CCMA Exam Structure: 150 Scored Questions, 3 Hours & What\u2019s on the Test

The Exam at a Glance

Note: verify the exact numbers in the current official NHA CCMA candidate handbook for your exam window — NHA occasionally updates formats and fees.

Scored vs. Pretest Questions

Of the 180 questions you will answer, only 150 count toward your score. The other 30 are unscored pretest questions that NHA uses to validate new items for future exams. You will not know which questions are pretest — they are distributed randomly through the exam — so treat every question as scored. There is no penalty for guessing, so never leave a question blank.

The 13 Blueprint Chapters

The official NHA CCMA blueprint organizes the exam content into 13 chapters:

1. Foundational Knowledge and Basic Science — medical terminology, abbreviations, and basic science concepts.
2. Anatomy and Physiology — body systems, organs, and their functions.
3. Patient Intake and Vitals — patient interviews, vital signs, and intake documentation.
4. General Patient Care Part 1 — medication administration, injections, and basic patient care.
5. General Patient Care Part 2 — wound care, specimen collection, and advanced patient care.
6. Infection Control and Safety — OSHA bloodborne pathogens, CDC standard precautions, hand hygiene, and PPE.
7. Point of Care Testing and Laboratory Procedures — CLIA-waived tests, specimen handling, and lab safety.
8. Phlebotomy — venipuncture, order of draw, tube types and additives, and complications.
9. EKG and Cardiovascular Testing — 12-lead EKG, lead placement, and cardiac monitoring.
10. Patient Care Coordination and Education — patient teaching, referrals, and care coordination.
11. Administrative Assisting — scheduling, medical billing, insurance, and office procedures.
12. Communication and Customer Service — therapeutic communication, cultural competence, and professionalism.
13. Medical Law and Ethics — HIPAA, informed consent, scope of practice, and legal responsibilities.

Clinical Content You Will See Again and Again

Across the blueprint, these clinical topics appear disproportionately often:

• Vital signs — normal ranges for blood pressure, pulse, respirations, and temperature, plus how to measure them correctly.
• Order of draw — blood cultures first, then light blue, red/SST, green, lavender, and gray tubes, and which additive each contains.
• Five rights of medication administration — right patient, right medication, right dose, right route, right time.
• Injection sites and angles — intradermal (15°), subcutaneous (45°), and intramuscular (90°), with the correct sites for each.
• HIPAA scenarios — what you may and may not disclose, and to whom.
• Standard precautions — treating all blood and body fluids as potentially infectious, per CDC guidance.
• EKG lead placement — the precordial leads (V1–V6) and limb leads.

How to Pace the 3 Hours

With 150 scored questions in 180 minutes, you have about 1.2 minutes per question — comfortably more than the 1 minute per question many candidates fear. Use this rhythm:

• First pass: answer everything you know, flag the rest.
• Second pass: return to flagged questions, eliminating wrong answers first.
• Never leave blanks: there is no guessing penalty.

Read our CCMA study techniques to build that pacing skill before exam day.

Ready to practice? Try free CCMA practice questions in the real exam format.