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Allied Health Certification · CMAA

NHA Certified Medical Administrative Assistant Certification Examination Practice Test

The NHA Certified Medical Administrative Assistant Certification Examination practice page focuses on front-office work in a medical practice. Its question bank samples patient communication, appointment scheduling, referral follow-up, billing inquiries, prescription-message routing, medical-record requests, and privacy-conscious handling of information. These tasks rely on accurate documentation, clear boundaries, and knowing when a request must be passed to clinical staff.

Exam overview

Exam providerNational Healthcareer Association
Exam codeCMAA
CategoryAllied Health Certification

About the NHA Certified Medical Administrative Assistant Certification Exami… Exam

Administrative decisions often involve more than completing a transaction: staff must verify the request, protect confidential information, and direct clinical questions to an appropriate clinician. Scheduling scenarios call for checking the daily schedule and handling discrepancies without promising an unconfirmed visit. Referral follow-up requires communicating what is known and tracking outstanding confirmation. Billing questions may require explaining administrative processes while avoiding interpretation of diagnosis codes. Other situations test appropriate routing of prescription changes and new symptoms, authorization and identity steps for record requests, and safeguards before using text or other communication channels. The practice bank also samples professional boundaries, such as keeping visitors out of staff-only areas and responding accurately to questions about clinician availability. Across these tasks, useful skills include concise documentation, respectful service, careful message triage, and recognizing when a request exceeds an administrative role.

Sample Practice Questions

Review a selection from this exam's published US Practice Tests practice bank.

Question 1

A patient asks the practice to send a bill to a new mailing address. What should the administrative assistant do?

  1. AConfirm and update the address using the practice’s process before routing future billing correspondence
  2. BWrite the new address on a sticky note and discard it after the call
  3. CSend the bill to both the old and new addresses without checking the record
  4. DAsk the patient to contact the clinician instead
Show answerCorrect answer: A

Billing correspondence depends on accurate contact information. The assistant should verify and update the appropriate record through established procedures so future statements are directed correctly.

Question 2

A patient asks the administrative assistant to explain what a diagnosis code on a billing statement means. What is the most appropriate response?

  1. AOffer a personal interpretation of the diagnosis
  2. BExplain that the code is used for billing or documentation and direct the patient to an appropriate clinician for medical meaning
  3. CChange the code to a simpler one at the patient’s request
  4. DTell the patient that diagnosis codes are never shared with patients
Show answerCorrect answer: B

An administrative assistant may explain the general administrative purpose of a code but should not interpret its medical significance. Questions about what a diagnosis means should be referred to an appropriate clinician.

Question 3

A caller asks whether a particular clinician is accepting new patients. Which response is most appropriate?

  1. APromise the caller an appointment before checking the schedule
  2. BCheck the practice’s current scheduling information or direct the caller to the appropriate staff member
  3. CProvide the clinician’s personal phone number
  4. DTell the caller to arrive without an appointment
Show answerCorrect answer: B

The assistant should use current, authorized practice information to answer scheduling inquiries and avoid making unsupported promises or disclosing personal contact details.

Question 4

A patient asks to have a prescription sent to a different pharmacy. What should the administrative assistant do?

  1. AChange the prescription destination in the chart without notifying anyone
  2. BRoute the request to the authorized clinical staff using office procedures
  3. CCall the new pharmacy and choose an equivalent medication
  4. DTell the patient to stop taking the medication until the next visit
Show answerCorrect answer: B

Prescription changes and related decisions must be handled by authorized clinical personnel. Administrative staff can document and route the request according to practice procedures.

Question 5

A patient arrives for a visit, but the appointment is not listed on the day’s schedule. What is the best administrative step?

  1. AAdd the patient to the schedule without checking with anyone
  2. BVerify the appointment details and consult the appropriate scheduling staff before changing the schedule
  3. CTell the patient the practice cannot see them
  4. DAsk the patient to wait until the end of the day
Show answerCorrect answer: B

Confirming the appointment details and checking with authorized scheduling staff helps resolve possible scheduling or system errors without making an unsupported change.

Question 6

A patient asks why a specialist referral has not yet been scheduled. The office has not received confirmation from the specialist. What is the best administrative response?

  1. AState that the specialist has definitely received the referral
  2. BCheck the referral status using the office’s process and explain what is known
  3. CTell the patient the referral is unnecessary
  4. DSchedule the patient directly with the specialist without authorization
Show answerCorrect answer: B

The assistant should verify available status information, communicate accurately without making assumptions, and follow office procedures for referral follow-up.

Question 7

A visitor asks to enter a staff-only area to speak with a clinician. What should the administrative assistant do?

  1. AAllow the visitor to enter if the area appears quiet
  2. BFollow the practice’s access-control procedure and contact the appropriate staff member
  3. CGive the visitor a staff badge to borrow
  4. DLeave the reception desk unattended while escorting the visitor through the clinic
Show answerCorrect answer: B

Access to staff-only areas should be controlled to protect patients, staff, and confidential information. The assistant should use the practice’s established process for contacting staff.

How to use this practice test

Access is free. The bank contains 50 published practice questions; each session presents up to 20 random questions, with results shown after the session. Use a session to identify which administrative situations need more attention, then revisit missed decisions by focusing on the underlying task—such as privacy, scheduling, or clinical-message routing.

Preparation tips

  • For patient requests involving new symptoms or prescription changes, practice routing the message to clinical staff rather than interpreting symptoms or altering treatment.
  • Work through scheduling and referral scenarios by separating confirmed information from pending details, then identify what should be documented and communicated.
  • Review how identity, authorization, and confidentiality affect requests for medical records, billing updates, and patient communications.
  • Practice responses to diagnosis-code questions that explain the administrative next step without interpreting the medical meaning of a diagnosis.
  • Compare communication methods such as text, portal, and phone, noting when preferences or privacy safeguards should be addressed before sending information.
Official sourceOfficial exam page ↗Official exam guide ↗