What to Bring to the CMA (AAMA) Exam: Test Day Rules and What to Expect
Whether you test at a PSI test center or through PSI’s Live Remote Proctoring (LRP) option, CMA (AAMA) exam day follows the same script, published in AAMA’s CMA (AAMA) Certification Exam Application and Policies (Rev 1-26, current as of September 2026). Both delivery options are scheduled through PSI, never through any other testing vendor, at test-takers.psiexams.com/aama or by calling 855/340-0092. Test center candidates arrive 30 minutes before their scheduled time; LRP candidates complete a compatibility check 72 hours ahead and check in 30 minutes before their exam. Miss the 15-minute grace period after your booked start time and you automatically forfeit your nonrefundable test fee. You get an optional 5-minute tutorial and, afterward, an optional post-exam survey, neither of which counts against your appointment time. In between, you answer 200 multiple-choice questions, 180 scored and 20 unscored, in four 40-minute segments with optional breaks of 5, 10, and 5 minutes between them: 160 minutes of answering time plus 20 minutes of break time, adding up to the full 180-minute (3-hour) appointment cap AAMA allows, not including the tutorial or survey. You will see pass or fail on screen the moment you finish; the official score report follows by email about 24 hours later. Every candidate gets a 90-day window in which to sit for the exam.
Two Ways to Take the CMA (AAMA) Exam
AAMA offers exactly two delivery options, both administered by PSI: an in-person appointment at a PSI test center, or Live Remote Proctoring, where you test from a private location of your choosing while a proctor monitors you over webcam. Scheduling for both paths runs through PSI’s own booking system, either online at test-takers.psiexams.com/aama or by phone at 855/340-0092, once AAMA has approved your application. Content, question count, time limits, and scoring are identical either way; the differences are in how you check in and what your physical environment needs to look like.
What to Bring and What to Leave Behind
The list below applies at a PSI test center and, adjusted for your own space, to a Live Remote Proctoring session too.
| Bring with you | Leave at home (or in your storage locker) |
|---|---|
| An unexpired, government-issued photo ID with your signature (driver’s license or passport) | Cell phones, PDAs, calculators, smartwatches, paging devices, recording or filming devices, radios |
| A second signed, unexpired ID (employee ID or credit card) only if your primary ID has a photo but no signature | Coats, jackets, headwear, or gloves |
| Nothing else; AAMA permits note-taking only on materials provided during the exam | Book bags, backpacks, handbags, briefcases, or wallets |
| For Live Remote Proctoring: a quiet, private room and a device that has passed PSI’s compatibility check | Books, notes, written materials, or personal scratch paper |
| Food, candy, gum, or beverages |
The name on your ID has to exactly match the name in your AAMA and PSI records. AAMA allows exactly one kind of mismatch: a middle name, middle initial, or suffix present on one document and absent from the other. Anything beyond that and you will not be allowed to test. If you notice a name discrepancy between your AAMA or PSI emails and your ID, contact the AAMA Certification Department right away; corrections need at least five business days and cannot be made inside that window before your appointment.
Test Center Check-In and ID Rules
At a PSI test center, arrive 30 minutes before your scheduled appointment. Arriving after your start time means you may not be admitted, treated the same as a no-show: a new enrollment and the full exam fee are required for another appointment. Once checked in, everything on the “leave behind” list must go into a designated locker or storage space. Staff may inspect stored items, and anything resembling a reproduction of AAMA exam material will be confiscated.
Live Remote Proctoring: Room and Tech Requirements
Live Remote Proctoring gives you flexibility on location but adds its own checklist. AAMA requires a reliable internet connection and a device that meets PSI’s technical requirements, verified through a compatibility check run via the PSI website 72 hours before your exam. You must test in a quiet, private environment; AAMA’s application states this directly without listing room dimensions or furniture rules, so a fully enclosed, distraction-free space with no other people present is the safest approach. Check in 30 minutes before your exam time; a proctor will ask you to show your photo ID on camera and perform a 360-degree scan of your room before the exam begins. Clear your area of the same item categories you would leave behind at a test center, plus reference books, binders, chargers, and sticky notes.
The 15-Minute Late Rule and Other Ways to Forfeit Your Fee
AAMA’s policy draws a hard line around lateness: not starting your test within 15 minutes of your booked appointment time forfeits your test fee automatically. This sits on top of the general cancellation policy, which requires canceling or rescheduling at least two business days before your appointment. You also forfeit your fee by failing to cancel inside that window, not appearing at all, arriving after your exam start time, or showing up without an acceptable ID. Any of these means starting over with a new application and fee, which is why the arrival windows above exist: 30 minutes early for a test center, 30 minutes early plus a 72-hour compatibility check for LRP, both built to keep you well inside the 15-minute cutoff. If a genuine emergency causes you to miss your appointment, AAMA allows an appeal: email a written description of the emergency, with documentation, to CMAExam@aama-ntl.org within 7 days of the missed appointment.
Exam Timing: Tutorial, Four Segments, and Breaks
Once seated and checked in, you get an optional tutorial covering the exam software, capped at 5 minutes and untimed against your score whether you use it or skip it. After the tutorial, the exam runs in four 40-minute segments, answering all 200 questions. Three optional breaks sit between the segments: 5 minutes after the first, 10 minutes after the second, and 5 minutes after the third, 20 minutes total. Declining the tutorial or any break does not add time elsewhere; the clock structure is fixed. Not counting the tutorial or the post-exam survey, AAMA caps the exam appointment itself at 3 hours (180 minutes). Once you begin, the exam cannot be canceled or rescheduled except for a genuine technical problem; the software is designed to restart at the point of interruption in most cases, with no loss of test time.
What Happens the Moment You Finish
You see a pass or fail notification on screen immediately after your final question. The official score report follows separately by email, approximately 24 hours after testing, with your overall scaled score against the 405 minimum passing score (as of September 2026) plus bar graphs showing approximate performance across the Clinical, General, and Administrative content areas. You also get an optional short survey about the exam and your testing conditions.
The 90-Day Testing Period
Every approved candidate is assigned a 90-day testing period, based on the start date selected on the application, during which the exam must be taken. AAMA reserves the right to assign a start date itself if an application arrives late, omits a start date, or lists one that does not fit the eligibility category. If your plans change mid-window, a single transfer to a new 90-day period is available for a $65 fee (as of September 2026), requested in writing before the original period ends; only one transfer is allowed.
Ready to walk in knowing exactly what the screen will look like? Start a CMA (AAMA) practice test or try a free practice test first to get comfortable with the question format before your testing window opens.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does AAMA use PSI or Prometric for the CMA exam?
PSI. Both delivery options, an in-person test center appointment and Live Remote Proctoring, are scheduled and administered through PSI, not through any other testing vendor.
What happens if I am late to my CMA (AAMA) exam appointment?
You forfeit your nonrefundable test fee if you do not start within 15 minutes of your booked appointment time. At a test center, arriving after your scheduled start can also mean you are not admitted, which requires a new application and fee. If a genuine emergency caused the missed appointment, AAMA allows an appeal by email within 7 days.
Can I bring notes, a calculator, or my phone into the exam?
No. Electronic devices, calculators, watches, outerwear, bags, notes, and food are all prohibited from the testing area. At a test center these go into a storage locker; for Live Remote Proctoring, clear them from your room before the room scan.
What do I need to set up for Live Remote Proctoring?
A quiet, private room, a device that has passed PSI’s compatibility check (run 72 hours before your exam), and a government-issued photo ID to show on camera during check-in, which includes a 360-degree scan of your space before the exam starts.
Sources
- aama-ntl.org, CMA (AAMA) Certification Exam Application and Policies (Rev 1-26)
- aama-ntl.org, Certification
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