Timed mock exam
Timed CCMA mock exam
Sit this timed CCMA mock exam at the real pace of about one minute per question; the clock runs from the first item and the score, with every explanation, waits until you finish.
- per question, the real pace
- 1 min
- for the real 180 items
- 3 h
- score and explanations
- At the end
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Before you press start
Five minutes of set-up makes the score worth reading.
Pick the right week
Sit it in your last week of study, at least 3–4 days before the exam, so there's time to rework the misses without cramming.
Block out the full time
The timer keeps going if you switch tabs. Silence your phone and close your notes; the real exam allows no outside material.
Copy the exam-day tools
At a PSI center you get a whiteboard and marker; with live remote proctoring, a digital whiteboard. The only calculator is the one built into the exam. Use one sheet of paper and a basic calculator, nothing else.
Answer every question
Feedback comes only at the end. When you're unsure, pick your best option and move on; the number grid lets you jump back before you finish.
Score, then read
Finish & score shows every question with its explanation. Read the misses first, then the ones you got right by guessing.
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The timed run
No answers until you finish. The clock keeps running if you leave the tab.
- Questions
- 55
- Time
- 55 min
- Categories
- 12
- Feedback
- At the end
How it runs
- One question at a time; the clock starts at 55:00 and keeps running.
- Jump to any number in the grid, change answers until you finish.
- Finish early or let the clock run out: you get a score by category and every explanation.
The mix
- General Patient Care10
- Foundational Knowledge and Basic Science6
- Infection Control and Safety6
- Patient Intake and Vitals5
- Phlebotomy5
- Administrative Assisting4
- Communication and Customer Service4
- Patient Care Coordination and Education4
- Anatomy and Physiology3
- Medical Law and Ethics3
- Point of Care Testing and Laboratory Procedures3
- EKG and Cardiovascular Testing2
55:00
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This mock next to the real exam
Same pace, shorter, scored another way.
| This mock | NHA CCMA exam | |
|---|---|---|
| Questions | 55 | 180 (150 scored + 30 pretest) |
| Time | 55 minutes | 3 hours |
| Pace | About 1 minute per question | About 1 minute per question |
| Content | All 12 test-plan areas | 7 domains, Clinical Patient Care split into 6 subdomains |
| Score | Number correct out of 55 | Scaled 200–500; 390 passes |
| Feedback | An explanation for every question | Pass/fail plus a band per domain: Above, Near or Below the passing standard |
| Calculator | Any basic calculator | Built-in exam calculator only |
Data as of 2026-10-05. Source: NHA CCMA Test Plan (2022 job analysis) and NHA Candidate Handbook (updated 06/01/2026).
Highlighted rows are where the two differ.
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Reading the result
Compare it with your untimed score first.
Put the score next to your result on the untimed practice test. A drop under the clock is usually about reading speed, and that's the part this run is meant to show.
Then look at time. If you finished with more than 10 minutes left, you were probably reading too fast, so reread your misses for words like NOT, FIRST and BEST. If the clock ran out, the issue is pace: at one minute per question, 180 items take the full 3 hours, so the habit to build is moving on after one honest attempt.
Sort the misses by area and open those pages in the study guide, or slot them into the last week of the study plan. The questions here stay the same, so a second sitting mostly measures memory.
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The opening questions, printed
Read them without starting the clock. Answers sit under each one.
A returning patient's chart shows a medication list last updated a year ago. What should the MA do during intake?
- AKeep the list, since the provider approved it last year
- BHave the patient update it at checkout
- CAsk only about new prescription drugs
- DReview each drug with the patient, including OTCs
Answer & explanation
Answer: D. Review each drug with the patient, including OTCs
The medication list is reconciled at every visit, including OTC drugs, vitamins, and supplements, because any of them can interact with new treatment. Relying on an old list, even one the provider approved, misses stopped or changed drugs. Asking only about new prescriptions skips OTC drugs, and updating at checkout is too late for the provider's decisions.
- A year-old approval does not reflect drugs stopped, started, or changed since then.
- Checkout is too late; the provider needs the current list before making today's decisions.
- Asking only about new prescriptions misses OTC drugs, supplements, and changes to old prescriptions.
- Correct: reviewing every drug, including OTCs and supplements, reconciles the list at each visit.
Pharmacokinetics describes which aspect of a drug?
- AHow much it costs to manufacture
- BHow the body absorbs and eliminates it
- CHow it binds to and activates its receptor site
- DHow it is packaged and labeled
Answer & explanation
Answer: B. How the body absorbs and eliminates it
Pharmacokinetics covers absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (what the body does to the drug). How a drug binds and acts at its receptor is pharmacodynamics.
- Manufacturing cost is an economic question, not part of how a drug behaves in the body.
- Correct: pharmacokinetics is what the body does to the drug: absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion.
- Receptor binding and activation describe pharmacodynamics, what the drug does to the body.
- Packaging and labeling are regulatory matters, not part of pharmacology.
A patient with a latex allergy needs a venipuncture. Which gloves should the medical assistant wear?
- ALatex gloves over cotton liners
- BLatex gloves with barrier cream
- CPowder-free latex gloves
- DNitrile gloves
Answer & explanation
Answer: D. Nitrile gloves
A latex-allergic patient must not touch any latex, so nitrile or other synthetic gloves and latex-free supplies are used. Powder-free latex gloves still contain latex proteins; removing powder lowers airborne exposure but does not make them safe for this patient. Liners and barrier creams protect the wearer's hands, not the patient's skin.
- Cotton liners protect the wearer's hands; the latex outer surface still touches the patient.
- Barrier cream protects the wearer's skin, not the patient's, and latex still contacts the patient.
- Removing powder lowers airborne exposure, but the gloves still contain latex proteins.
- Correct: nitrile is a synthetic, latex-free material, so it is safe for a latex-allergic patient.
At what oral temperature is an adult considered febrile?
- A98.6°F (37.0°C) or higher
- B100.4°F (38°C) or higher
- C99.1°F (37.3°C) or higher
- D97.8°F (36.5°C) or higher
Answer & explanation
Answer: B. 100.4°F (38°C) or higher
An oral temperature of 100.4°F (38°C) or higher meets the standard definition of fever. 99.1°F is the upper end of the normal oral range, not a fever, so it is incorrect.
- 98.6°F is the average normal oral temperature, not the threshold for fever.
- Correct: 100.4°F (38°C) or higher is the standard definition of fever in an adult.
- 99.1°F is the upper end of the normal oral range, so it is not yet a fever.
- 97.8°F is the lower end of the normal oral range, nowhere near a fever.
Which is a contraindication for venipuncture at a given site?
- AThe patient being right-handed for that arm
- BThe patient being older than sixty-five years
- CRecent antiseptic being used on that same site
- DAn IV line running in that same extremity
Answer & explanation
Answer: D. An IV line running in that same extremity
Drawing above or near an IV dilutes the sample with infused fluid, so the opposite arm is used. Age, handedness, or antiseptic use are not contraindications.
- Handedness is not a contraindication, though some patients may prefer you use the other arm.
- Age alone does not rule out a site; older adults may need gentler technique, not a different arm.
- Cleaning with antiseptic is a required step, as long as it dries before the puncture.
- Correct: drawing above an IV dilutes the sample with infused fluid, so use the other arm.
At what reading level should most patient education materials be written?
- AFirst-to-second-grade level
- BSixth-to-eighth-grade level
- CTwelfth-grade reading level
- DCollege graduate reading level
Answer & explanation
Answer: B. Sixth-to-eighth-grade level
Patient education materials should generally be written at a sixth-to-eighth-grade level (or lower) so most patients can understand them. High school, college, and very early elementary levels are either too advanced or impractically simple.
- First-to-second-grade material is so simplified that it can omit needed details and feel patronizing.
- Correct: sixth-to-eighth-grade level fits most adults, including those with limited health literacy.
- Twelfth-grade text is too complex for a large share of patients, even educated ones under stress.
- College-level language shuts out most readers and defeats the purpose of patient education.
What primarily determines how long a medical office must keep an adult patient's medical record?
- AOSHA recordkeeping standards
- BState law and regulations
- CThe patient's insurance contract
- DThe HIPAA Privacy Rule
Answer & explanation
Answer: B. State law and regulations
Record retention periods are set by state law (commonly around 7 years for adults, longer for minors). HIPAA's 6-year rule applies to compliance documents such as policies, not to the medical record itself, which makes it the tempting wrong answer. Insurance contracts can set audit periods but do not set the legal retention period, and OSHA rules cover employee exposure records.
- OSHA rules cover employee exposure and medical records, not how long patient charts are kept.
- Correct: state law sets retention periods, commonly about seven years for adults and longer for minors.
- Insurance contracts may set audit windows, but they do not set the legal retention period.
- HIPAA's six-year rule covers compliance documents like policies, not the medical record itself.
You notice a colleague giving a patient incorrect information. What is the best approach?
- AAddress it privately and ensure the patient is corrected
- BLeave it alone; monitoring others isn't your job
- CImmediately correct your colleague in front of the patient
- DReport them to a supervisor before speaking with them
Answer & explanation
Answer: A. Address it privately and ensure the patient is corrected
Handling it privately preserves the colleague's dignity while making sure the patient gets accurate information. Correcting them publicly is unprofessional.
- Correct: speaking privately protects the colleague's dignity, and making sure the patient is corrected protects the patient.
- Patient safety is everyone's job; leaving incorrect information uncorrected can lead to harm.
- A public correction embarrasses the colleague and can shake the patient's trust in the whole team.
- Going straight to a supervisor skips a direct conversation and leaves the patient misinformed in the meantime.
Infectious mononucleosis is caused mainly by which virus?
- ACytomegalovirus
- BEpstein-Barr virus
- CHuman papillomavirus
- DVaricella-zoster virus
Answer & explanation
Answer: B. Epstein-Barr virus
Most infectious mononucleosis is caused by the Epstein-Barr virus, spread through saliva and marked by fever, sore throat, fatigue, and swollen lymph nodes. Cytomegalovirus is tempting because it can cause a mono-like illness, but it accounts for only a small share of cases. Varicella-zoster causes chickenpox and shingles, and HPV causes warts and cervical cancer.
- Cytomegalovirus can cause a mono-like illness, but it accounts for only a small share of cases.
- Correct: Epstein-Barr virus causes most mononucleosis, spread through saliva, with fever, sore throat, and fatigue.
- HPV causes warts and cervical cancer, not mononucleosis.
- Varicella-zoster causes chickenpox and later shingles, a separate illness entirely.
Which information must appear on a laboratory specimen label?
- AName, DOB, collection date/time, and initials
- BThe patient's home address and insurance plan
- COnly the patient's medical record number alone
- DJust the patient name and the test being performed
Answer & explanation
Answer: A. Name, DOB, collection date/time, and initials
Correct identification requires the patient's name and DOB plus the collection date/time and collector's initials. A record number or name alone does not meet labeling requirements.
- Correct: two patient identifiers plus collection date, time, and collector's initials make the specimen traceable.
- Address and insurance are billing details; they do not belong on the specimen label.
- A record number alone is a single identifier; specimens need at least two.
- Name and test omit the second identifier and the collection details the lab relies on.
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Mock exam questions
Why is the mock shorter than the real exam?
A full sitting takes 3 hours. A shorter set at the same pace is long enough to feel the clock and fits into an evening, and none of its questions repeats the practice test.
How is the real exam scored?
On a scale from 200 to 500, with 390 to pass. Because it's scaled across exam forms, there is no fixed number of questions you can miss. Passing score explains how the cut score is set.
Is the mock exam free?
Yes, with no account. Your answers stay in the browser tab and are gone when you reload.
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