Updated Content Outline for the CMA (AAMA) ® Certification Exam
When are you—or your medical assisting students—taking the CMA (AAMA) ® Certification Exam?

Students, graduates, first-time exam-takers, and CMA (AAMA) ® recertificants: Make sure you are charting a course for success by using the right study materials for your exam date!

Educators and program directors: Keep lesson plans up to date with the most relevant information!

The Content Outline for the CMA (AAMA)® Certification Exam acts as a guidebook for tracking the topics exam candidates should study to prepare for the CMA (AAMA) ® Certification Exam. To ensure the continued currency and unsurpassed quality of the exam and the CMA (AAMA) credential, the Certifying Board of the AAMA has revised the Content Outline to reflect the findings noted in the AAMA 2018–2019 Occupational Analysis of Medical Assistants.

What’s new?

The topics outlined in the Content Outline represent the latest information on the knowledge and skills required of medical assistants by employers, delegating professionals, and supervisors of medical assistants.

Notably, the percentage of clinical competency questions has increased from the previous Content Outline (47% to 59%), while the percentages of general (28% to 21%) and administrative (25% to 20%) questions have slightly decreased.
Content Outline for the CMA (AAMA) ® Certification Exam
(effective through 7/14/21)
Content Outline for the CMA (AAMA) ® Certification Exam
(effective on and after 7/15/21)
What Content Outline should you use?

Stay on track. Let the intended or scheduled exam date be your guide in determining which Content Outline will shape the exam:

Taking the exam before July 15, 2021:
Continue using the previously published Content Outline to prepare for the exam:

Taking the exam on or after July 15, 2021:
Use the updated Content Outline:

Quick Tip: When selecting a Content Outline to study for the exam, look for a teal button on the front page of the document, which appears only on the Content Outline that represents exams on and after July 15, 2021, to know which version you have.

More questions?