Exam fact
How long is the CCMA exam?
You get 3 hours for the CCMA exam's 180 questions, which works out to about one minute per question.
- exam time
- 3 h
- questions
- 180
- per question
- ~1 min
How long is the CCMA exam?
3 hours for 180 questions
The NHA test plan lists Exam Time: 3 hours
for the 180 items (150 scored, 30 unscored pretest). Divide it out and you have 60 questions an hour, roughly one a minute.
Source: NHA CCMA Test Plan (2022 job analysis) · https://www.nhanow.com/docs/default-source/test-plans/nha_ccma_test_plan_2022.pdf · as of 2026-10-05
§01
What one minute a question feels like
The minute is an average across the exam. Some items take ten seconds.
A recall item, such as which tube carries EDTA, takes ten seconds. A scenario about blood pressure staging or a dosage calculation can take two minutes. The quick ones pay for the slow ones, so you don't need to hit 60 seconds on every screen.
Time usually leaks away on a single stuck question. Read it once more, choose the answer you can best defend and move on: five minutes spent on one item is time taken from four others.
§02
Checkpoints for the 3 hours
Glance at the clock three times, not thirty.
0:00
Question 1
Start at the top and work in order.
1:00
Around question 60
Past 50 means you're on pace. Under 45, you're lingering on single items; pick your best answer and keep moving.
2:00
Around question 120
Two-thirds through. Focus tends to dip here, so keep the same routine for each stem.
2:40
Last question reached
A good target: all 180 seen with about 20 minutes in hand.
3:00
Time is up
The exam ends at the 3-hour mark set in the test plan.
§03
What you may use during the exam
Know the tools before the day. It saves minutes.
- Calculator: the built-in exam calculator only. Personal calculators are not allowed.
- Scratch space at a PSI center: a whiteboard, marker and eraser.
- Scratch space online: a digital whiteboard during live remote proctoring.
- Dosage math: practice with an on-screen calculator so the built-in one doesn't slow you down.
§04
Clock, calculator and scratch work
How many minutes per question on the CCMA?
About one: 3 hours divided by 180 questions. Recall items go faster, scenario items slower.
Do the pretest questions add time?
They're already part of the 180 and the 3 hours. You can't tell them apart, so give them the same attention. More on how the 180 are split.
Is the time limit different online?
The test plan lists 3 hours for the exam and does not set a separate limit for remote proctoring.
Can I bring my own calculator?
No. The handbook allows only the calculator built into the exam.
§05
Sources
- NHA CCMA Test Plan (2022 job analysis) — Exam Time: 3 hours; 180 items https://www.nhanow.com/docs/default-source/test-plans/nha_ccma_test_plan_2022.pdf · as of 2026-10-05
- NHA Candidate Handbook, updated 06/01/2026 — built-in calculator, whiteboard and digital whiteboard rules https://www.nhanow.com/docs/default-source/test-plans/candidate_handbook.pdf · as of 2026-10-05
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