CCMA Practice Test

CCMA Anatomy & Physiology Practice Questions

Anatomy & Physiology makes up 3 of every 50 questions on a Tigertest CCMA practice test. Here are 10 of the 12 questions on it, each with the answer and the reason.

Updated 2026-11-10 by the Tigertest team. Weighted to the NHA CCMA test plan (3.0). Scope of practice varies by state.

1. 1. A provider documents a laceration on the forearm "distal to the elbow." This means the wound is:

   • A.Closer to the trunk than the elbow
   • B.Farther from the trunk than the elbow
   • C.On the back surface, behind the elbow joint
   • D.Nearer the midline than the elbow

   Answer: B. Distal means farther from the point of attachment or the trunk, so the wound lies between the elbow and the hand. Closer to the trunk is proximal, and toward the midline is medial.

2. 2. A provider orders imaging that shows the body in transverse sections. The transverse plane divides the body into:

   • A.Anterior and posterior portions
   • B.Right and left portions
   • C.Equal right and left halves
   • D.Superior and inferior portions

   Answer: D. The transverse (horizontal) plane divides the body into upper (superior) and lower (inferior) portions. The frontal or coronal plane creates anterior and posterior portions, and the sagittal plane divides right from left, with the midsagittal plane making equal halves.

3. 3. A patient reports tenderness in the right lower quadrant of the abdomen. Which organ is located in this quadrant?

   • A.Appendix
   • B.Spleen
   • C.Gallbladder
   • D.Sigmoid colon

   Answer: A. The appendix lies in the right lower quadrant, which is why appendicitis classically causes RLQ pain. The gallbladder is in the right upper quadrant, the spleen in the left upper quadrant, and the sigmoid colon in the left lower quadrant.

4. 4. Oxygen-poor blood returning from the body through the superior and inferior venae cavae first enters which heart chamber?

   • A.Right ventricle
   • B.Left atrium
   • C.Right atrium
   • D.Left ventricle

   Answer: C. Deoxygenated blood from the body enters the right atrium, passes through the tricuspid valve into the right ventricle, and is pumped through the pulmonary valve to the lungs. The left atrium receives oxygenated blood from the pulmonary veins.

5. 5. A patient asks what makes the heart beat on its own. Which structure normally acts as the heart's natural pacemaker?

   • A.Bundle of His
   • B.Purkinje fibers
   • C.Sinoatrial (SA) node
   • D.Atrioventricular (AV) node

   Answer: C. The SA node in the right atrium starts each impulse, which travels to the AV node, the bundle of His, the bundle branches, and the Purkinje fibers. The AV node briefly delays the impulse but is not the normal pacemaker.

6. 6. A patient with emphysema has damage to the structures where oxygen and carbon dioxide are exchanged with the blood. These structures are the:

   • A.Alveoli
   • B.Bronchi
   • C.Trachea
   • D.Pleural membranes

   Answer: A. Alveoli are tiny air sacs surrounded by capillaries where oxygen enters the blood and carbon dioxide leaves it, and emphysema destroys their walls. The trachea and bronchi only conduct air, and the pleura lines the lungs and chest cavity.

7. 7. Most chemical digestion and absorption of nutrients into the bloodstream takes place in which organ of the digestive system?

   • A.Colon (large intestine)
   • B.Esophagus
   • C.Stomach
   • D.Small intestine

   Answer: D. The small intestine, lined with villi, is where most chemical digestion and nutrient absorption occur. The large intestine mainly absorbs water and electrolytes, and the stomach begins protein digestion.

8. 8. A provider is explaining a patient's kidney disease. The microscopic functional unit of the kidney that filters blood and forms urine is the:

   • A.Urethra
   • B.Nephron
   • C.Renal pelvis
   • D.Ureter

   Answer: B. Each kidney contains about a million nephrons, which filter blood at the glomerulus and process the filtrate into urine. The ureters carry urine to the bladder, and the urethra carries it out of the body.

9. 9. A newly diagnosed patient with type 1 diabetes asks which organ normally makes insulin. The hormone insulin is produced by the:

   • A.Adrenal glands
   • B.Pancreas
   • C.Liver
   • D.Thyroid gland

   Answer: B. Beta cells in the pancreatic islets of Langerhans produce insulin, which lowers blood glucose. The liver stores glucose as glycogen but does not make insulin, and the thyroid and adrenal glands produce other hormones.

10. 10. A patient becomes anxious before a blood draw, and her heart rate and blood pressure rise. This fight-or-flight response is controlled by the:

    • A.Parasympathetic nervous system
    • B.Somatic nervous system
    • C.Cerebellum
    • D.Sympathetic nervous system

    Answer: D. The sympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system speeds the heart, raises blood pressure, and dilates the pupils under stress. The parasympathetic division does the opposite, promoting rest and digestion.