Medical assistant certification: CMA, CCMA and RMA compared

CMA vs CCMA vs RMA at a glance

The CMA (AAMA) is the strictest on eligibility, the CCMA is the most open to people trained on the job, and the RMA bundles the exam with the first year's fee.^{[aama_app][aama_elig][nha_ccma][amt_rma]} The table puts the published rules side by side.

Sources: AAMA exam application and eligibility pages, NHA CCMA page (archived Sep 30, 2026), AMT RMA page, Medical Board of California list of approved certifying organizations.^[mbc_ma] AMT's eligibility routes and continuing education rules are on its site.

CMA certification (AAMA)

CMA certification is the AAMA's credential, and it requires being a student or graduate of a CAAHEP- or ABHES-accredited medical assisting program, holding a prior CMA, or qualifying through the AAMA's educator or Alternative Pathway routes.^[aama_elig] The exam fee is $125 for AAMA members and recent graduates and $250 for non-members, and AAMA membership is not required to sit for it.^[aama_app] CMAs recertify every 60 months, either with 60 continuing education units or by retaking the exam.^{[aama_recert]}

Choose the CMA if you are going to an accredited program anyway: it is the one credential whose eligibility proves accredited training, and some employers ask for it by name.

CCMA certification (NHA)

CCMA certification from the National Healthcareer Association is open to anyone with a high school diploma or GED who either completed a medical assisting training program in the last 5 years or has worked as a medical assistant under supervision for 1 year in the last 3 years (or 2 years in the last 5).^[nha_ccma] It renews every 2 years with 10 continuing education credits. NHA's current exam price was not shown on the public eligibility page we reviewed, so confirm it at registration.

The CCMA is the practical choice for people already working in a clinic without a formal program. Its main limit is geographic: California's Medical Board does not list NHA among approved certifying organizations.^[mbc_ma]

RMA certification (AMT)

RMA certification from American Medical Technologists costs $150, and that fee covers the application, the exam and the first annual fee.^[amt_rma] AMT is one of the organizations the Medical Board of California approves.^[mbc_ma] AMT also certifies phlebotomists (the RPT, $125), which is useful for medical assistants who draw blood.^[amt_rpt]

Medical assistant certification cost over five years

Medical assistant certification cost is more than the exam fee, because each credential renews on its own schedule.^{[aama_recert][nha_ccma][amt_rma]} Over five years, a CMA holder pays the exam fee once and then recertifies at month 60; a CCMA holder renews twice in that span; an RMA holder's $150 covers only the first annual fee, so AMT's annual fee applies in later years. Renewal fees change, so compare the current price lists before you choose.

Does certification raise medical assistant pay?

There is no official answer, because BLS counts certified and uncertified medical assistants in one occupation.^[sum_ma] The national median for the whole group is $45,690 (May 2025), and the middle half earn $38,470 to $49,180.^[onet_ma] What certification reliably changes is access: employers who require a credential, and states such as California that tie certain duties to approved certification.

Pay by state is on medical assistant salary, California's detail on medical assistant salary in California, and the full training path on how to become a medical assistant.