Foundational Knowledge and Basic Science — Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA) Practice Test

This Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA) Foundational Knowledge and Basic Science practice set has 45 practice questions based on the official exam materials, each with an instant explanation.

Sample questions

Three questions from the Foundational Knowledge and Basic Science bank with the correct answer and an explanation. The practice quiz above draws 30 questions at random from the same bank.

1. Within the medical assistant's general scope of practice, clinical duties are best described as which of the following?

   • Delegated tasks performed under the supervision of a licensed provider — Correct answer
   • Independent tasks the medical assistant may perform without provider oversight
   • Duties limited strictly to administrative and clerical work
   • Diagnostic decisions made whenever a provider is unavailable

   Explanation: Per NHA Domain 1 (Health Care Systems and Settings; MA roles and scope) and standard MA references (Kinn's/Bonewit-West), medical assistants perform delegated clinical and administrative tasks under the supervision of a licensed provider such as a physician, NP, or PA. They do not act independently of a provider, are not limited to clerical work, and never make diagnoses.

   Handbook: Foundational Knowledge — Health Systems & Terminology: Medical assistant scope of practice (NHA Domain 1; Kinn's/Bonewit-West)

2. A medical assistant may perform all of the following delegated tasks EXCEPT:

   • Independently diagnosing a patient's condition and prescribing medication — Correct answer
   • Recording a patient's vital signs and chief complaint
   • Administering an injection that the provider has ordered
   • Performing a CLIA-waived point-of-care test

   Explanation: Per NHA Domain 1 (MA scope of practice), medical assistants do NOT diagnose, prescribe, or independently triage; those acts require a licensed provider. Recording vitals and history, giving an ordered injection, and running CLIA-waived tests are appropriate delegated tasks (Kinn's/Bonewit-West).

   Handbook: Foundational Knowledge — Health Systems & Terminology: Scope limits of the medical assistant (NHA Domain 1; Kinn's/Bonewit-West)

3. An MD and a DO differ primarily in that:

   • Both are fully licensed physicians, but the DO completes osteopathic training that includes manipulative/musculoskeletal medicine — Correct answer
   • Only the MD is a licensed physician; the DO cannot diagnose or prescribe
   • The DO is a nurse practitioner, while the MD is a physician
   • The MD may work only in hospitals and the DO only in outpatient clinics

   Explanation: Per NHA Domain 1 (provider credentials), both an MD (allopathic) and a DO (osteopathic) are fully licensed physicians who diagnose, prescribe, and perform surgery. DO training adds osteopathic manipulative medicine. The other options misstate the DO's licensure and settings.

   Handbook: Foundational Knowledge — Health Systems & Terminology: Provider credentials MD vs DO (NHA Domain 1; Kinn's/Bonewit-West)