CCMA Administrative Assisting Practice Questions
Administrative Assisting makes up 4 of every 50 questions on a Tigertest CCMA practice test. Here are 10 of the 16 questions on it, each with the answer and the reason.
Updated by the Tigertest team. Weighted to the NHA CCMA test plan (3.0). Scope of practice varies by state.
1. A clinic books three patients at the start of each hour and sees them in order of arrival. This scheduling method is called:
- A.Cluster scheduling
- B.Wave scheduling
- C.Stream scheduling
- D.Double booking
Answer: B. Wave scheduling places several patients at the top of the hour and sees them as they arrive, absorbing late arrivals. Stream (time-specified) scheduling gives each patient a separate set time.
2. A pediatric office books all well-child physicals on Tuesday mornings so the same staff and equipment are used efficiently. This method is:
- A.Modified wave scheduling
- B.Open hours scheduling
- C.Time-specified scheduling
- D.Cluster scheduling
Answer: D. Cluster (categorization) scheduling groups similar appointment types into blocks of time. Modified wave staggers patients within the hour but does not group by visit type.
3. A patient misses a scheduled appointment without calling to cancel. The medical assistant should:
- A.Document the no-show in the patient's record
- B.Delete the appointment from the schedule history
- C.Discharge the patient from the practice today
- D.Bill the patient's insurance for the missed visit
Answer: A. Missed appointments are documented in the record because a pattern of no-shows matters legally and clinically, especially if the provider later considers dismissal. Insurance cannot be billed for a service that was not provided.
4. The office telephone rings while the medical assistant is checking in a patient. When answering, the medical assistant should first:
- A.Ask the caller to state the reason for calling
- B.Place the caller on hold without a greeting
- C.Identify the office and give his or her name
- D.Request the caller's date of birth and address
Answer: C. Proper telephone technique starts by identifying the facility and yourself, then asking whether the caller can hold. Putting a caller on hold without a greeting could miss an emergency.
5. A caller leaves a message for the provider about a medication question. The written message should include:
- A.The caller's first name and the reason for calling only
- B.Advice the medical assistant gave the caller
- C.Caller's name, callback number, date, time, and reason
- D.The caller's name and the time of the call
Answer: C. A complete message includes who called, how to reach them, when they called, the reason, and any action needed so the provider can respond. The MA does not give medication advice, and incomplete messages delay care.
6. In a SOAP note, the patient's statement 'My throat has hurt for three days' belongs in which section?
- A.Subjective
- B.Objective
- C.Assessment
- D.Plan
Answer: A. Subjective data is what the patient reports, such as symptoms in their own words. Objective data is measurable or observed, such as vital signs or a rapid strep result.
7. A patient transferring to a new practice asks to take her original paper chart. The medical assistant should:
- A.Refuse, since patients have no right to their records
- B.Fax the full chart without any written authorization
- C.Hand her the original chart to carry with her
- D.Obtain her signed authorization and send copies
Answer: D. The provider owns the physical record while the patient owns the information, so copies are released with written authorization and the original stays in the office. Patients do have a HIPAA right of access, so refusing is wrong.
8. The medical assistant discovers an incorrect weight entered in the EHR at yesterday's visit. The correct action is to:
- A.Ask IT staff to erase the original entry
- B.Enter a dated correction per office policy
- C.Delete the entry and retype the right value
- D.Leave the error to avoid altering the record
Answer: B. EHR errors are corrected with an amendment or addendum that keeps the original visible in the audit trail, with the date and the MA's identification. Deleting or erasing an entry looks like tampering with a legal document.
9. A patient has met her annual deductible and has 20% coinsurance. For a $200 allowed charge, how much does she owe?
- A.$200
- B.$40
- C.$20
- D.$160
Answer: B. Once the deductible is met, coinsurance is a percentage of the allowed amount: 20% of $200 is $40, and the plan pays $160. The $160 figure is the insurer's share, not the patient's.
10. A patient enrolled in an HMO wants to see a dermatologist without visiting her primary care provider first. The medical assistant should explain that HMOs usually require:
- A.No referral for any specialist or hospital visit
- B.Payment of the full annual premium first
- C.A signed advance beneficiary notice
- D.A referral from the primary care provider
Answer: D. In an HMO the primary care provider acts as gatekeeper, and specialist visits generally need a referral to be covered. Seeing specialists without a referral is more typical of a PPO.
Practice all 16 administrative assisting questions, and the rest of the 200-question bank, in the free CCMA training sets. Questions you miss come back until you have mastered them.
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