CCMA Practice Test — Texas 2026

Texas does not license medical assistants at the state level. The Texas Medical Board regulates physicians and licensed healthcare professionals, but medical assistants are not a licensed profession in Texas. MAs perform clinical and administrative tasks under physician supervision without any state certification requirement. The NHA CCMA (Certified Clinical Medical Assistant) credential is entirely voluntary in Texas — but the state's massive and competitive healthcare market means most large employers, including HCA Healthcare's extensive Texas network and Baylor Scott & White Health, list CMA (AAMA) or CCMA (NHA) as a preferred or required qualification. Texas has one of the largest MA workforces in the country, making certification increasingly important for differentiation. The CCMA is especially attractive in Texas because it offers two eligibility paths: completing an accredited MA program, or documenting one year of full-time clinical work experience. Many Texas MAs who trained on the job rather than through a formal program find the CCMA the most accessible route to certification. Certified MAs in Texas earn $5,000–$7,000 more per year than uncertified MAs in comparable roles.

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 Texas state agency. Schedule at any PSI testing center in Texas through the NHA candidate portal at nhanow.com after eligibility is confirmed. Major PSI testing center locations in Texas: Houston (multiple sites), Dallas, San Antonio, Austin, Fort Worth, El Paso, Plano, Lubbock. 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 Texas — employers treat them as equivalent credentials. The salary premium for certified MAs in Texas is $5,000–$7,000 per year over uncertified MAs in the same role. Houston and Dallas-Fort Worth are Texas's two largest healthcare markets and consistently offer the highest certified MA salaries in the state.

Texas has one of the largest and most diverse healthcare markets in the country. The CCMA credential is common across physician practices, urgent care chains, and community health centers — particularly because the work-experience eligibility path means many Texas MAs who trained on the job can certify through CCMA when CMA is not an option. Top Texas employers where CCMA is listed or accepted: • HCA Healthcare — Texas is one of HCA's largest markets; hospitals and outpatient facilities across Houston, Dallas, Austin, and San Antonio list CCMA (NHA) or CMA (AAMA) as a required or preferred credential. • Baylor Scott & White Health — largest nonprofit health system in Texas; CCMA accepted in most MA postings. • UT Southwestern Medical Center — major academic medical center in Dallas; CCMA accepted interchangeably with CMA. • Texas Health Resources — large integrated system in DFW; CCMA listed as qualifying credential. • Memorial Hermann — large Houston-based health system; CCMA accepted in clinical MA postings. • Community Health Centers of Texas — statewide FQHC network; CCMA is the most common MA credential in this sector due to the work-experience path.

No. Texas does not license medical assistants at the state level. There is no state board exam, no mandatory certification, and no state registration requirement for MAs. You work under the supervision of a licensed physician or other qualified provider. Most major Texas employers — including HCA Healthcare, Baylor Scott & White, and UT Southwestern — require or prefer CCMA (NHA) or CMA (AAMA) certification, but that reflects employer preference, not Texas state law.

No. The CCMA exam is a national exam administered by NHA through PSI testing centers. The same 180-question exam is used in all 50 states — Texas 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 Texas including Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, Austin, Fort Worth, and El Paso.

It depends on your eligibility path. If you complete an NHA-approved MA program, most certificate programs take 9–12 months. 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 in Texas, you may be able to apply immediately. After confirming eligibility through NHA, most candidates schedule and sit within 30–60 days. Study time is typically 4–6 weeks. Total time from program start to credential: approximately 10–14 months for a certificate program, or potentially much faster for experienced Texas MAs using the work-experience path.

Both are widely recognized in Texas, and most major employers accept either. The CCMA is especially common among Texas MAs who trained through work experience rather than a formal CAAHEP/ABHES-accredited program — because the CCMA's work-experience eligibility path gives experienced but informally trained MAs a route to certification that the CMA does not offer. In physician practices and community health centers, the CCMA is frequently the credential of choice. In academic medical centers (UT Southwestern, Memorial Hermann) both are treated as equivalent. On salary, the two credentials pay the same.