Foundational knowledge is 15 of the 150 scored items on the NHA CCMA. Answer 10 exam style questions on medical abbreviations and plurals and see exactly which concepts would cost you points on test day.
Start the 10 questions →What is the correct plural of 'appendix'?
These questions cover plural forms, abbreviations, spelling and sound-alike terms. Each one shows the correct answer and why every other option is wrong, so a miss tells you exactly what to review before the CCMA.
Prefer to read first? Every question from the practice set above, with the correct answer and why each wrong option is wrong.
Answer: D. Words ending in -ix form the medical plural by changing -ix to -ices: appendix becomes appendices, as matrix becomes matrices.
Why not A: Adding -s alone is not a valid plural.
Why not B: -i is the plural of -us words.
Why not C: -a is not an ending for -ix words.
Exam tactic: -ix → -ices.
Answer: B. Dx means diagnosis. Rx is prescription or treatment, Sx is symptoms, and Fx is fracture.
Why not A: Rx is prescription.
Why not C: Fx is fracture.
Why not D: Sx is symptoms.
Exam tactic: Dx, Rx, Sx, Fx: know them.
Answer: D. The correct spelling is hemorrhage, with a double r followed by 'h'. Accurate spelling matters because the EHR and coding depend on it.
Why not A: Double m is incorrect.
Why not B: Missing the second r.
Why not C: Missing the double r and h.
Exam tactic: Hemo-rrh-age.
Answer: B. Perineal refers to the perineum (area between the genitals and anus), and peroneal refers to the fibula or the lateral leg.
Why not A: Neither refers to the heart.
Why not C: They are different terms.
Why not D: Neither refers to the kidney.
Exam tactic: Perineal ≠ peroneal.
Answer: C. Words ending in -on form the plural by changing -on to -a: ganglion becomes ganglia, and spermatozoon becomes spermatozoa.
Why not A: An apostrophe shows possession, not a plural.
Why not B: -i is the plural of -us words.
Why not D: -ae is the plural of -a words.
Exam tactic: -on → -a.
Answer: D. I&D means incision and drainage, a minor procedure used to open and drain an abscess.
Why not A: Not the meaning of I&D.
Why not B: Not the meaning of I&D.
Why not C: Not the meaning of I&D.
Exam tactic: I&D = open and drain.
Answer: A. Pneumonia begins with a silent 'p' (pneum-, lung or air) followed by 'eu'.
Why not B: The ending is misspelled.
Why not C: The vowels are reversed.
Why not D: Missing the silent p.
Exam tactic: Silent p: pneum-.
Answer: D. The ileum is the last part of the small intestine, while the ilium is part of the hip bone. They sound alike but refer to different structures.
Why not A: These are singular and plural of one word.
Why not B: These are a noun and adjective for the same bone.
Why not C: These are forms of the same root.
Exam tactic: Ileum = intestine (e for eating). Ilium = hip.
Answer: A. Words ending in -ax change to -aces: thorax becomes thoraces. Similarly, -ix and -ex change to -ices (appendix/appendices, cortex/cortices).
Why not B: -i is not the ending for -ax words.
Why not C: -a is not the ending for -ax words.
Why not D: Adding -s alone is not a valid plural.
Exam tactic: -ax → -aces; -ix/-ex → -ices.
Answer: D. BID (bis in die) means twice a day. TID is three times a day and QID is four times a day.
Why not A: Every other day is written out in full.
Why not B: Before meals is 'ac'.
Why not C: At bedtime is written out, as 'HS' is on some do-not-use lists.
Exam tactic: B = bis = twice.
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