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Preparing for Your Medical Assistant Certification Exam? 3 Tips for Success

If you’re preparing for your medical assistant certification exam in CT, here are some tips that could help you succeed!

With healthcare careers in CT continuing to grow, the demand for certified medical assistants is ever on the rise. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the medical assisting field is projected to grow 23 percent by 2024, a rate much faster than the average for all occupations.

While it is not legally required to earn your medical assistant certification in CT, many employers show a strong preference for certified personnel. Certification earned by completing the Certified Medical Assistant Exam—the gold standard of professionalism in medical assisting—makes graduates of a medical assisting program stand out to employers. Certification tells potential employers that you meet the standards of ability and professionalism that they’re looking for.

At Goodwin, graduates of the medical assistant program are not only eligible to sit for the CMA exam, but also earn college credits that can count towards an associate or bachelor’s degree if they wish to pursue their education further.

So if you’re looking to take your medical assistant certification exam, here are three tips to help you be best prepared:

  • Prepare for the Material on the CMA Exam

When studying for your exam, the best first step you can take is to know exactly what content is going to be tested. The American Association of Medical Students (AMAA) provides a content outline with basic categories covered by the CMA exam, including everything from common terminology, ethics and professionalism, to clinical skills. While the exam may vary, the CMA exam generally consists of:

  • 12% diagnostic testing
  • 12% medical terminology questions
  • 12% pharmacology questions
  • 12% medical procedures questions
  • 12% patient examination questions
  • 11% anatomy and physiology questions
  • 11% phlebotomy questions
  • 10% medical office management and general office procedures questions
  • 4% bookkeeping questions
  • 4% insurance processing questions

Using this outline, you can prepare for exactly what you’ll need to know to do your best on the exam and earn your certification.

  • Review Your Course Materials

After figuring out the most likely questions to appear on the CMA exam, it’s time to review your course materials. In Goodwin College’s medical assistant program, you will have learned to:

  • Utilize medical terminology appropriately.
  • Describe the anatomy and physiology of the human body, as well as the related disease processes.
  • Describe legal and regulatory frameworks of healthcare as they relate to the Medical Assistant.
  • Demonstrate computer literacy skills.
  • Effectively engage in written and oral communication as demonstrated through charting and communication with patients and other health professionals.
  • Prepare patients for examination or procedures, and assist the physician with the examination or procedure.
  • Collect and prepare laboratory specimens, as well as perform basic laboratory testing.
  • Perform phlebotomy and other invasive specimen collection techniques.
  • Perform electrocardiograms and respiratory testing.

Taking the time to review those materials, including textbooks and class notes, can at first seem overwhelming. Depending on how you best study, you may want to browse the relevant sections of your books, study in a group with other classmates preparing for the test, or create flashcards with key terms you expect will come up in your examination.

  • Take the Practice Exams

After studying and reviewing for the test, you may want to try taking practice tests to measure how well you’re retaining the right information. There are a number of free and paid medical assistant certification tests online, including an Anatomy and Physiology practice test and a Medical Terminology practice test from the AAMA. Those tests offer both the multiple choice questions and the sample answers, guaranteeing you instant results that you can work on to keep studying for your exams.

Interested in learning more about Goodwin College? Learn more today, or check out all of our programs to see why we’re a leader in healthcare education in CT! You can also interact with us on Facebook or Twitter!