RMA certification
- Exam fee
- $150 (includes application, exam and first annual fee)
- Time
- 2 hours
- Renewal
- $75 annual fee; 30 CCP points over a 3-year cycle
The RMA (Registered Medical Assistant) is a certification from American Medical Technologists, or AMT. Getting it means meeting one of AMT's eligibility routes, paying a $150 fee, and passing a 210-question exam. After that, you maintain it through an annual fee plus continuing education.
CMA vs RMA vs CCMA vs NCMA, side by side
Who can take the RMA exam?
AMT lists several routes to qualify, and meeting just one is enough. You can qualify through schooling, job experience or military training.
Both training routes include an externship, which is hands-on practice as part of your training, and you'll need at least 160 hours of it.
| Route | What you need |
|---|---|
| Education | Finished a 720-hour accredited medical assistant program no more than 4 years ago, with 160 or more externship hours |
| Competency and work-based learning | Completion of an approved alternative course running 500 hours or more, with 160 externship hours |
| Work experience | A minimum of 3 years on the job as a medical assistant during the last 7 years |
| Military | Completion, within the past 4 years, of a medical services training program run by the U.S. Armed Forces |
The full details are on AMT's medical assistant page.
When a program is accredited, an outside organization has reviewed and approved it. Of the 1,094 programs we list, 484 are accredited by CAAHEP or offered at ABHES-accredited schools.
Cost of RMA certification
Applying costs $150, which includes the application itself, the exam, and your first yearly fee. Since AMT offers no refunds, confirm you qualify under a route before submitting your application.
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Application plus exam, with your first year's fee included | $150 |
| Practice exam from AMT, good for 2 tries | $30 |
| Annual renewal once the first year ends | $75 |
Steps to get your RMA
- Pick the route you qualify under, since that determines the documents you'll have to provide.
- Submit your application to AMT along with the $150 fee.
- Schedule your exam. Testing happens either at your school or at a Pearson VUE testing center.
- Sit for the exam and pass it.
Inside the RMA exam
There are 210 questions on the exam, divided among 3 areas. Clinical is the biggest section, making up more than half of the exam.
| Section | Number of questions |
|---|---|
| General | 65 |
| Administrative | 30 |
| Clinical | 115 |
| All sections | 210 |
The time limit is 2 hours, so it helps to practice working at a steady pace.
Keeping your RMA current
You'll pay a $75 renewal fee every year. You also build up CCP points, credits earned through continuing education and other learning activities.
Plan on earning 10 CCP points a year, or 30 over each 3-year cycle.
Common questions
Is the RMA exam hard?
It covers a lot of ground in a short time: 210 questions across general, administrative and clinical topics in 2 hours. A good way to find out where you stand is AMT's official practice exam, which costs $30 and includes two full tries, each with 210 questions matching the real exam's length.
How much time does becoming an RMA take?
Training takes up most of the time. Among the 378 career schools reporting this, medical assistant programs run a median of 9 months. Program lengths range from 2 months at the shortest to 32 months at the longest. Qualifying through work experience instead requires 3 years in the field within the past 7 years.
Can I train to be a medical assistant online?
Our listings include 30 medical assistant programs that can be completed entirely through distance education, including 14 accredited programs. These are training programs, and the RMA exam itself is taken at a school or a Pearson VUE testing center. The education route still requires at least 160 externship hours, so ask how an online program meets that requirement before enrolling.
Will my state recognize the RMA?
The AMT RMA exam is accepted by Washington for its Medical Assistant-Certified credential. AMT also appears among the certifying organizations approved by the Board for medical assistants in California.
What do medical assistants earn?
Medical assistants earned a median of $45,690 a year in May 2025, which comes to $21.97 an hour. Note these numbers reflect all medical assistants, whether or not they've earned the RMA.
How much does medical assistant school cost?
Across the 392 career schools publishing a full-program price, the median came to $17,257, a figure that bundles tuition together with fees and books. At 437 public colleges, median in-district tuition and fees were $4,346 for a year of full-time study in 2023-24. Of the listed schools, 1,049 take part in federal student aid.