CCMA Practice Test — Georgia 2026

Georgia does not license medical assistants at the state level. The Georgia Composite Medical Board regulates physicians and licensed healthcare professionals, but medical assistants are not a licensed profession in Georgia. MAs work under physician supervision without any state certification or registration requirement. The NHA CCMA (Certified Clinical Medical Assistant) credential is entirely voluntary in Georgia — but the state's largest employers, anchored by major Atlanta-area health systems, consistently list CCMA (NHA) or CMA (AAMA) as a preferred or required qualification. The CCMA is especially popular in Georgia's large community health and FQHC sector, where many MAs have hands-on clinical experience but did not complete a formal CAAHEP/ABHES program. The work-experience eligibility path makes the CCMA the most practical route to certification for this segment. Certified MAs in Georgia earn $4,000–$5,500 more per year than uncertified MAs in comparable roles, with metro Atlanta offering the highest salaries in the state.

CertPrepAcademy offers a free CCMA practice test in NHA style — 35 questions for a quick warm-up or 70 questions for a full simulation — with detailed explanations for every answer. No account required. Start immediately — your progress is saved automatically. For targeted prep, use the topic quizzes to drill individual domains: Clinical Procedures, Patient Care, Pharmacology, and more.

The CCMA exam is administered by PSI on behalf of NHA — not a Georgia state agency. Schedule at any PSI testing center in Georgia through the NHA candidate portal at nhanow.com after eligibility is confirmed. Major PSI testing center locations in Georgia: Atlanta (multiple sites), Savannah, Augusta, Columbus, Macon, Athens, Marietta, Valdosta. Two eligibility paths: • Path 1: Graduate of an NHA-approved or CAAHEP/ABHES-accredited medical assisting program. • Path 2: One year of full-time clinical work experience as a medical assistant (no formal program required). Must be 18+ with a high school diploma or equivalent. Photo ID required. Results available immediately at the testing center (pass/fail); official NHA certificate follows.

CCMA and CMA (AAMA) pay is very close in Georgia — employers treat them as equivalent credentials. The salary premium for certified MAs in Georgia is $4,000–$5,500 per year over uncertified MAs in the same role. Metro Atlanta offers the highest certified MA salaries in the state, set by the competitive compensation benchmarks of Emory Healthcare, Piedmont Healthcare, and Wellstar.

The CCMA credential is common across Georgia's healthcare settings — from Atlanta's major academic medical centers and integrated systems to regional health systems, urgent care chains, and community health centers throughout the state. Top Georgia employers where CCMA is listed or accepted: • Piedmont Healthcare — large Atlanta-based system with 11 hospitals; CCMA or CMA preferred in most MA postings. • Emory Healthcare — major academic medical center affiliated with Emory University; CCMA accepted interchangeably with CMA. • Wellstar Health System — Marietta-based system with 11 hospitals across metro Atlanta; CCMA listed as qualifying credential. • Northside Hospital — Atlanta-based system known for cancer and women's health; CCMA accepted in clinical MA roles. • Grady Health System — Atlanta's public health system and Level I trauma center; CCMA commonly listed in MA postings. • Children's Healthcare of Atlanta — pediatric health system with multiple campuses; CCMA accepted in outpatient settings.

No. Georgia does not license medical assistants at the state level. There is no state board exam, no mandatory certification, and no registration requirement. MAs work under physician supervision. Most major Georgia employers — including Piedmont Healthcare, Emory Healthcare, Wellstar, and Northside Hospital — require or prefer CCMA (NHA) or CMA (AAMA) certification, but that reflects employer preference, not Georgia state law.

No. The CCMA exam is a national exam administered by NHA through PSI testing centers. The same 180-question exam (150 scored, 30 unscored pretest) is used in all 50 states — Georgia has no separate state MA exam or state-specific content. You schedule through the NHA candidate portal at nhanow.com after receiving eligibility confirmation. PSI has testing centers across Georgia including multiple Atlanta-area sites, Savannah, Augusta, Columbus, and Macon.

It depends on your eligibility path. If you complete an NHA-approved MA program, most Georgia certificate programs take 9–12 months through technical colleges (Technical College System of Georgia has accredited MA programs at campuses statewide). If you qualify through work experience, you need one year of full-time clinical work as an MA — if you are already working in the field, you may be eligible immediately. After confirming eligibility through NHA, most candidates schedule and sit within 30–60 days. Study time is typically 4–6 weeks.

Both are widely recognized by Georgia's major health systems, and most employers list CMA (AAMA) or CCMA (NHA) as interchangeable. The CCMA is especially common in community health centers, FQHCs, and independent physician practices throughout Georgia — settings where many MAs came up through work experience rather than formal programs, making the CCMA's work-experience eligibility path particularly valuable. At academic medical centers like Emory Healthcare, both credentials are treated equally. On salary, the two credentials pay the same in Georgia.