A patient with type 2 diabetes calls the office and tells the medical assistant that her home glucose readings have been above 200 mg/dL all week. She asks whether she should double her evening metformin dose. Which of the following is the MOST appropriate response by the MA?

Take a message and relay the question to the provider

Tell her to double the evening dose until her next visit

Tell her to hold the metformin until she is seen

Tell her to skip the evening meal until readings improve

A medical assistant is doing the pre-visit screening for a telehealth appointment before the provider joins. Which of the following is MOST important to confirm?

The patient's identity and current physical location

That the patient's copay has been paid online

The patient's preferred video device, browser, and app

That a family member is present for the visit

A medical assistant must collect only a PT/INR from a patient with small hand veins and will use a butterfly (winged) collection set. Which of the following actions should the MA take to ensure an acceptable specimen?

Collect a discard tube before the light blue tube

Fill the light blue tube halfway to allow for tubing air

Collect the light blue tube first with no discard tube

Collect a lavender tube first to serve as the discard

A medical assistant is measuring the head circumference of a 9-month-old infant. Where should the MA place the tape measure?

Just above the eyebrows and around the occipital prominence

Across the hairline and just below both earlobes

Around the chin and over the top of the head

Just below the eyebrows and around the nape of the neck

The provider wants a Medicare patient to receive a standard walker from a durable medical equipment supplier. What must the medical assistant send to the supplier?

A standard written order signed by the provider

A signed ABN stating Medicare will deny the walker

A CMS-1500 claim form signed by the patient at delivery

A referral from the patient's Medicare Part D plan

A medical assistant must draw blood from a 78-year-old patient whose antecubital veins cannot be found and whose hand veins are small and fragile. Which equipment should the MA select?

A 23-gauge butterfly set with small-volume tubes

A 21-gauge multisample needle with 10-mL tubes

A 27-gauge needle on a large 20-mL syringe

An 18-gauge multisample needle with standard tubes

At check-out, a patient asks the medical assistant to activate her patient portal account so she can view her lab results. Which of the following actions should the MA take before giving her the activation code?

Verify her identity with photo ID and two identifiers

Give the code to her adult son waiting in the lobby

Email the code to any address she writes on a note

Print the code on the visit summary for her family

NHA CCMA

Free CCMA Practice Questions

10 sample questions for the NHA CCMA, 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: Foundational Knowledge and Basic Science, Anatomy and Physiology, Clinical Patient Care, Patient Care Coordination and Education, Administrative Assisting, Communication and Customer Service, Medical Law and Ethics.

Question 1 · Foundational Knowledge and Basic Science
A patient with type 2 diabetes calls the office and tells the medical assistant that her home glucose readings have been above 200 mg/dL all week. She asks whether she should double her evening metformin dose. Which of the following is the MOST appropriate response by the MA?
- A.Tell her to double the evening dose until her next visit
- B.Tell her to hold the metformin until she is seen
- C.Tell her to skip the evening meal until readings improve
- D.Take a message and relay the question to the provider
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D. Take a message and relay the question to the provider
Changing, holding, or adjusting a medication is a clinical judgment outside the medical assistant's scope of practice. The MA should document the readings and the question accurately and route them to the provider. Telling her to double or hold the dose would be practicing beyond scope even if the advice seemed reasonable.
Question 2 · Clinical Patient Care
A medical assistant measures an adult patient at 5 ft 6 in tall and 180 lb. Using the formula BMI = 703 × weight (lb) ÷ height (in)², which of the following should the MA record?
- A.BMI 27.3, overweight
- B.BMI 30.4, obese
- C.BMI 24.9, normal weight
- D.BMI 29.0, overweight
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D. BMI 29.0, overweight
Height is 66 in, and 66² = 4,356; 703 × 180 = 126,540; 126,540 ÷ 4,356 ≈ 29.0. A BMI of 25.0-29.9 is overweight, so obese (30 or above) and normal weight (18.5-24.9) do not fit the calculated value.
Question 3 · Clinical Patient Care
A medical assistant is doing the pre-visit screening for a telehealth appointment before the provider joins. Which of the following is MOST important to confirm?
- A.That the patient's copay has been paid online
- B.The patient's preferred video device, browser, and app
- C.The patient's identity and current physical location
- D.That a family member is present for the visit
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. The patient's identity and current physical location
Verifying identity protects privacy, and knowing where the patient is right now lets staff send emergency services if needed and confirm the provider is licensed for that state. The device, family presence, and copay status are secondary and do not affect safety.
Question 4 · Clinical Patient Care
A medical assistant must collect only a PT/INR from a patient with small hand veins and will use a butterfly (winged) collection set. Which of the following actions should the MA take to ensure an acceptable specimen?
- A.Collect a discard tube before the light blue tube
- B.Fill the light blue tube halfway to allow for tubing air
- C.Collect the light blue tube first with no discard tube
- D.Collect a lavender tube first to serve as the discard
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. Collect a discard tube before the light blue tube
Air in the butterfly tubing would underfill the light blue tube and upset the required 9:1 blood-to-citrate ratio, so a discard tube (a plain or another light blue tube) is drawn first to prime the tubing. Using a lavender tube as the discard would carry EDTA into the coagulation tube, and a half-filled light blue tube is rejected for an incorrect ratio.
Question 5 · Administrative Assisting
A practice books three patients at 9:00 a.m., three at 10:00 a.m., and so on through the day, and patients are seen in the order they arrive within each hour. Which scheduling method is the practice using?
- A.Modified wave scheduling
- B.Cluster scheduling
- C.Wave scheduling
- D.Stream scheduling
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. Wave scheduling
Wave scheduling places several patients at the start of each hour and sees them in order of arrival. Modified wave spreads arrivals within the hour (for example, two at the top of the hour and one at the half hour), stream gives each patient an individual time slot, and cluster groups similar procedures in one block.
Question 6 · Foundational Knowledge and Basic Science
A patient recovering from a stroke tells the medical assistant he is struggling to button his shirt, prepare simple meals, and bathe on his own. The provider asks the MA to start a referral. Which professional specializes in helping patients regain these activities of daily living?
- A.Occupational therapist
- B.Speech-language pathologist
- C.Physical therapist
- D.Respiratory therapist
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. Occupational therapist
Occupational therapists help patients relearn activities of daily living such as dressing, bathing, and cooking, often with adaptive equipment. Physical therapists focus on strength, mobility, gait, and balance, and speech-language pathologists address speech, language, and swallowing.
Question 7 · Clinical Patient Care
A medical assistant is measuring the head circumference of a 9-month-old infant. Where should the MA place the tape measure?
- A.Just above the eyebrows and around the occipital prominence
- B.Across the hairline and just below both earlobes
- C.Around the chin and over the top of the head
- D.Just below the eyebrows and around the nape of the neck
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. Just above the eyebrows and around the occipital prominence
Head circumference is measured at the largest circumference: just above the eyebrows and ears and around the most prominent part of the back of the head. Measuring at the nape or across the chin gives a smaller or meaningless value.
Question 8 · Clinical Patient Care
The provider wants a Medicare patient to receive a standard walker from a durable medical equipment supplier. What must the medical assistant send to the supplier?
- A.A signed ABN stating Medicare will deny the walker
- B.A CMS-1500 claim form signed by the patient at delivery
- C.A standard written order signed by the provider
- D.A referral from the patient's Medicare Part D plan
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. A standard written order signed by the provider
Durable medical equipment requires a signed order from the provider, supported by documentation in the medical record showing why the item is medically necessary. Part D covers prescription drugs, not DME, and an ABN is used only when the practice expects Medicare may not pay.
Question 9 · Clinical Patient Care
A medical assistant must draw blood from a 78-year-old patient whose antecubital veins cannot be found and whose hand veins are small and fragile. Which equipment should the MA select?
- A.A 21-gauge multisample needle with 10-mL tubes
- B.A 27-gauge needle on a large 20-mL syringe
- C.A 23-gauge butterfly set with small-volume tubes
- D.An 18-gauge multisample needle with standard tubes
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. A 23-gauge butterfly set with small-volume tubes
A 23-gauge winged (butterfly) set gives better control on small hand veins, and small-volume tubes apply less vacuum so the vein is less likely to collapse. An 18-gauge needle is too large for routine draws, a 21-gauge needle with large tubes can collapse fragile veins, and drawing through a 27-gauge needle with a large syringe is likely to cause hemolysis.
Question 10 · Administrative Assisting
At check-out, a patient asks the medical assistant to activate her patient portal account so she can view her lab results. Which of the following actions should the MA take before giving her the activation code?
- A.Verify her identity with photo ID and two identifiers
- B.Give the code to her adult son waiting in the lobby
- C.Email the code to any address she writes on a note
- D.Print the code on the visit summary for her family
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. Verify her identity with photo ID and two identifiers
Because the portal gives access to protected health information, the patient's identity must be verified before an activation code is issued to her directly. Sending the code to an unverified email address or handing it to family members could let someone else access her records without her authorization.

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