CMA (AAMA) Practice Test

CMA (AAMA) Lab & Diagnostic Testing Practice Questions

Lab & Diagnostic Testing makes up 5 of every 50 questions on a Tigertest CMA (AAMA) practice test. Here are 10 of the 20 questions on it, each with the answer and the reason.

Updated 2026-11-10 by the Tigertest team. Based on the AAMA Content Outline for the CMA (AAMA) Certification Exam. Original questions; 50 per test, weighted like the real exam. Not affiliated with the AAMA.

1. 1. A urine reagent strip is positive for nitrite. What does this most often suggest?

   • A.A recent heavy meal
   • B.Bacteria in the urine
   • C.Protein loss from the kidneys
   • D.High blood glucose

   Answer: B. Many urinary bacteria convert nitrate to nitrite, so a positive nitrite points to a urinary tract infection. Leukocyte esterase, which detects white cells, often appears with it.

2. 2. A patient's urine dipstick shows ketones. What does this indicate?

   • A.The urine sample is too dilute
   • B.There is blood in the bladder
   • C.The kidneys are filtering protein
   • D.Fat is being burned for energy

   Answer: D. Ketones form when fat is broken down because glucose is unavailable, as in fasting, very low-carbohydrate diets or uncontrolled diabetes.

3. 3. Casts seen in a urine sediment under the microscope are formed in which part of the urinary system?

   • A.Kidney tubules
   • B.The ureters
   • C.The bladder wall
   • D.The urethra

   Answer: A. Casts are cylinders molded inside the kidney tubules, so they point to kidney disease rather than a bladder problem.

4. 4. A patient's CBC shows a white blood cell count well above the normal range. What does this most often suggest?

   • A.A bleeding disorder
   • B.Dehydration from fasting
   • C.Infection or inflammation
   • D.Iron deficiency anemia

   Answer: C. A raised WBC count (leukocytosis) is most often the body's response to infection or inflammation; stress, steroids and blood cancers are less common causes. Iron deficiency shows in the red cell values, and bleeding disorders in the platelets and clotting tests.

5. 5. A patient's erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) is high. What does this most generally indicate?

   • A.Low blood glucose levels
   • B.A clotting factor deficiency
   • C.Inflammation in the body
   • D.A specific bacterial infection

   Answer: C. ESR is a nonspecific marker: red cells settle faster when inflammatory proteins are raised. It does not identify the cause or site.

6. 6. A hemoglobin A1C result reflects average blood glucose over about how long?

   • A.The past 2 to 3 months
   • B.The past week
   • C.The past 12 months or so
   • D.The past 24 hours

   Answer: A. Glucose binds to hemoglobin for the life of the red cell (about 120 days), so A1C reflects roughly the last 2 to 3 months. No fasting is needed.

7. 7. A rapid mononucleosis test is ordered for a teenager with fatigue and swollen glands. What does it detect?

   • A.Human chorionic gonadotropin
   • B.Group A strep antigen
   • C.Influenza A protein
   • D.Heterophile antibodies

   Answer: D. Infectious mononucleosis (Epstein-Barr virus) produces heterophile antibodies that the rapid slide or cassette test detects.

8. 8. A breath or stool test for Helicobacter pylori is ordered. Which condition is this bacterium linked to?

   • A.Urinary infections
   • B.Peptic ulcers
   • C.Kidney stones
   • D.Strep throat

   Answer: B. H. pylori infects the stomach lining and causes most peptic ulcers. Treatment combines antibiotics with acid reducers.

9. 9. A skin scraping is mixed with potassium hydroxide (KOH) on a slide. What is the provider looking for?

   • A.Gram-positive cocci
   • B.Fungal hyphae or yeast
   • C.Red blood cell casts
   • D.Pinworm eggs and larvae

   Answer: B. KOH dissolves skin cells and keratin but leaves fungal elements, so hyphae and yeast stand out. A saline wet mount is used for organisms such as trichomonads.

10. 10. A new shipment of CLIA-waived rapid strep test kits arrives. When are the kit's external positive and negative controls run?

    • A.Once a year at inspection
    • B.Never, since waived tests skip QC
    • C.Only when a result looks wrong
    • D.On each new lot or shipment

    Answer: D. Waived tests must follow the manufacturer's instructions, which typically call for external controls on each new lot or shipment (and as the package insert or office policy adds). Results are logged before patient testing begins.