RMA certification: cost, renewal & jobs
The RMA is AMT's Registered Medical Assistant credential. Here's who can sit for the exam, what it costs, how you renew it, and who's hiring.
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A medical assistant checks a patient's blood pressure in a clinic exam room.
What is RMA certification?
RMA certification is the Registered Medical Assistant credential awarded by American Medical Technologists (AMT), a national certifying body. It tells employers that you met one of AMT's eligibility routes and passed its medical assistant exam. A medical assistant handles clinical work like taking vitals and drawing blood, and front-office work like scheduling and insurance, and the RMA covers that full scope. It's one of the credentials hospitals and clinics accept when a posting asks for a certified or registered medical assistant. Medical assisting isn't a licensed profession in most states, so a national credential like the RMA is how you show you meet the standard.
RMA, CMA, or CCMA?
RMA is one of three medical assistant credentials employers treat as interchangeable, alongside the CMA from the AAMA and the CCMA from the NHA. Most postings that ask for certification accept any of the three, so what matters is which exam route fits your schooling and budget. We cover that head to head in the CMA certification guide, which lays out how the CMA, RMA, and CCMA differ on eligibility, exam, and recognition. The RMA-specific point worth knowing: AMT accepts work experience and military training as routes to sit, so you don't have to graduate from an accredited program to qualify.
Who requires RMA certification
Employers hiring medical assistants are the ones that ask for the RMA. In our US listings that covers primary care and specialty clinics, hospitals and health systems, urgent care, and outpatient practices that want a certified medical assistant on the clinical floor. Most postings name a credential generically, asking for a certified or registered medical assistant, and the RMA satisfies that line the same as a CMA or CCMA. Some employers and states let you work uncertified, but certification usually clears the resume screen and often reaches a higher pay band. You can browse current medical assistant openings and see which certification each employer names.
Requirements and eligibility
AMT gives you more than one way to qualify for the RMA exam, unlike credentials that only accept recent graduates. The common routes are:
- Education: finish a medical assisting program accredited by a recognized body such as ABHES, or one at a school accredited by an agency recognized by the US Department of Education. The program has to include at least 720 clock hours of training with a 160-hour clinical externship.
- Work experience: work as a medical assistant for at least 5 of the past 7 years, in both clinical and administrative duties, even without formal MA schooling.
- Military training: complete a medical services training program run by the US Armed Forces.
- Instruction: hold at least 5 years of experience teaching medical assisting.
You don't need a college degree, and medical assisting carries no separate state license in most states, so the RMA itself is the credential you hold. You do have to document your route in the application, through transcripts, employment verification, or discharge papers, depending on which one you use.
Cost, format, and renewal
The RMA exam costs $150 to apply for, and the credential then stays active on a 3-year renewal cycle. That application fee covers the exam itself and your first year of AMT membership. The figures below are current as of 2026 from AMT.
| Application fee | $150, covering the application, the exam, and your first year of AMT membership (AMT, 2026) |
|---|---|
| Retest fee | A separate retest fee applies if you don't pass on the first attempt |
| Format | 210 four-option multiple-choice questions, 2-hour limit, taken by computer at a Pearson VUE center or online through OnVUE proctoring |
| Passing score | A scaled score of at least 70 on a 0 to 100 scale, which is not the same as the percent of questions you answer correctly |
| Content areas | Clinical patient interaction, administrative tasks, anatomy and physiology, and clinical procedures |
| Renewal cycle | Every 3 years through AMT's Certification Continuation Program (CCP) |
| Renewal requirement | 30 CCP points across each 3-year cycle, about 10 a year, plus annual AMT membership dues |
| Issuing body | American Medical Technologists (AMT) |
How to get certified
- Confirm your eligibility route on the AMT website and gather what it asks for, such as transcripts or employment verification.
- Submit your RMA application online and pay the $150 fee, which covers the exam and your first year of membership.
- Once AMT approves your eligibility, schedule your exam at a Pearson VUE testing center or through OnVUE online proctoring.
- Study the four content areas: clinical patient interaction, administrative tasks, anatomy and physiology, and clinical procedures.
- Pass the exam with a scaled score of at least 70. AMT gets your result within 48 hours, and you can use the RMA credential once it posts.
- Keep it active by earning 30 CCP points over each 3-year cycle and paying your annual membership dues.
Demand for RMA on MedJobList
RMA is named in 335 of the active US medical assistant openings we track right now. Most of those postings accept any recognized medical assistant certification, so the RMA competes on the same jobs as the CMA and the CCMA. Filter medical assistant jobs to see which employers name a credential and which leave it open. Because AMT's routes to sit are broad, the RMA is often the quickest credential to reach if you already have years on the job.
On the job
Once you're certified, the RMA appears after your name and on the badge many clinics require on the floor. Employers verify it through AMT when they credential you, so keep your membership current. Renewal runs on the Certification Continuation Program: you log continuing education, and continuous employment as a medical assistant also earns points toward the 30 you need every 3 years. Many employers reimburse the annual dues and any CE, since an active credential is what lets them list you as certified staff.
FAQ
$150 to apply as of 2026, which covers the exam and your first year of AMT membership. A separate retest fee applies if you have to take it again.
210 four-option multiple-choice questions with a 2-hour limit, taken by computer at a Pearson VUE center or online through OnVUE. You pass with a scaled score of at least 70 on a 0 to 100 scale.
Through AMT's Certification Continuation Program: earn 30 points over each 3-year cycle, about 10 a year, and pay your annual membership dues. Continuing education and continuous employment as a medical assistant both count toward the points.
No. They're separate credentials from different bodies, the RMA from AMT and the CMA from the AAMA, and most employers accept either. See our CMA certification guide for a full comparison.
Yes. AMT accepts work experience as a route: at least 5 of the past 7 years working as a medical assistant in both clinical and administrative duties qualifies you to sit without a formal MA program.
It stays active as long as you meet the Certification Continuation Program every 3 years and pay your annual dues. There's no fixed expiration date if you keep up with compliance.