CMRT certification in 2025 — is it still relevant for medical records jobs?
I've been working as a medical records clerk for two years and my supervisor suggested I look into the CMRT. I was skeptical at first but decided to go for it. Passed last month with a 71% — the pass threshold is 70% so it was closer than I wanted, but a pass is a pass.
The exam covers health information management basics, HIPAA release of information rules, ICD and CPT coding fundamentals, records retention schedules, and medical terminology. I studied for 6 weeks at about 1.5 hours per day using AHIMA study materials and a used medical terminology workbook. The coding section hurt my score the most — I'm not a coder by trade so the ICD-10 question logic was harder than expected even at the introductory level the exam covers.
Records retention rules are very specific. The exam tests federal minimum retention standards and the general principles for different document categories. I made a one-page summary of retention periods by record type and reviewed it every day for the last two weeks — that probably saved me on three or four questions.
I got a $2.75/hour bump at my current employer after passing and the credential opened up two job applications that had it listed as a preferred qualification. It's not going to replace an RHIT but for someone in a clerical records role it's a tangible differentiator.
I'd brush up hard on release of information rules, especially what makes an authorization defective and the difference between releasing to the patient vs. a third party. That section had about 15 questions on my exam and the scenarios were detailed enough to trip you up if you're fuzzy on the rules.
The records retention schedule questions on my exam were very specific about the differences between adult patient records, minor patient records, and psychiatric records. Those distinctions matter legally and the exam doesn't give you much context — you just need to know the numbers.
I got a $3/hour raise after earning mine two years ago. My manager said it was the clearest signal that I was serious about the field rather than just treating the job as temporary. Worth it for the compensation bump alone if your employer recognizes it.
Just wanted to share a quick update since I found this thread while stressing about my own prep. I took a full-length practice test last weekend and scored a 74%, which honestly wasn't what I was hoping for but it's progress -- I was in the 60s two weeks ago. The coding sections are killing me, specifically ICD-10 specificity stuff, but I feel like it's starting to click.
I'm planning to sit the real exam in mid-July, so I've got about five weeks to close the gap. If you passed at 71% you clearly know what you're doing -- any sections you felt were heavier than expected? I want to make sure I'm not over-studying the easy stuff and ignoring whatever actually shows up.
Congrats on passing! I'm in a similar boat, working full-time and trying to squeeze in study time whenever I can. What worked for me was doing 20-30 minutes on my lunch break and then another chunk after the kids went to bed. It wasn't glamorous but it added up. I didn't have the luxury of taking any formal prep course so I leaned pretty hard on the AHIMA practice questions and a few study groups I found online.
To answer your question, yes it's still worth it in 2025. My manager actually bumped my hourly rate once I got certified, which I wasn't expecting so quickly. The exam itself isn't easy but it's also not impossible if you stay consistent. Honestly the coding and compliance sections caught me off guard more than the health information management stuff, so make sure you don't skip those. You've got this.
Honestly I almost dropped out of the process around week three because I couldn't wrap my head around the care planning sections. The cmrt patient assessment care planning 2 practice tests were what actually saved me — I went through them twice and the second time it finally clicked. Don't sleep on that material.
Is it relevant? Yeah, it is. I wasn't sure either but my employer bumped my pay after I passed and I've gotten more respect from the clinical staff. A 71% isn't glamorous but I'll take it. If you're on the fence, just keep going — the finish line is closer than it feels when you're in the middle of it.
Failed my first attempt by four points, which honestly stung more than I expected. The mistake I made was trying to cover everything equally when the patient assessment section really needed most of my attention. Second time around I drilled specifically on the cmrt patient assessment care planning 2 material until I could do it in my sleep, and that made a huge difference.
If you're retaking it, don't waste time on stuff you already know. Figure out where you lost points and just live in that section for a few weeks. It's not the most exciting study strategy but it's what worked for me, and I cleared it with a 78% the second time around.
Congrats on passing! I know that feeling of cutting it close. One thing that helped me a lot was really digging into why the wrong answers were wrong, not just flagging the right one and moving on. Like if I missed a question, I'd actually think through the logic of each distractor and figure out what concept it was trying to trick me on. It's slower but it sticks. The cmrt patient assessment care planning 2 practice test was good for this because some of those care planning scenarios have answer choices that are all plausible if you don't understand the underlying priority.
It made a real difference for me on the actual exam. I wasn't just pattern-matching from memory, I actually understood what the question was testing. So yeah, still very relevant for records jobs, especially now that facilities want people who know the clinical side too, not just filing and retrieval.