Medical Assistant Certification
Certification is defined as a formal process of making certain that an individual is qualified in terms of particular knowledge or skill sets. Certification programs are often fostered or supervised by some certifying agency, such as a professional association.
Hunter Business School works with the organizations listed below which offer certification in medical assisting.
Graduates of Hunter Business School’s Medical Assistant program are eligible to sit for any of the following exams offered by these nationally recognized organizations. On average, certified medical assistants may command a higher starting salary than those who are not certified.
NCCT
National Center for Competency Testing
Website
National Center for Competency Testing
Credential received
NCMA (National Certified Medical Assistant)
Eligibility
High school diploma, Test Assessing Secondary Completion (TASC™), or General Educational Diploma (GED®) and graduate of Hunter Business School
Cost
Within six months of graduation, the student fee is $90. Otherwise, the cost is $135. These are determined and subject to change by the NCCT.
Limits
Medical Assisting candidates must take the test within five years of graduating an approved medical assistant program. They will have four opportunities to take a single exam. The waiting times are as follows: After a failed first attempt, the candidate must wait 30 days before retesting. After a failed second attempt, he/she must wait 90 days. And upon failing for a third time, the period is one year. These rules are determined and subject to change by the NCCT.
Exam Questions
150 scored questions
CEUs
To maintain certification, an individual must clock 14 continuing education hours per year.
Test Location
Hunter Business School with three hours to complete the test
Other tests
NCCT also offers tests for phlebotomy and EKG, but the NCMA certification already covers these.
AAMA
American Association of Medical Assistants
Website
American Association of Medical Assistants
Credential received
CMA (Certified Medical Assistant)
Eligibility
High school diploma, Test Assessing Secondary Completion (TASC™), or General Educational Diploma (GED®) and graduate of Hunter Business School
Cost
Within 12 months of graduation, the medical assisting student fee is $125. Otherwise, the cost is $250. These are determined and subject to change by the AMA.
Limits
Medical assisting candidates can take the test at any time but will be given only three lifetime attempts to pass. These rules are determined and subject to change by the AMA.
Exam Questions
180 scored questions
CEUs
To maintain certification, an individual must attain 60 continuing education units every five years—10 administrative, 10 clinical, 10 general, and 30 more from a combination of these.
Test Location
Prometric test site with two hours forty minutes to complete the test
Other tests
AMT
American Medical Technologists
Website
American Medical Technologists
Credential received
RMA (Registered Medical Assistant)
Eligibility
High school diploma, Test Assessing Secondary Completion (TASC™), or General Educational Diploma (GED®) and graduate of Hunter Business School
Cost
$120 subject to change by the AMT
Limits
Candidates must take the test within four years of graduating an approved medical assistant program. Otherwise, they must provide evidence of relevant work experience for three of the last five years. An applicant may take the exam up to four times, with a retake no sooner than three months from the first attempt and no later than two years after the date of the original application.. These rules are determined and subject to change by the AMT.
Exam Questions
200-210 scored questions
CEUs
To maintain certification, an individual must attain 45 continuing education units every three years
Test Location
Pearson Vue test site with two to three hours to complete the test
Other tests
AMT also offers a test for phlebotomy, but the RMA certification already covers this.