CMA (AAMA) Certification Examination study plan

Decode 150 common medical word roots, prefixes, and suffixes, and use them to define unfamiliar terms without a dictionary.

Label the major structures and primary functions of the integumentary, skeletal, muscular, and nervous systems from memory.

Explain the chain of infection and apply standard precautions to five ambulatory-care scenarios.

Identify the body planes, cavities, and directional terms used in chart documentation.

Summarize the four elements required to prove medical negligence and give one concrete example of each.

Distinguish medical assistant scope of practice from provider scope in five clinical and administrative scenarios.

Demonstrate three verbal de-escalation techniques for an anxious, angry, or grieving patient.

Match key federal requirements (HIPAA privacy, OSHA bloodborne pathogens, CLIA waived testing) to the duties each creates in the office.

Describe the stages of human development and how they change communication with pediatric and geriatric patients.

Sequence patient registration, appointment scheduling, and check-in/check-out steps for both paper and electronic workflows.

Apply release-of-information and record-retention rules to six record-handling scenarios, including minors and subpoenas.

Draft a professional business letter and a telephone triage message that meet documentation standards.

Organize a filing and recall system, and demonstrate how to correct an error in a paper chart and in an EHR.

Trace a claim from encounter documentation through coding, submission, and payment posting.

Distinguish copay, coinsurance, deductible, allowed amount, and write-off using a worked patient balance example.

Outline the collection process in order, staying within legal and ethical limits at each step.

Balance a sample daysheet by reconciling charges, payments, adjustments, and petty cash.

Identify inventory control and supply-ordering steps, including handling of expired or recalled items.

Perform and document a full vital sign set, including orthostatic blood pressure with correct cuff selection and sizing.

Differentiate medical asepsis from surgical asepsis, and sequence the sanitizing and sterilizing steps for instruments.

Set up and assist with a general physical, pelvic, proctologic, and minor surgical exam.

Prepare a patient for an exam by explaining the procedure, positioning correctly, and draping appropriately.

Calculate adult and pediatric dosages using ratio, proportion, and weight-based methods.

Compare the rights of medication administration and select the correct site, needle, and angle for each parenteral route.

Sequence capillary and venipuncture collection steps, including order of draw and handling of a needlestick exposure.

Identify 12-lead EKG lead placement and distinguish common artifacts from true dysrhythmias.

Interpret a urinalysis reagent strip and describe proper handling of a microbiology specimen.

Rank your three weakest subtopics from prior practice scores and remediate each with targeted review.

Complete two mixed 100-question timed sets under 90-minute conditions.

Convert every missed item into a one-line rule card and re-test those items after 48 hours.

Rehearse waived-testing and quality-control concepts, which are frequently tested across domains.

Complete two full-length timed practice exams under exam-day conditions, including breaks and no references.

Map every missed question back to a domain and subtopic to confirm no weak area remains untested.

Recheck the highest-frequency recall items: normal vital ranges, order of draw, sterilization steps, and legal definitions.

Finalize logistics: test-day schedule, approved identification, and a rest plan for the 48 hours before the exam.