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FAQs on CMA (AAMA) Certification
For your convenience, here are answers to frequently asked questions regarding certification. If you do not see the answer to your question below, please contact us at info@aama-ntl.org.
Q. When can I take the CMA (AAMA) Certification Exam, and when do I have to apply?
A. The CMA (AAMA) Certification/Recertification Examination is currently offered three times a year in January, June, and October through 2008. Eligible candidates can take it either on the last Friday in January, the last Saturday in June, or the fourth Friday in October. This is a pencil and paper examination.
The application deadline for the January exam is October 1 of the preceding year.
The application deadline for the June exam is March 1 of the same year.
The application deadline for the October exam is July 1 of the same year.
The October 24, 2008 examination will be the last pencil and paper examination to be administered.
Beginning in January 2009, the CMA (AAMA) Certification/Recertification Examination will be computer-based. A pencil and paper examination will no longer be offered. The deadline to apply for the January 2009 examination is August 1, 2008.
Q: What are the requirements for taking the CMA (AAMA) Certification Exam, what documentation do I have to provide with the application, and what is the application fee?
A. To qualify for the exam, you must belong to one of two enrollment categories as seen below. Required documentation depends on the category.
Members of the AAMA and CAAHEP and ABHES graduating students and recent graduates pay a $95 fee. All others pay $170.
Category 1: Graduating student or recent graduate of a CAAHEP or ABHES accredited medical assisting program.
a. Graduating students must have completed their formal training by the end of the month in which they take the exam, including an externship in a medical assisting program accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health (CAAHEP) or by the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES).
b. Recent graduates must take the exam within 12 months of graduation to qualify for the discounted fee.
Required documentation:
a.Graduating students must furnish their transcript-to-date bearing the institution's seal or registrar's signature. The candidate's medical assisting program director must sign the application.
b. Recent graduates must furnish their official transcript and verification of their graduation date.
Category 2: Nonrecent graduate of a CAAHEP or ABHES accredited medical assisting program.
Candidates must verify graduation from a medical assisting program accredited by CAAHEP or ABHES.
Required documentation: Candidates must furnish their official transcript and verification of their graduation date.
Q. Where do I mail the CMA (AAMA) Certification Exam application?
A. Mail all application materials to:
AAMA Certification
Dept. 77-7999
Chicago, IL 60678-7999
Make sure to use all 9 digits of the zip code.
Q. When will I find out whether or not my application for the CMA (AAMA) Certification Exam has been accepted?
A. The AAMA will inform you of your application status within
75 days after the application postmark deadline. You also can inquire about
your enrollment status via e-mail. Make
sure to include the following information in your e-mail:
- Your name
- Your graduation date
- Your accreditation code
OR
Your school name, school city and school state.
Q. For what reasons could my CMA (AAMA) Certification Exam application be denied?
A. The following are grounds for denial of eligibility for the CMA (AAMA) credential, or for discipline of a Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) who has achieved certification through the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA):
- Obtaining or attempting to obtain certification or recertification of the CMA (AAMA) credential by fraud or deception.
- Knowingly assisting another to obtain or attempt to obtain certification or recertification by fraud or deception.
- Misstatement of material fact or failure to make a statement of material fact in application for certification or recertification.
- Falsifying information required for admission to the CMA (AAMA) Examination, impersonating another examinee, or falsifying education or credentials.
- Copying answers, permitting another to copy answers, or providing or receiving unauthorized advice about examination content during the CMA (AAMA) Examination.
- Unauthorized possession or distribution of examination materials, including copying and reproducing examination questions and problems.
Generally, individuals who have been found guilty of a felony, or pleaded guilty to a felony, are not eligible to take the CMA (AAMA) Exam. However, the Certifying Board may grant a waiver based upon mitigating circumstances, which may include, but need not be limited to, the following:
- The age at which the crime was committed
- The circumstances surrounding the crime
- The nature of the crime committed
- The length of time since the conviction
- The individual's criminal history since the conviction
- The individual's current employment references
- The individual's character references
- Other evidence demonstrating the ability of the individual to perform the professional responsibilities competently, and evidence that the individual does not pose a threat to the health or safety of patients
If you wish to request that the Certifying Board permit you to take the test, submit written evidence with this application of mitigating circumstances, which—in your opinion—demonstrates that your felony conviction or plea should not prevent you from taking the CMA (AAMA) Certification Exam.
Q. Why does it take up to 12 weeks after the examination to receive my scores?
A. Because the scoring process is designed to meet the highest standards of reliability and validity,
it requires a comprehensive set of procedures. These procedures allow you to assure your employer and patients
that you have passed an exam of the highest caliber.
The CMA (AAMA) Certification/Recertification Examination is administered by the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME), the testing agency that also administers examinations for several physician specialties and other allied health groups, such as physician assistants.
Their trained psychometricians work with the AAMA Certifying Board to provide a valid exam that is reliable for measuring candidate knowledge.
The examination is based on a single score representing performance on the entire examination. However, the exam has three sections—General, Administrative, and Clinical. (Each of these three sections has 100 questions.)
- Once the examination has been administered, the completed examinations are mailed back
by each test center proctor under the strictest security to the NBME.
- Each answer sheet is computer scanned. The number of answer sheets to be scanned can vary from 2,500 to 5,500
depending on the time of year the exam is given—the June exam being the largest. Prior to this step, however,
more than 100 tests are hand scored to be certain that the computer is set to score the examinations correctly.
- After the initial scoring, the results are tabulated and analyzed. Responses to each question
are studied and any questions that seem to have presented difficulty for the majority of candidates to correctly interpret are eliminated.
- The graduation dates for all graduating students and recent graduates are verified
to ensure that these candidates completed all program requirements, including the externship,
by the last date of the month of the exam. This is a time-consuming process that requires a great deal of follow-through.
- Candidates who have not fulfilled all requirements are withdrawn from the pool of candidates who are eligible to receive examination scores.
- After this, results are again tabulated so that scores will be fairly and accurately set.
- Score reports are then prepared and mailed to all eligible candidates.
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