Award-Winning Certified Medical Assistant Exam Courses & Classes in South Elgin, IL

Varsity Tutors can enroll you in a comprehensive CMA exam class to help you feel more confident on exam day. The Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) exam is administered by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA) in order to ascertain whether a given candidate possesses the professional skills and knowledge expected of a certified medical assistant. Every CMA prep class we provide is led by a knowledgeable instructor who understands both the content and formatting of the exam, providing you with a fantastic resource as you study for your assessment. Please continue reading to learn more about the benefits of enrolling in one of our CMA exam training programs.

What is the CMA certification?

CMA certification is a credential offered by the Certifying Board (CB) of the AAMA to signify that a given individual can perform the duties expected of a professional medical assistant. In order to earn one, you must first meet one of the three eligibility criteria. First, you qualify to sit for the exam if you graduated from a medical assisting program accredited by either the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) or the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES) within the last 12 months (or are about to do so). Second, you qualify for the test if you graduated from one of these medical assisting programs within the last 36 months. Finally, you may qualify to sit for the test if you passed a medical assisting program unaffiliated with either CAAHEP or ABHES. The AAMA Certifying Board assesses this qualification on a case-by-case basis.

The CMA exam consists of 200 multiple-choice questions broken into four 40-minute segments. Roughly 28 percent of exam questions deal with general topics like psychology, communication, and medical law; 25 percent on administrative topics such as medical reception, patient navigation, and practice finances; and 47 percent on clinical topics including anatomy and physiology, proper documentation of care, and processing specimens. The test is administered electronically at testing centers nationwide. If you are successful, you need to recertify every five years in order to prove that your skills remain up-to-date.

The cost of the test is $125 for AAMA members and candidates who have passed CAAHEP- or ABHES-affiliated programs within the last 36 months. Otherwise, it costs $250 per attempt. That's not cheap, so it pays to take a formal CMA exam course for a strong preparation before test day.

What is the best way to study for the CMA exam?

If you're thinking about studying for your certification test on your own, know that many students struggle to prepare for comprehensive tests like the CMA exam. What do you need to study, and how should you go about studying it? Enrolling in a CMA exam class allows you to receive expert guidance as you prepare for test day.

Of course, you need to choose the right CMA prep class to get the benefits you're looking for. Many of our competitors slap together a bunch of recorded lectures to market as a “class,” even though students who take it are limited to a pre-recorded curriculum and have no recourse if they have questions. In contrast, all of our CMA exam classes entail live instruction from a knowledgeable expert who has been thoroughly vetted by Varsity Tutors.

If you and your classmates are already comfortable with concepts such as scheduling appointments and diagnostic testing, your instructor can shift gears to concepts that you could use more help with. A live instructor can also share helpful memorization tips such as mnemonics to help you remember concepts such as medical business programs. Your instructor can even break your CMA exam course into smaller groups to improve your study experience. For example, you can role-play with your classmates and your instructor to gain firsthand experience interacting with patients in a professional manner.

Since all instruction is live, you can also raise your hand whenever you have a question about the material. Your instructor could recommend additional educational resources to you, or try explaining something differently in order to deepen your understanding of the material. If you feel like you need personalized support with a challenging topic such as pharmacology, you can also speak to your instructor to arrange one-on-one study sessions outside of your CMA prep course.

Alternatively, one of your classmates may be able to help you overcome any learning obstacles you're experiencing. A peer might offer an explanation of infection control that you find more relatable than your instructor's take, helping you to internalize the information. Likewise, you could draw on a classmate's experience to help you understand what it's like to work as a professional CMA. Classes are collaborative working environments where everybody is pursuing their academic goals together, so why not make the most of your educational opportunities?

While academic knowledge is obviously important on the CMA exam, your instructor can also share test-taking strategies to help you feel prepared for anything the test throws at you. Since the entire test utilizes a multiple-choice format, your instructor can show you how to eliminate some of the incorrect answer choices if you get stuck on a tricky question. It may also be possible to leverage the exam against itself by using the info in one question to answer another. If you're concerned about completing the test on time, your instructor can also share time management tips to help you move quickly without rushing.

You can even take practice tests under realistic conditions during your CMA prep course to better understand exactly what is expected of you. If you've never taken a test electronically before, practicing with the assessment's interface could mitigate any test anxiety you're experiencing. Similarly, answering test items that have appeared on the exam in the past can help you spot important keywords such as “not” and “except” to help you answer each question as intended. Most importantly, you can review your responses with your instructor to understand where you are improving and anything you might need to look over again.

Where can I get a comprehensive CMA exam refresher?

We understand that commuting to a CMA exam course isn't always the most convenient thing in the world, so all of our classes take place in a virtual classroom you can access anywhere with a reliable internet connection. Our virtual classroom is also mobile-friendly, so you can attend your courses on your favorite internet-enabled device. Our virtual classroom even supports video chat, enabling you to communicate with both your instructor and your peers in real-time.

We also understand how valuable your time is to you, so we offer multiple classes concurrently to help you find one with a meeting time that suits your schedule. You can also choose between two-week and four-week options for your convenience. If you want to finish your test prep as rapidly as possible, you can take a two-week class. If you'd rather minimize the impact classes have on your day-to-day life, you can spread your meetings over four weeks instead. You get the same premium instruction and number of contact hours regardless of which one you choose, so go with whatever most appeals to you.

How can I enroll in a CMA prep course?

Taking a formal CMA exam class clearly offers numerous advantages over trying to study on your own, so reach out to Varsity Tutors online or by phone today to find a class that suits your academic and scheduling needs! Friendly Educational Consultants are currently available to help you sign up for the Certified Medical Assistant class of your choosing.