NHA CMAA Actual Exam QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS 2026/2027 | Certified Medical
Administrative Assistant Complete Q&A | Pass
Guaranteed - A+ Graded
Question 1
A new patient arrives for their first appointment. What is the most important document to have
the patient complete and sign?
A. HIPAA privacy practices acknowledgment [CORRECT]
B. Insurance claim form
C. Prescription refill request
D. Laboratory order form
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: New patients must receive and acknowledge receipt of the Notice of Privacy Practices
(NPP) as required by HIPAA. Insurance forms (B) are also important but may be completed later.
Options C and D are not first-visit forms.
Question 2
When scheduling a follow-up appointment for a patient, the medical administrative assistant
should:
A. Schedule at the patient's convenience without considering provider availability
B. Confirm the appointment with the patient and document it in the system [CORRECT]
C. Only schedule if the patient pays upfront
D. Refuse to schedule without a referral
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Follow-up appointments should be scheduled considering provider availability and
patient preference, then confirmed and documented. Options A, C, and D are incorrect.
Question 3
A patient arrives and states they have no insurance and wish to pay cash. What should the
medical administrative assistant do?
,A. Refuse to see the patient
B. Inform the patient of self-pay rates and collect payment at time of service [CORRECT]
C. Treat the patient for free
D. Turn them away
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Patients without insurance should be informed of self-pay rates and typically asked to
pay at time of service. Refusing care (A, D) may be appropriate only if the practice does not
accept self-pay. Option C is not standard.
Question 4
When checking in a patient, the medical administrative assistant should verify:
A. Patient's name and date of birth [CORRECT]
B. Patient's favorite color
C. Patient's occupation
D. Patient's social media accounts
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Patient identification should be verified using two identifiers (name and date of birth)
for safety and HIPAA compliance. Options B, C, and D are not relevant.
Question 5
A patient calls to cancel their appointment. The medical administrative assistant should:
A. Document the cancellation and offer to reschedule [CORRECT]
B. Hang up
C. Charge a fee without offering to reschedule
D. Ignore the request
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Cancellations should be documented, and the patient should be offered an opportunity
to reschedule. Charging a fee (C) may be per practice policy but should be communicated.
Options B and D are inappropriate.
Question 6
When a patient arrives late for their appointment, the medical administrative assistant should:
,A. Automatically reschedule the patient without asking
B. Assess the situation and inform the clinical staff of the delay [CORRECT]
C. Refuse to check them in
D. Ignore the delay and check them in normally
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Late arrivals should be assessed to determine if the provider can still see them or if
rescheduling is necessary. The clinical staff must be informed of delays. Options A, C, and D are
inappropriate responses.
Question 7
Which of the following is the best practice when answering the medical office telephone?
A. Answer within three rings and identify the practice and yourself [CORRECT]
B. Let it go to voicemail to avoid interruptions
C. Answer with a simple "Hello"
D. Answer only after finishing current tasks
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Professional telephone etiquette requires answering promptly (within three rings),
identifying the practice, and stating your name. Options B, C, and D demonstrate poor customer
service.
Question 8
A patient requests a same-day urgent appointment. The medical administrative assistant should:
A. Refuse and tell them to go to the emergency room
B. Triage the request and schedule appropriately or direct to emergency care if needed
[CORRECT]
C. Schedule them without asking any questions
D. Ignore the urgency and schedule for next week
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Urgent requests require triage to determine if the patient needs same-day care,
emergency care, or routine scheduling. Options A, C, and D are inappropriate responses.
Question 9
, When collecting patient demographics, which information is essential?
A. Patient's political affiliation
B. Emergency contact information [CORRECT]
C. Patient's religious beliefs
D. Patient's credit score
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Emergency contact information is essential for patient safety and required in medical
records. Options A, C, and D are not standard demographic requirements and may be
discriminatory.
Question 10
A patient presents with a new insurance card. The medical administrative assistant should:
A. Ignore it since they have insurance on file
B. Copy the new card and update the insurance information in the system [CORRECT]
C. Tell the patient to keep the old card
D. Refuse to see the patient until the next visit
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: New insurance information must be collected and updated immediately to ensure
proper billing and coverage verification. Options A, C, and D could result in claim denials.
Question 11
The medical administrative assistant should verify insurance eligibility:
A. Only for new patients
B. For every visit or at regular intervals [CORRECT]
C. Only when the patient complains
D. Once per year regardless of visits
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Insurance eligibility should be verified regularly as coverage can change. Best
practice is to verify before each visit or at least monthly for regular patients. Options A, C, and D
are insufficient.
Question 12
ANSWERS 2026/2027 | Certified Medical
Administrative Assistant Complete Q&A | Pass
Guaranteed - A+ Graded
Question 1
A new patient arrives for their first appointment. What is the most important document to have
the patient complete and sign?
A. HIPAA privacy practices acknowledgment [CORRECT]
B. Insurance claim form
C. Prescription refill request
D. Laboratory order form
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: New patients must receive and acknowledge receipt of the Notice of Privacy Practices
(NPP) as required by HIPAA. Insurance forms (B) are also important but may be completed later.
Options C and D are not first-visit forms.
Question 2
When scheduling a follow-up appointment for a patient, the medical administrative assistant
should:
A. Schedule at the patient's convenience without considering provider availability
B. Confirm the appointment with the patient and document it in the system [CORRECT]
C. Only schedule if the patient pays upfront
D. Refuse to schedule without a referral
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Follow-up appointments should be scheduled considering provider availability and
patient preference, then confirmed and documented. Options A, C, and D are incorrect.
Question 3
A patient arrives and states they have no insurance and wish to pay cash. What should the
medical administrative assistant do?
,A. Refuse to see the patient
B. Inform the patient of self-pay rates and collect payment at time of service [CORRECT]
C. Treat the patient for free
D. Turn them away
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Patients without insurance should be informed of self-pay rates and typically asked to
pay at time of service. Refusing care (A, D) may be appropriate only if the practice does not
accept self-pay. Option C is not standard.
Question 4
When checking in a patient, the medical administrative assistant should verify:
A. Patient's name and date of birth [CORRECT]
B. Patient's favorite color
C. Patient's occupation
D. Patient's social media accounts
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Patient identification should be verified using two identifiers (name and date of birth)
for safety and HIPAA compliance. Options B, C, and D are not relevant.
Question 5
A patient calls to cancel their appointment. The medical administrative assistant should:
A. Document the cancellation and offer to reschedule [CORRECT]
B. Hang up
C. Charge a fee without offering to reschedule
D. Ignore the request
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Cancellations should be documented, and the patient should be offered an opportunity
to reschedule. Charging a fee (C) may be per practice policy but should be communicated.
Options B and D are inappropriate.
Question 6
When a patient arrives late for their appointment, the medical administrative assistant should:
,A. Automatically reschedule the patient without asking
B. Assess the situation and inform the clinical staff of the delay [CORRECT]
C. Refuse to check them in
D. Ignore the delay and check them in normally
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Late arrivals should be assessed to determine if the provider can still see them or if
rescheduling is necessary. The clinical staff must be informed of delays. Options A, C, and D are
inappropriate responses.
Question 7
Which of the following is the best practice when answering the medical office telephone?
A. Answer within three rings and identify the practice and yourself [CORRECT]
B. Let it go to voicemail to avoid interruptions
C. Answer with a simple "Hello"
D. Answer only after finishing current tasks
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Professional telephone etiquette requires answering promptly (within three rings),
identifying the practice, and stating your name. Options B, C, and D demonstrate poor customer
service.
Question 8
A patient requests a same-day urgent appointment. The medical administrative assistant should:
A. Refuse and tell them to go to the emergency room
B. Triage the request and schedule appropriately or direct to emergency care if needed
[CORRECT]
C. Schedule them without asking any questions
D. Ignore the urgency and schedule for next week
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Urgent requests require triage to determine if the patient needs same-day care,
emergency care, or routine scheduling. Options A, C, and D are inappropriate responses.
Question 9
, When collecting patient demographics, which information is essential?
A. Patient's political affiliation
B. Emergency contact information [CORRECT]
C. Patient's religious beliefs
D. Patient's credit score
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Emergency contact information is essential for patient safety and required in medical
records. Options A, C, and D are not standard demographic requirements and may be
discriminatory.
Question 10
A patient presents with a new insurance card. The medical administrative assistant should:
A. Ignore it since they have insurance on file
B. Copy the new card and update the insurance information in the system [CORRECT]
C. Tell the patient to keep the old card
D. Refuse to see the patient until the next visit
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: New insurance information must be collected and updated immediately to ensure
proper billing and coverage verification. Options A, C, and D could result in claim denials.
Question 11
The medical administrative assistant should verify insurance eligibility:
A. Only for new patients
B. For every visit or at regular intervals [CORRECT]
C. Only when the patient complains
D. Once per year regardless of visits
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Insurance eligibility should be verified regularly as coverage can change. Best
practice is to verify before each visit or at least monthly for regular patients. Options A, C, and D
are insufficient.
Question 12
