This CMA (AAMA) cheat sheet distills the AAMA Certified Medical Assistant exam into a printable rundown of the facts examiners test most, sorted by the three content categories. It's a premium cheat sheet built by Capital Prep — the one premium prep we trust — and it's yours free. Reinforce it with the rest of your free CMA toolkit: the practice test, study guide, and flashcards.
CMA (AAMA) exam at a glance
- Questions: 200 multiple-choice (180 scored + 20 unscored pretest)
- Time: 160 minutes — four 40-minute segments
- Passing score: Scaled 200–800; pass/fail at the AAMA Board's cut score
- Cost: $125 AAMA members / $250 non-members; recertify every 60 months
What’s on the CMA (AAMA) cheat sheet
- Clinical Competency (59%) — vital signs and BMI, infection control, phlebotomy order of draw, CLIA-waived labs, EKG, and the rights of medication administration — the largest category.
- General (21%) — legal and ethical torts, HIPAA and PHI, informed vs implied consent, advance directives, and therapeutic communication.
- Administrative (20%) — ICD-10-CM vs CPT vs HCPCS coding, medical necessity, major payers and the claim cycle, and appointment scheduling methods.
- Quick-reference tables — normal vital-sign ranges, blood-collection tubes by additive, injection routes and angles, and coding systems side by side.
How to use it in your final week
- Front-load Clinical Competency — it is 59% of the scored items, so lock in vital-sign ranges, BMI classes (30+ = obese), and the clinical intake-to-discharge workflow first.
- Chant the two dense sequences until they are automatic: order of draw (cultures, light blue, red/gold, green, lavender, gray) and injection angles (ID 10–15°, SubQ 45°, IM 90°).
- Do a fast pass on the General and Administrative facts — HIPAA minimum-necessary, informed vs implied consent, and ICD-10-CM (why) vs CPT (what) coding — the short topics that still score points.
- Read the sheet the morning of the exam, then pair each review pass with a timed practice segment so the four-block, 40-minute rhythm feels routine.
The cheat sheet is your review layer — your CMA (AAMA) practice test drives the exam-readiness ring at the top of this page. Download it, review, then take a full practice exam (or drill with the study guide and flashcards) to see where you stand.
CMA (AAMA) cheat sheet FAQ
Yes — the CMA (AAMA) cheat sheet downloads as a PDF with no sign-up and no payment. It sits alongside Career Employer's free CMA practice test, study guide, and flashcards, so your whole review kit is free.
It condenses the highest-yield facts into a quick reference: normal vital signs and BMI classes, the phlebotomy order of draw, injection angles, the rights of medication administration, HIPAA and consent, and ICD-10-CM versus CPT coding — organized by the three AAMA content categories.
Your raw score is scaled to a 200 to 800 range and reported as pass or fail against the AAMA Certifying Board's cut score. The cheat sheet focuses your review on the three weighted categories so you clear that bar.
No — the cheat sheet is a final-week cram and review aid, not a full course. Clinical Competency alone is 59% of the exam, so pair the sheet with timed practice questions to build recall and pacing before test day.
Click the download button or the preview card at the top of this page to open the PDF instantly. Bookmark the page so you can pull it up for a final pass the morning of your exam.
References
- 1.American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA). “The CMA (AAMA) Certification Exam & Content Outline.” aama-ntl.org, 2026. ↑
- 2.American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA). “Eligibility for the CMA (AAMA) Certification Exam.” aama-ntl.org, 2026. ↑
- 3.American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA). “Recertification of the CMA (AAMA) Credential.” aama-ntl.org, 2026. ↑
- 4.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). “Standard Precautions & Infection Control in Healthcare.” cdc.gov, 2026. ↑
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