How Much Does the CCMA Exam Cost? NHA Fees Explained (2026)
NHA does not publish a flat CCMA exam fee on its public certification pages. The fee is disclosed inside the NHA candidate portal at the point you schedule your exam date and testing location, as of September 2026, so the only verified number is where and when you see it, not a fixed dollar figure. What NHA does publish directly: recertification costs $195 every two years, which NHA frames as about $8 per month, and requires 10 continuing education (CE) credits per two year cycle, where 2 hours of CE equals 1 NHA CE credit. You must pay the exam fee again for every retake attempt; NHA does not list a separate discounted retake price. A certification that lapses less than 30 days past its two year expiration renews with no extra fee. One that lapses between 30 days and one year requires reinstatement: 15 CE credits plus a $292.50 renewal fee and a $99 reinstatement fee, $391.50 total. A certification lapsed more than one year cannot be reinstated at all; the candidate must retake and pass the certification exam again.
Why NHA Does Not List a Flat CCMA Exam Fee
NHA’s own certification page for the CCMA states that after you complete your training verification, you select an exam date and location, online proctoring or in person, and that “an exam fee payment is required during this step,” inside your NHA account. No dollar figure appears on the public marketing page itself. NHA points candidates to the Shop section of nhanow.com to view current pricing for the specific certification exam they are registering for. That fee covers one scheduled sitting of the exam: 180 total questions, 150 scored and 30 unscored pretest items mixed in unmarked, delivered over 3 hours through PSI. For the full domain by domain breakdown of what those 150 scored questions cover, see What’s on the CCMA Exam.
This is not unusual for NHA certifications generally: exam fees are account and registration specific rather than posted as a single catalog price, which is why prep sites quoting a single number for the CCMA fee should be read with caution. NHA does not list the exam fee on its certification pages; per the Candidate Handbook, current exam fees appear in the Shop section of nhanow.com and again when you register inside your account.
What the Exam Fee Includes
The fee you pay at scheduling covers a single attempt at the CCMA exam as currently structured: the full 180 question exam form, delivered by PSI at a testing center or through live remote proctoring, with a scaled score report at the end. It does not include study materials, a second attempt, or recertification. NHA sells separate optional products, such as CCMA study guides and practice tests, through its own store; those are priced and purchased independently of the exam application fee.
What It Costs to Retake the CCMA Exam
If you do not pass, NHA requires you to pay the exam fee again for every retake. There is no published discount for a second or third attempt. NHA’s own guidance to candidates who did not pass states plainly that “you must pay for each exam retake,” which is one reason NHA also recommends using the wait period between attempts to prepare rather than treating an early attempt as a free trial run. For the full retake timeline, including the minimum 30 day wait and the 12 month wait after a third unsuccessful attempt, see What Happens If You Fail the CCMA Exam.
CCMA Recertification Cost: $195 Every Two Years
Once you pass and hold the CCMA credential, keeping it active costs $195 every two years, as of September 2026, which NHA describes as roughly $8 per month. Renewal also requires 10 CE credits per two year cycle, where 2 hours of continuing education equals 1 NHA CE credit. If you hold more than one NHA certification, the same 10 credits can apply toward all of them, so stacked credentials do not multiply the CE requirement. Some states layer their own CE rules on top of NHA’s for licensed roles, so check your state’s requirements before assuming NHA’s 10 credit minimum is the only one that applies to you.
What happens if you let a certification lapse depends entirely on how long it has been expired. The table below shows NHA’s published reinstatement tiers.
| Certification status | CE credits required | Fees |
|---|---|---|
| Renewed on time (within the 2 year cycle) | 10 CE credits | $195 |
| Lapsed less than 30 days past expiration | 10 CE credits | $195, no extra fee |
| Lapsed 30 days to 1 year past expiration | 15 CE credits | $292.50 renewal + $99 reinstatement = $391.50 |
| Lapsed more than 1 year past expiration | Not eligible for reinstatement | Must retake and pass the certification exam |
The practical takeaway is that renewing on time or within the first 30 days after expiration is always the cheapest path, and letting a lapse cross the one year mark erases the credential entirely, requiring a full retake at the exam fee shown at registration rather than any renewal price.
Budgeting for the CCMA: What You Actually Control
Since NHA does not publish a fixed exam fee, the cost variable you can control is not the sticker price but how many times you pay it. A candidate who passes on the first attempt pays the registration fee once, plus $195 every two years afterward. A candidate who needs a second or third attempt pays the full exam fee again each time, with no discount, which is the single biggest cost lever inside your control. Studying against the exam’s actual domain weights, rather than spreading review time evenly across all seven domains, is the most direct way to reduce the odds of paying for a retake. See How Hard Is the CCMA Exam for NHA’s published 2024 pass rate and passing score details.
Ready to see where you stand before you pay for exam day? Try a free CCMA practice test to sample questions across all seven domains, or start full length CCMA practice tests built around NHA’s actual domain weights to reduce your odds of paying for a retake.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does the CCMA exam cost?
NHA does not publish a single flat fee on its public certification page. The fee is shown inside your NHA account during the exam scheduling step, and current pricing is available in the Shop section of nhanow.com. NHA’s only publicly listed CCMA related cost is the $195 recertification fee, which is separate from the exam application fee.
Do you have to pay again to retake the CCMA exam?
Yes. NHA requires payment of the exam fee for every attempt, including retakes. There is no published discounted retake price as of September 2026.
How much does CCMA recertification cost?
$195 every two years, plus 10 CE credits per cycle (2 hours of continuing education equals 1 credit). NHA describes this as roughly $8 per month.
What happens if my CCMA certification expires before I renew?
It depends on how long it has lapsed. Under 30 days past expiration renews at the standard $195 fee. Between 30 days and 1 year requires reinstatement: 15 CE credits, a $292.50 renewal fee, and a $99 reinstatement fee. More than 1 year past expiration is not eligible for reinstatement at all, and the candidate must retake and pass the certification exam.
Sources
- Medical Assistant Certification (CCMA), nhanow.com
- NHA Certification Renewal & Reinstatement, nhanow.com
- What to Do If You Didn’t Pass Your Exam, info.nhanow.com
- NHA Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA) Test Plan, 2022, nhanow.com
- NHA Candidate Handbook, nhanow.com (updated June 2026)
Med Preps is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the National Healthcareer Association (NHA) or Assessment Technologies Institute (ATI). NHA, CCMA, CPT, and CBCS are trademarks of Assessment Technologies Institute, LLC. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
For educational and exam preparation purposes only. Not a substitute for formal clinical training.