Free American Medical Technologists Certified Medical Administrative Specialist (CMAS) certification exam Practice Questions

Sample Practice Questions

Try these 10 sample questions from the American Medical Technologists Certified Medical Administrative Specialist (CMAS) certification exam practice bank. Each includes the answer and explanation. Continue with the interactive practice above to review the full question set.

1. 1In a medical term, which word part denotes the heart?

   1. A. gastr-
   2. B. cardi-
   3. C. hepat-
   4. D. nephr-

   Answer: B

   Explanation: MedlinePlus pairs "cardi-, cardio- heart" in its word-parts table. The first term is the relevant medical word part, and the second gives its meaning; the competing terms represent other body parts, directions, or amounts.

   Reference: MedlinePlus Appendix A: Word Parts and What They Mean — Body Parts and Disorders, cardi- entry

2. 2When obtaining a preliminary medication history, which items should be included along with prescription medicines?

   1. A. Only medicines prescribed by specialists
   2. B. Over-the-counter medicines and herbal supplements
   3. C. Only medicines taken on the day of the visit
   4. D. Only medicines listed in prior office records

   Answer: B

   Explanation: MedlinePlus instructs patients to "Include over-the-counter medicines and herbal supplements as well" in their medication list. Limiting the history to prescriptions or prior records could miss relevant products.

   Reference: MedlinePlus: Make the Most of Your Doctor Visit — How to Prepare, medication list paragraph

3. 3Within a physician practice, what does patient practice scheduling encompass?

   1. A. Planning appointments and processing referrals
   2. B. Processing payments and reconciling deposits
   3. C. Entering clinical diagnoses and interpreting tests
   4. D. Ordering supplies and maintaining equipment

   Answer: A

   Explanation: CMS defines "Patient practice scheduling" as the "process of planning appointments and processing a referral." The other workflows concern finance, clinical assessment, or operations.

   Reference: CMS: ICD-10 Implementation Guide for Large Practices — Patient practice intake table, scheduling row

4. 4How does an EHR typically differ in scope from an EMR?

   1. A. An EHR can span care settings and providers.
   2. B. An EHR is limited to one provider's office.
   3. C. An EMR always includes all outside pharmacies.
   4. D. An EMR is only a paper document archive.

   Answer: A

   Explanation: ASTP/ONC states that "EMRs are usually limited to a single provider or practice, while EHRs cover patient records across different care settings and providers." The distinction is scope of record sharing.

   Reference: ASTP/ONC: Benefits of EHRs — What is an EHR? EMR comparison

5. 5A patient has an HMO plan. Which network limitation is characteristic of this plan type?

   1. A. Coverage is usually limited to contracted doctors, except emergencies.
   2. B. Any out-of-network visit is covered at the same rate as network care.
   3. C. A provider outside the network is always covered if the patient requests it.
   4. D. The plan has no provider network or service-area conditions.

   Answer: A

   Explanation: HealthCare.gov says an HMO "usually limits coverage to care from doctors who work for or contract with the HMO" and "generally won't cover out-of-network care except in an emergency." The alternatives misstate the network restriction.

   Reference: HealthCare.gov: Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) — HMO glossary definition

6. 6Under the cash method of accounting, when is business income generally reported?

   1. A. In the tax year payment is received
   2. B. When an invoice is prepared, even if unpaid
   3. C. When the service is scheduled for a later date
   4. D. At the end of the next tax year regardless of receipt

   Answer: A

   Explanation: IRS Publication 538 states, "Under the cash method, you generally report income in the tax year you receive it." Creating an invoice alone does not make income received under this method.

   Reference: IRS: Publication 538, Accounting Periods and Methods — Accounting methods overview

7. 7A medical office assistant needs to draft and edit a patient information letter with text and an image. Which type of application directly supports that task?

   1. A. Word processing application
   2. B. Spreadsheet calculation application
   3. C. Relational database query application
   4. D. Slide presentation application

   Answer: A

   Explanation: Microsoft describes Word as able to "Create a document from scratch or from a template ." and "Add text, images, art, and videos." A word processor is therefore suited to composing this letter.

   Reference: Microsoft Support: Create a document in Word — With Word you can

8. 8During a short medical office safety huddle, a staff member raises a potential patient safety concern. What is the huddle's immediate communication purpose?

   1. A. Share and flag the concern for assigned follow-up.
   2. B. Complete a full root-cause investigation in the meeting.
   3. C. Resolve every concern before any staff member leaves.
   4. D. Replace the office's incident-reporting process.

   Answer: A

   Explanation: AHRQ states, "The purpose of the huddle is to share information and highlight concerns to be followed up – not solve issues." The concern should be flagged for appropriate follow-up rather than requiring a full solution during the brief huddle.

   Reference: AHRQ PSNet: Improving Patient Safety and Team Communication through Daily Huddles — Definition

9. 9Which word part identifies the liver in a medical term?

   1. A. hepat-
   2. B. cardi-
   3. C. gastr-
   4. D. splen-

   Answer: A

   Explanation: MedlinePlus pairs "hepat-, hepatico-, hepato- liver" in its word-parts table. Cardi- means heart, gastr- stomach, and splen- spleen.

   Reference: MedlinePlus Appendix A: Word Parts and What They Mean — Body Parts and Disorders, hepat- entry

10. 10A patient reports a remote operation during a preliminary health history. How should that information be treated?

    1. A. Include it with past conditions and surgeries.
    2. B. Exclude it because it was not recent.
    3. C. Record it only if it was done at this office.
    4. D. Record it only after the current visit.

    Answer: A

    Explanation: MedlinePlus says, "Go over any past or current health conditions or surgeries." A remote operation is part of that history even if unrelated to the appointment reason.

    Reference: MedlinePlus: Make the Most of Your Doctor Visit — Medical history paragraph