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Medical Assisting Certifications 2026: CCMA, CMAA & RMA Guide

A career as a certified medical assistant offers stability, variety, and genuine impact on patient care. In this role, you’d create a welcoming atmosphere for patients, take vital signs, handle scheduling, manage billing, and keep medical records current. The BLS projects employment of medical assistants to grow 12% from 2024 to 2034, much faster than the average for all occupations, with approximately 112,300 openings projected each year over the decade.1

If you’re ready to enter this growing field, here’s everything you need to know about earning your medical assisting certification.

What Are the Medical Assisting Certification Options?

The first step is choosing the right certification for your goals. There are three main credentials to consider: CCMA, CMAA, and RMA.

CCMA: Certified Clinical Medical Assistant

The CCMA certification, issued through the National Healthcareer Association (NHA), validates your clinical competencies. As a CCMA, you can administer medications, assist physicians and nurses during patient exams, draw blood samples, take and record vital signs, and perform other hands-on patient care tasks.

CMAA: Certified Medical Administrative Assistant

Despite the similar-sounding name, the CMAA is a distinct credential focused on the administrative side of healthcare. As a CMAA, you’d handle receptionist duties like answering phones, managing patient messages, and directing calls. You’d also process insurance payments, manage patient charts and medical records, schedule and confirm appointments, and check patients in and out.

RMA: Registered Medical Assistant

The RMA, offered through American Medical Technologists, combines both administrative and clinical responsibilities into a single certification. On the administrative side, RMAs work with medical software, manage insurance forms and electronic health records, handle billing and coding, and do bookkeeping and patient correspondence. Clinically, RMAs administer medications, collect blood samples, track vital signs, assist with exams, perform electrocardiograms, and conduct basic lab tests.

CCMA vs. CMAA vs. RMA: Quick Comparison

CCMACMAARMA
Full nameCertified Clinical Medical AssistantCertified Medical Administrative AssistantRegistered Medical Assistant
Certifying bodyNHANHAAMT
FocusClinical/patient careAdministrativeBoth
Exam pass rate81.38% (2024)63% (2024)Varies
Exam length3 hours2 hrs 15 min2 hours
Exam questions180 (150 scored + 30 unscored)135 (110 scored + 25 unscored)210

How to Get a Medical Assisting Certification: Step-by-Step

Step 1: Earn Your High School Diploma or GED

A high school diploma or GED is the minimum educational requirement to begin the certification process.

Step 2: Complete an Accredited Medical Assistant Program

After high school, you must have relevant work experience or enroll in an accredited medical assisting program. Program requirements vary, some require in-person externship hours at a medical facility, while others allow you to complete your externship virtually. Programs can range from a few months to two years depending on the credential and school.

Bryan University offers a Clinical Medical Assistant Undergraduate Certificate, which can be completed in as little as 10 months, and an Associate Degree in Administrative Medical Assisting which students can enroll in at the same time. This allows students to get to work sooner with their certificate while completing their associate degree.

Step 3: Obtain CPR Certification

Most medical assisting certifications require you to hold a current CPR certification. Many accredited programs will help prepare you for and schedule your CPR exam.

Step 4: Apply and Sit for Your Certification Exam

Once you’ve completed your training and CPR certification, you can register through the NHA or the relevant certifying body, pay your exam fee, and schedule your test. Exams can typically be taken in person at a testing center or remotely with live online proctoring.

At BU, our certificate program prepares you for the NHA’s CCMA exam and includes the cost of one exam attempt in tuition. Our associate degree prepares you for the NHA’s CMAA exam and also includes the cost of one exam attempt in tuition.

Is the Certified Medical Assisting Exam Hard?

Exam difficulty varies by credential. According to 2024 NHA pass rate data, the CCMA exam had a passing rate of 81% across 78,681 examinations administered. The CMAA exam is more challenging, with a 2024 pass rate of about 63%.

Below are all of the pass rates for NHA exams from 2024.

Examination Name# of Exams Administered% Passing# of Active Certifications
Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA)78,68181.38%233,190
Certified Phlebotomy Technician (CPT)57,45775.96%133,234
Certified EKG Technician (CET)19,24169.66%35,193
Certified Electronic Health Record Specialist (CEHRS)1,83468.81%4,131
Certified Patient Care Technician/Assistant (CPCT/A)17,81673.31%30,974
Certified Medical Administrative Assistant (CMAA)9,39062.68%17,616
Certified Billing and Coding Specialist (CBCS)6,90573.82%16,700
Examination for Certified Pharmacy Technician (ExCPT)16,51962.22%44,599

Source: NHA 2024 Annual Pass Rates

The good news is that by the time you sit for the exam, you’ll have completed an educational program specifically designed to prepare you for it! NHA study guides, practice tests, and flashcard apps are widely available for extra study material.

If you don’t pass on the first attempt, you can retake the exam, though a $165 fee applies for each attempt.

How Much Do Certified Medical Assistants Earn?

According to the BLS, the median annual wage for medical assistants is approximately $44,000¹, though actual earnings vary based on certification type, specialty, geographic location, and years of experience. CCMAs working in clinical specialties like cardiology or ophthalmology and those in high cost-of-living metro areas typically earn toward the higher end of the range. Earning a certification rather than entering the field without one also tends to correlate with higher starting salaries and faster advancement.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take to become a certified medical assistant?

The timeline depends on your path. After high school, a medical assisting program can take anywhere from a few months to two years. All in, becoming a CCMA can take between one month and two years depending on whether you have prior work experience, what type of training program you attend, and how long you need to study for the exam.

Do I need experience to take the CCMA exam?

Not necessarily. You can become eligible for the NHA CCMA exam by completing an accredited medical assistant training program within the last five years, or by having one year of supervised work experience in a medical assisting field within the last three years, or two years within the last five years.

Is medical assisting a good career in 2026?

Yes. With 112,300 projected job openings per year through 2034 and a growth rate of 12%, well above the national average of 3%, medical assisting remains one of the more stable and accessible entry points into healthcare. Demand is driven largely by an aging population requiring more preventive and routine care.

Is certification worth it?

Strongly yes. According to NHA data, 96% of employers require or encourage certification for medical assistants2. Certified candidates are more competitive in hiring, often receive higher starting pay, and may be eligible for expanded responsibilities such as entering orders into electronic health records.

What score do I need to pass the CCMA exam?

The CCMA uses a scaled scoring system ranging from 200 to 500. The passing scaled score is 390 or higher, which equates to roughly 78%.

Can I retake the exam if I fail?

Yes. The NHA allows candidates to retake certification exams, though a retake fee applies each time. Check the current NHA Candidate Handbook for the most up-to-date retake policy and waiting period requirements.

What is the difference between a CCMA and a CMA?

The CCMA is issued by the NHA, while the CMA (Certified Medical Assistant) is issued by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA) and requires graduation from a CAAHEP- or ABHES-accredited program. Both are nationally recognized, but some employers or states may prefer one over the other. Research the requirements in your target job market before choosing.

  1. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics online at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/medical-assistants.htm. Note that job market conditions are dynamic and can change. This data is not intended to predict the market conditions that will be present when you graduate from your program and may differ based on our geographic location and other factors. ↩︎
  2. National Healthcareer Association, Your path to medical assistant certification, at https://www.nhanow.com/certification/nha-certifications/certified-clinical-medical-assistant-(ccma). ↩︎

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