practice test with original questions written from the NHA test plan's content areas and clinical guidance. LifeScore is not affiliated with NHA.

How many questions are on the CCMA exam?

180, of which 150 are scored and 30 are unscored pretest questions. You have 3 hours.

What score do I need to pass the CCMA?

390 on a scale of 200 to 500. NHA does not publish a percent, so we suggest clearing 80% on our mocks before you book.

Why is your mock 150 questions and not 180?

Only 150 questions are scored. We keep the real pace, one minute a question, rather than add 30 questions that would not count.

Does this include EKG and phlebotomy?

Yes, in the test plan's proportions, and each has its own page with a free drill.

Do I have to pay?

The full practice test and the area drills are free with no sign-up. The Pass Pack, with seven more mocks, 28 drills and every answer explained, is a one-time payment.

Walk into the CCMA exam already over 80%

Eight full CCMA-style mocks of 150 questions, four drills for each area and every answer explained, in one payment with no subscription.