Written to NHA's CCMA test plan
- Foundational Knowledge and Basic Science 10%
- Anatomy and Physiology 5.3%
- Clinical Patient Care 56%
- Patient Care Coordination and Education 8%
- Administrative Assisting 8%
- Communication and Customer Service 8%
- Medical Law and Ethics 4.7%
Free · 2026 · 8% of the NHA CCMA CCMA Administrative Assisting practice questions
Administrative Assisting is 8% of the NHA CCMA. Answer 10 questions (6 on Administrative Assisting) and see your score by domain, with every answer explained. Free, no sign-up.
A medical assistant is posting insurance payments. The payer has sent the practice an electronic document that covers several patients' claims. For each claim it lists the billed amount, the allowed amount, the amount paid, contractual adjustments and reason codes. Which document is the medical assistant using?
Tap an answer, or press A to D
Scheduling, the medical record, insurance verification, coding and billing basics, office operations.
What the NHA CCMA exam tests in Administrative Assisting
- Scheduling and triaging appointment types and urgency (new patient, telehealth, annual wellness, specialty, sports/school physicals); visit length requirements; check-in and check-out
- Practice management and EHR systems; sections of the medical record; documents needing patient signature; chart review; managing paper and electronic records; mail and faxes; data entry
- Insurance: verifying eligibility and coverage; financial eligibility, sliding scales and indigent programs; insurance terms (copay, coinsurance, deductible, tiers, EOB, medical necessity); prior authorization and precertification; Advance Beneficiary Notice (ABN)
- Coding and billing: confirming diagnostic and procedural codes; CMS documentation and billing requirements; billing patients and third-party payers; charge entry, payment posting, adjustments and reconciliation; aging reports, collections and write-offs; appeals and denials; government programs (promoting interoperability/meaningful use, MACRA)
- Office operations: electronic referrals; supply inventory; equipment inspection logs; safety evaluations; activating patient portals; telehealth tech support
High-yield administrative assisting facts
- Triage on the phone: chest pain, trouble breathing, severe bleeding, stroke signs, loss of consciousness or anaphylaxis → call 911 or direct to the ED immediately. Urgent problems get same-day slots. Routine and wellness visits are scheduled ahead. Follow the provider's triage protocol.
- Visit types: new patients need longer slots plus intake paperwork. CPT 'new patient' = not seen by any provider of the same specialty in the same group within the past 3 years. Others include established, telehealth, specialty, and sports or school physicals (forms signed by the provider).
- Medicare preventive visits: the Initial Preventive Physical Exam ('Welcome to Medicare') is within the first 12 months of Part B. The Annual Wellness Visit is once every 12 months after that; it is a health risk assessment and prevention plan, not a head-to-toe physical.
- Check-in: verify demographics. Scan the insurance card (front and back) and photo ID. Verify eligibility before the visit. Collect the copay.
- Signatures at check-in: Notice of Privacy Practices acknowledgment, consent to treat, financial policy, assignment of benefits, and an ABN when needed.
- Check-out: schedule follow-up and referrals, give the visit summary and instructions, and collect any balance due.
| Method | How it works |
|---|---|
| Time-specified (stream) | one patient per set time slot; most common |
| Wave | several patients booked at the top of the hour and seen in order of arrival |
| Modified wave | 2-3 patients at the start of the hour, the rest spaced through it |
| Double-booking | two patients in one slot; for urgent add-ons only |
| Clustering (categorization) | similar visits grouped together (all physicals in the morning) |
| Open access | same-day appointments with no advance booking |
The full CCMA High-Yield Cram Sheet comes with full prep.
Common administrative assisting traps
- Copay is a flat fee; coinsurance is a percentage.
- EOB goes to the patient; remittance advice goes to the provider.
- ICD-10-CM codes the diagnosis (why); CPT codes the procedure (what); HCPCS II covers supplies and DME.
- The ABN must be signed before the service, not after a denial.
- Verify eligibility before every visit, even for established patients.
- Medicaid is the payer of last resort.
- A rejected claim is fixed and resubmitted; a denied claim is appealed.
- The Annual Wellness Visit is not a physical exam.
Free CCMA administrative assisting practice questions
Question 1
A 58-year-old established patient calls the office. He reports crushing chest pressure that spreads to his jaw, along with sweating, for the past 20 minutes. He asks whether he can be seen sometime today. What should the medical assistant do?
- ATell him to call 911 immediately and not to drive himself, then document the call
- BAdvise him to have a family member drive him to the nearest emergency department
- CPlace him on hold while locating the provider to decide how soon he should be seen
- DSchedule him for the first available same-day appointment and tell him to come in right away
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. Chest pressure spreading to the jaw with sweating suggests a heart attack, which requires immediate activation of emergency medical services.
Why not B: Driving delays treatment. EMS can begin care on the way and is the safer, faster option for suspected cardiac emergencies.
Why not C: Putting a patient with possible heart attack symptoms on hold wastes critical minutes. He needs emergency services immediately.
Why not D: These are signs of a possible heart attack. Waiting for an office visit delays emergency care, and the office cannot provide definitive treatment.
Remember: Callers with signs of a possible heart attack or stroke should be directed to call 911 immediately, not scheduled for an appointment.
Question 2
An uninsured patient at a federally funded community health center asks whether she can get a reduced fee. The center uses a sliding fee discount schedule. Which information should the medical assistant collect to determine her discount?
- ACredit score and current outstanding debts
- BHousehold income and household size
- CDiagnosis and the expected number of visits
- DAge and Medicare enrollment status
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B. Sliding fee discounts compare household income and family size to the federal poverty guidelines to set the discount level.
Why not A: Sliding fee programs are based on income relative to poverty guidelines, not creditworthiness.
Why not C: The discount depends on financial eligibility, not on the patient's medical condition or how often she will be seen.
Why not D: Age and Medicare status do not determine sliding fee eligibility. Uninsured patients of any age may qualify based on income.
Remember: Sliding fee scales set discounts by household income and size compared with the federal poverty guidelines.
Question 3
A participating provider bills $180 for a service. The payer's allowed amount is $120. The payer pays $96, and the patient owes $24 in coinsurance. What amount should the medical assistant post as the contractual adjustment?
- A$60
- B$156
- C$24
- D$84
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. The contractual adjustment is the billed charge minus the allowed amount: $180 - $120 = $60. The $120 allowed is then split between the payer ($96) and the patient ($24).
Why not B: This is $180 - $24. It does not match any correct step in posting the payment.
Why not C: $24 is the patient's coinsurance. It should be billed to the patient, not adjusted off.
Why not D: This is $180 - $96. It wrongly writes off the $24 the patient still owes.
Remember: Contractual adjustment = billed charge - allowed amount; the patient's share of the allowed amount is still collected.
Question 4
At check-out, an adult patient asks the medical assistant to set up her access to the practice's patient portal so she can view her lab results. Which action is most appropriate?
- ALink her account to the office's shared email so staff can help her if she forgets her login
- BEmail the activation code to whatever address is listed on her insurance card so she can activate it at home
- CVerify her identity with photo ID, confirm her personal email address, and give her the activation code so she can create her own password
- DCreate a temporary password for her, write it on her visit summary, and keep a copy in the chart for reference
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. Confirming identity and a personal email before issuing an activation code protects health information. Letting the patient set her own password keeps the account secure.
Why not A: Linking a patient's account to a staff email lets others access her protected health information. The account must belong only to the patient.
Why not B: Insurance cards do not reliably list a patient's personal email. Sending an activation code to an unverified address risks unauthorized access.
Why not D: Staff should not know or store a patient's password. Writing it in the chart compromises account security.
Remember: Before activating a portal account, verify the patient's identity and contact information, and let the patient create a password that staff never know.
Question 5
A patient balance was first billed on March 3. On June 20 of the same year, the medical assistant runs an aging report that uses standard 30-day categories. In which category will this unpaid balance appear?
- A31–60 days
- B91–120 days
- C61–90 days
- DOver 120 days
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B. Count the days: March 3–31 is 28 days, April is 30, May is 31, and June 1–20 is 20. That totals 109 days, which falls in the 91–120 day category.
Why not A: More than three months have passed since the first bill, well beyond 60 days.
Why not C: This undercounts the elapsed time. From March 3 to June 20 is more than 90 days.
Why not D: This overcounts the elapsed time. The balance has been outstanding 109 days, not more than 120.
Remember: Aging reports group balances by days since first billing; the older the balance, the less likely it is to be collected.
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100% Pass Guarantee + 7-day money-back. How it works