What Happens If You Fail the CCMA Exam? Retake Policy and Next Steps

If you do not pass the CCMA exam, NHA allows up to three attempts, with a minimum 30 day wait required before each retake, as of September 2026. If you still have not passed after the third attempt, NHA requires a full 12 month wait before you can test again, and that 12 month wait applies to every attempt beyond the third. You must pay the exam fee again for each retake; NHA does not offer a discounted retake price. A passing score is 390 out of a possible 200 to 500 scaled point range, the same standard covered in How Hard Is the CCMA Exam. Whether you pass or fail, NHA generates a detailed score report that rates each major content area of the CCMA test plan as Above, Near, or Below the passing standard, so a failed attempt still gives you a rough map of where to focus before you try again. Failing is not the end of the road toward certification; it is a data point NHA hands you to close specific gaps before your next scheduled attempt.

NHA’s CCMA Retake Policy: 3 Attempts, 30 Day Waits

NHA’s guidance to candidates who did not pass is direct: you can reapply to sit for the exam again after 30 days if you do not pass on your first or second attempt. If you do not pass after your third attempt, you must wait 12 months to take the exam again, and that same 12 month wait applies to every subsequent attempt after that. There is no published cap on total lifetime attempts; the policy simply lengthens the wait sharply once you pass three unsuccessful sittings. The table below lays out the timeline attempt by attempt, current as of September 2026.

What Your Score Report Shows After a Fail

NHA sends an email notification when results are ready inside your certification portal account; for confidentiality, the email itself does not include your score. Logging in and opening your Individual Result Report shows your Pass or Fail status and your scaled score, and it rates each major content area of the CCMA test plan as Above, Near, or Below the passing standard, the same domains covered in What’s on the CCMA Exam. Two caveats from NHA’s Candidate Handbook are worth taking seriously: a Near rating does not mean your performance in that area was satisfactory, and each rating covers a range, so treat the report as a rough map of where to focus rather than a precise diagnostic. When you plan your review, remember that Clinical Patient Care alone carries 56% of the 150 scored items, so that domain deserves the largest share of your study time regardless of how the areas were rated.

NHA also offers Focused Review and a Vitals analytics tool inside a candidate’s account, which uses practice exam data to point out the content areas where performance is weakest. NHA’s own advice to a candidate who did not pass is straightforward: stay positive, check your performance data, keep studying, and ask for help if you need it. None of that changes what a scaled score of 390 requires, but it does mean a failed attempt comes with a specific map of what to fix rather than a vague instruction to study harder.

What It Costs to Retake the Exam

NHA requires payment of the full exam fee for every retake attempt; there is no discounted price for a second or third sitting. NHA does not publish a flat CCMA exam fee on its public pages; current pricing is shown when you schedule your exam inside your NHA account, so budget for the full fee each time you reapply. See How Much Does the CCMA Exam Cost for the full breakdown of exam and recertification fees.

What to Do Between Attempts

The mechanics of the wait period are simple, but what you do with the time is what changes the outcome. Since Clinical Patient Care carries more than half the scored items, a candidate whose score report shows weakness concentrated there should spend the bulk of the 30 day window on hands on scenario practice: vital signs, infection control, phlebotomy, point of care testing, and EKG procedures, rather than spreading review evenly across all seven domains again. A candidate whose report shows scattered weak spots across smaller domains, Administrative Assisting, Communication and Customer Service, Patient Care Coordination and Education, Anatomy and Physiology, or Medical Law and Ethics, should treat those gaps as equally worth closing, since each missed item counts the same toward the scaled score regardless of domain size.

A 30 day window is short. Timed, full length practice under conditions similar to the actual 3 hour, 180 question format helps close both knowledge gaps and pacing gaps in that window, and reviewing your score report’s domain breakdown before you start is the fastest way to target study time where it will move your scaled score the most.

Review your weakest domains with a free CCMA practice test, or work through full length CCMA practice tests built around NHA’s actual domain weights before you schedule your next attempt.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many times can you retake the CCMA exam?

NHA allows three attempts with a minimum 30 day wait between each. There is no published limit on total attempts after that, but every attempt beyond the third requires a 12 month wait before you can test again.

How soon can you retake the CCMA exam after failing?

At least 30 days after your first or second failed attempt. After a third failed attempt, the minimum wait extends to 12 months, and that same 12 month wait applies to every attempt after the third.

Do you get a score report if you fail the CCMA exam?

Yes. NHA generates a report for every attempt, pass or fail, showing your scaled score and rating each content area of the CCMA test plan as Above, Near, or Below the passing standard, available by logging into your certification portal account.

Do you have to pay again to retake the CCMA exam?

Yes. NHA requires the exam fee to be paid for every attempt, with no published discount for retakes.

Sources

• What to Do If You Didn’t Pass Your Exam, info.nhanow.com
• Didn’t Pass the Exam? Check Your P360 Vitals, info.nhanow.com
• How Do I Get My Exam Results?, knowledge.nhanow.com
• NHA Candidate Handbook, nhanow.com
• NHA Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA) Test Plan, 2022, nhanow.com

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