Dr. Haddad at Riverbend Cardiology dictates that a patient's recent monitor showed bradycardia. The patient letter must use plain language. Which wording should the medical administrative assistant use in the letter?

A heart rate that is slower than normal

Inflammation of the lining around the heart

An irregular rhythm in the upper heart chambers

A heart rate that is faster than normal

The medical administrative assistant is helping a caller when a second line rings. What should the assistant do before answering the second call?

Ask the first caller if they can be placed on hold and wait for a reply

Set the first phone down on the desk without saying anything to the caller

Press hold right away so the second call does not go to voicemail

Tell the first caller you will call back and then hang up immediately

While posting charges, a medical administrative assistant notices that a provider has billed several patients for a lengthy counseling service that the schedule and chart show never took place. How should this be classified and handled?

As possible fraud, reported to the compliance officer under office policy

As billing abuse, corrected quietly by the assistant before the claims go out

As possible fraud, reported directly to the patients so they can dispute it

As a coding error, returned to the provider with a sticky note to recheck it

While working an unbilled report at Cedar Hills Internal Medicine, a medical administrative assistant finds a Medicare claim that was never sent. What is the standard Medicare deadline for filing it?

12 months from the date of service

6 months from the date the patient paid

24 months from the date of the referral

90 days from the date of service

Dr. Moreno at an orthopedic practice dictates a letter saying the patient is a candidate for knee arthroplasty. The office manager asks for a plain-language phrase to place in parentheses after the term. Which phrase is correct?

Surgical repair or replacement of the joint

A surgical cut into the joint to drain it

Painful swelling and inflammation of the joint

Looking inside the joint with a small scope

The medical administrative assistant realizes that a call from a patient yesterday afternoon about rescheduling a procedure was never documented in the EHR. What should the assistant do?

Add a late entry with today's date and time that notes when the call occurred

Skip the documentation because the appointment was already rescheduled

Ask a coworker who was there to write the entry under the coworker's login

Backdate a new entry to yesterday afternoon so the record looks complete

A Deaf patient who uses American Sign Language schedules a consultation at a cardiology practice and asks for an interpreter. Under ADA Title III, how should the practice respond?

Arrange a qualified interpreter at no cost to the patient

Ask the patient to exchange written notes with the provider

Ask the patient to bring a family member to interpret

Arrange an interpreter and add the fee to the patient's bill

Fairview Pediatrics sends its electronic claims through a clearinghouse. What is the main job of the clearinghouse?

Checking claims for errors and sending them on in payer format

Collecting unpaid patient balances after accounts go past 120 days

Deciding how much each payer will allow for each service billed

Assigning diagnosis and procedure codes from the provider's notes

Certified Medical Administrative Assistant Exam

Free CMAA Practice Questions

10 sample questions for the Certified Medical Administrative Assistant Exam, with the correct answer and an explanation for each. No account needed. Try each one before you open the answer.

Sections covered on the exam: Healthcare Systems, Health Records and Medical Terminology, Patient Communication and Customer Service, Professionalism, Teamwork and Patient Instructions, Medical Law, Ethics and HIPAA, Workplace Safety, Compliance and Reporting, Scheduling and Appointment Management, Billing, Coding Basics and the Revenue Cycle, Office Administration, Records and Logistics.

Question 1 · Healthcare Systems, Health Records and Medical Terminology
Dr. Haddad at Riverbend Cardiology dictates that a patient's recent monitor showed bradycardia. The patient letter must use plain language. Which wording should the medical administrative assistant use in the letter?
- A.Inflammation of the lining around the heart
- B.A heart rate that is slower than normal
- C.An irregular rhythm in the upper heart chambers
- D.A heart rate that is faster than normal
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B. A heart rate that is slower than normal
The prefix brady- means slow and the root cardi/o means heart, so bradycardia is a slower-than-normal heart rate. A faster rate is tachycardia, an irregular upper-chamber rhythm describes a different condition, and inflammation around the heart is pericarditis.
Question 2 · Professionalism, Teamwork and Patient Instructions
The medical administrative assistant is helping a caller when a second line rings. What should the assistant do before answering the second call?
- A.Set the first phone down on the desk without saying anything to the caller
- B.Press hold right away so the second call does not go to voicemail
- C.Tell the first caller you will call back and then hang up immediately
- D.Ask the first caller if they can be placed on hold and wait for a reply
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D. Ask the first caller if they can be placed on hold and wait for a reply
Proper hold etiquette is to ask the caller's permission, wait for the answer and check back about every 30 to 60 seconds. Pressing hold without asking or setting the phone down is discourteous and may expose other conversations, and ending the first call to take the second puts the first caller last.
Question 3 · Workplace Safety, Compliance and Reporting
While posting charges, a medical administrative assistant notices that a provider has billed several patients for a lengthy counseling service that the schedule and chart show never took place. How should this be classified and handled?
- A.As billing abuse, corrected quietly by the assistant before the claims go out
- B.As possible fraud, reported to the compliance officer under office policy
- C.As possible fraud, reported directly to the patients so they can dispute it
- D.As a coding error, returned to the provider with a sticky note to recheck it
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B. As possible fraud, reported to the compliance officer under office policy
Knowingly billing for services that were not provided is fraud, and staff should report concerns through the compliance program, usually the compliance officer, with whistleblower protection. Fixing claims alone, treating it as a simple error, or contacting patients bypasses the compliance process.
Question 4 · Professionalism, Teamwork and Patient Instructions
A cardiology patient has $150.00 left to meet on her deductible. After the deductible, her plan pays 80% and she pays 20% coinsurance. The allowed amount for today's stress test is $400.00. What is her total responsibility for the test?
- A.$150.00
- B.$80.00
- C.$200.00
- D.$230.00
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. $200.00
The deductible is paid first: $150.00. The rest of the allowed amount is $400.00 - $150.00 = $250.00, and her 20% coinsurance on that is $250.00 x 0.20 = $50.00, so she owes $150.00 + $50.00 = $200.00 and the plan pays $200.00. $80.00 ignores the deductible, $230.00 charges coinsurance on the full $400.00 even though $150.00 of it already went to the deductible, and $150.00 leaves out the coinsurance.
Question 5 · Billing, Coding Basics and the Revenue Cycle
While working an unbilled report at Cedar Hills Internal Medicine, a medical administrative assistant finds a Medicare claim that was never sent. What is the standard Medicare deadline for filing it?
- A.6 months from the date the patient paid
- B.24 months from the date of the referral
- C.12 months from the date of service
- D.90 days from the date of service
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. 12 months from the date of service
Medicare's timely filing limit is 12 months (one calendar year) from the date of service. Commercial payers set their own limits, often 90 to 180 days, so 90 days is a common commercial rule, not the Medicare rule. Deadlines are not counted from patient payment or referral dates, and a claim filed after the limit is denied.
Question 6 · Healthcare Systems, Health Records and Medical Terminology
Dr. Moreno at an orthopedic practice dictates a letter saying the patient is a candidate for knee arthroplasty. The office manager asks for a plain-language phrase to place in parentheses after the term. Which phrase is correct?
- A.Surgical repair or replacement of the joint
- B.A surgical cut into the joint to drain it
- C.Painful swelling and inflammation of the joint
- D.Looking inside the joint with a small scope
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. Surgical repair or replacement of the joint
The root arthr/o means joint and the suffix -plasty means surgical repair, so arthroplasty is surgical repair or replacement of a joint. A cut into the joint is arthrotomy, looking inside with a scope is arthroscopy, and joint inflammation is arthritis.
Question 7 · Professionalism, Teamwork and Patient Instructions
The medical administrative assistant realizes that a call from a patient yesterday afternoon about rescheduling a procedure was never documented in the EHR. What should the assistant do?
- A.Add a late entry with today's date and time that notes when the call occurred
- B.Skip the documentation because the appointment was already rescheduled
- C.Ask a coworker who was there to write the entry under the coworker's login
- D.Backdate a new entry to yesterday afternoon so the record looks complete
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. Add a late entry with today's date and time that notes when the call occurred
A late entry is clearly labeled, dated and timed when it is written, and it states when the original event happened, which keeps the record honest. Backdating is falsification, skipping documentation leaves a gap in the legal record, and using another person's login breaks security rules.
Question 8 · Workplace Safety, Compliance and Reporting
A Deaf patient who uses American Sign Language schedules a consultation at a cardiology practice and asks for an interpreter. Under ADA Title III, how should the practice respond?
- A.Arrange a qualified interpreter at no cost to the patient
- B.Ask the patient to exchange written notes with the provider
- C.Ask the patient to bring a family member to interpret
- D.Arrange an interpreter and add the fee to the patient's bill
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. Arrange a qualified interpreter at no cost to the patient
Physician offices are public accommodations under Title III and must provide effective communication through auxiliary aids, such as a qualified interpreter, at no cost to the patient. Relying on family is not appropriate, charging the patient is prohibited, and written notes are not effective for a complex consultation in ASL.
Question 9 · Professionalism, Teamwork and Patient Instructions
At an in-network orthopedic practice, a patient who has met his deductible has a plan that pays 70% of the allowed amount. The practice billed $350.00 for a joint injection, and the allowed amount is $250.00. How much does the patient owe?
- A.$175.00
- B.$105.00
- C.$100.00
- D.$75.00
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D. $75.00
If the plan pays 70%, the patient's coinsurance is 30% of the allowed amount: the plan pays 70% of $250.00, or $175.00, and the patient owes $250.00 x 0.30 = $75.00. $105.00 is 30% of the billed $350.00, and $175.00 is the plan's share. $100.00 is the billed amount minus the allowed amount ($350.00 - $250.00), a contractual adjustment the in-network practice writes off.
Question 10 · Billing, Coding Basics and the Revenue Cycle
Fairview Pediatrics sends its electronic claims through a clearinghouse. What is the main job of the clearinghouse?
- A.Collecting unpaid patient balances after accounts go past 120 days
- B.Deciding how much each payer will allow for each service billed
- C.Checking claims for errors and sending them on in payer format
- D.Assigning diagnosis and procedure codes from the provider's notes
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. Checking claims for errors and sending them on in payer format
A clearinghouse scrubs claims for missing or invalid data, converts them to the standard format each payer needs and sends them on, returning rejection reports so errors can be fixed quickly. Payers set allowed amounts, collection agencies pursue old balances, and coders assign codes.

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