Medical Scribe Certification

The Medical Scribe Certification Exam (MSCE™) was established in 2017 to advance the profession and highlight the growing contribution medical scribes supply to healthcare delivery.

Earning the Certified Medical Scribe Professional (CMSP™) credential validates each candidate’s ability to accurately record encounters performed by providers, including the patient history, the physical observations of the exam, and the provider’s assessment and plan of care.

Given the rapid growth of the medical scribe industry, a standardized approach to quality and accurate point-of-care documentation will enable physician workflow efficiencies. The operational improvements resulting from medical scribe use allow the physician to examine additional patients, spend more time at the patient’s bedside, and circumvent the physical barrier imposed by Electronic Health Records (EHRs).

Earning your AMSP™/CMSP™ credential places you at the top of a blossoming community. Taking the Medical Scribe Certification Exam (MSCE™) is as easy as paying a one-time fee and passing the exam.

No membership or recurring annual fee is required to become a Certified Medical Scribe Professional (CMSP™) and maintain your credential.

Graduates from the AHDPG Medical Scribe training programs are encouraged to sit for the Medical Scribe Certification Exam (MSCE™).

Benefits for Individuals

Healthcare Employers Value Credentials

Earning a credential puts you in a special league, positioning you as a leader and role model in the medical scribe profession. Investing in certification is an investment in yourself and your long-term career. Our certification can help you:

  • Prepare you for future healthcare documentation positions
  • Validate your breadth of knowledge and skills to employers, which may give you access to preferential hiring/employment practices
  • Improve your earning potential
  • Open the door to more opportunities for career advancement
  • Increase your job mobility and choices
  • Reach not only your short-term job goals but also position yourself for success in your long-term career
  • Provide a foundation of broad and deep understanding
  • Associate you with AHDPG’s solid and long-standing reputation of integrity and excellence
  • Get your foot in the door as a new graduate

Benefits for Employers

Hire Certified Professionals

Certification represents a high level of achievement and demonstrates proficiency and a broad knowledge base. These certified professionals pass a rigorous exam and commit to ongoing recertification. When a person becomes certified, it reflects a deep personal commitment and sense of accountability, inspiring credibility and confidence in their professional knowledge. Hiring certified individuals or investing in certification for your current employees can help you:

  • Increase the competence level of your staff
  • Build a robust and dedicated team that is committed to high standards of care and quality
  • Promote the ongoing enhancement of knowledge and skills
  • Improve the quality of information and care
  • Minimize errors and reduce exposure to fraud and abuse charges
  • Increase efficiency and reduce costs

The AHDPG credentialing programs offer two levels of certification for medical scribes:

The AMSP™ Credential

The Apprentice Medical Scribe Professional AMSP™ credential is awarded to a candidate who successfully passes the Medical Scribe Certification Exam (MSCE™) and possesses fewer than 200 hours of documented front-line, on-the-job medical scribe experience.

The CMSP™ Credential

The Certified Medical Scribe Professional CMSP™ credential is awarded to a candidate who successfully passes the Medical Scribe Certification Exam (MSCE™) and possesses 200 hours of documented front-line, on-the-job medical scribe experience.

NOTE: An individual who attains the AMSP™ credential will immediately achieve the CMSP™ credential status upon submitting and receiving approval of attaining 200 hours of front-line, on-the-job medical scribe experience.

Earning your AMSP™/CMSP™ credential makes you a recognized expert and leader in the field of medical scribing—and an asset to your organization, keeping you and your organization more competitive in today’s economy. This professional distinction sets you apart from your colleagues, proving your high level of knowledge and skills.

  • Competency-Based

    The profession is not just about what you know but rather how you effectively implement that knowledge in the workplace every day. The AMSP™/CMSP™ credentials provide you the opportunity to prove not only what you know but also how you can apply that knowledge on the job.

  • Relevant

    The MSCE™ Credentialing Exam directly links to on-the-job scenarios and realistic work situations, making it the most relevant certification exam available for medical scribe professionals.

  • Universally Applicable

    Certification as a medical scribe must be as inclusive and diverse as the profession itself. Built by industry experts, these certifications are applicable across our diverse industry, employer types, settings of care, and specialties. No matter the focus of your organization, there is a universal set of skills necessary to practice as a certified medical scribe effectively.

  • Focused on Advancement

    The AMSP™ and CMSP™ credentials are based on the rapidly evolving work environment, focusing on the competencies and knowledge medical scribe professionals need. Boost your confidence to take that next step in your medical scribe career or distinguish yourself in a job search.

  • Strategic

    Based on in-depth research, the AMSP™ and CMSP™ credentials reflect what professional medical scribes need to know to be leaders in their organizations and in the profession.

  • Globally Recognized

    The American Healthcare Documentation Professionals Group is a globally recognized provider of healthcare documentation services, training, and certification.

The MSCE™ credentialing exam assesses competency in medical scribing by determining if each candidate has the core knowledge, skills, and professionalism needed to practice medical scribing effectively in today’s healthcare environment.

Who Should Take the MSCE™ Credentialing Exam?

  • Practicing medical scribes
  • Recent graduates of a medical scribe training program
  • Pre-med students looking to launch a career in medical scribing
  • Allied Health Professionals who are assuming the activities associated with medical scribing

Recommendations for Earning Your Credential

  • Possess the knowledge and skills outlined in the Medical Scribe job description
  • Know and understand the exam blueprint
  • Assess your knowledge and skills to determine your readiness to sit for the exam
  • Prepare and study for your exam
  • Exam Development and Delivery

What does the MSCE™ Credentialing Exam cover?

A candidate for the Certified Medical Scribe Professional (CMSP™) credential will be assessed in the following areas:

  • Understanding the essential elements of documenting a patient visit in various care settings
  • Anatomy & Physiology
  • CMS Meaningful Use
  • Disease Processes
  • Electronic Health Records
  • Familiarity with HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules
  • Internet Security Risks
  • LABs
  • Medical Coding
  • Medical Terminology
  • Outcomes Reporting
  • Pharmacology
  • Primary Care Workflow
  • Rules associated with medico-legal risk mitigation
  • Scribe Role

How Does the Exam Work?

The exam questions will test a candidate’s knowledge, skill, and ability to work as a medical scribe effectively in today’s healthcare environment. The emphasis in the practical portion of the exam is more on critical thinking skills than keyboarding, research, or other technical skills.

This exam consists of 100 multiple-choice and fill-in-the-blank questions. Both assessment types are used to test each candidate’s knowledge and applied interpretive judgment in all knowledge domains represented on the MSCE™ Credentialing Exam Blueprint.

What Score is Needed to Pass Score?

A score of 80 or higher is required.

Are There Any Special Requirements?

Audio Playback Required.

A goal-oriented approach to practice can make the difference between earning and not earning your credential. Successful completion of the medical scribe certification exam will depend not only on training and experience but also on focused exam preparation and study. Candidates should consider any of the following recommendations for exam prep, independent exercise, and or collaborative group study:

Understand the Medical Scribe Certification Exam (MSCE™) Exam Blueprint and Job Description.

The Medical Scribe Certification Exam (MSCE™) questions come from specific core competency objectives outlined in the job description and the exam blueprint. Understanding competencies to be evaluated for each purpose will guide you in your studies.

Exam Prep Resources

Candidates should consider any of the following recommendations for exam prep:

You will be tested on potential content domains from the MSCE™ Credentialing Exam Blueprint to give you an overall impression of exam scope and format and acclimate to the testing environment. At the end of the practice exam, you will receive your score, so you will know how you did right away!

This practice exam costs $39.95 and provides a sampling of 25 questions. This is not the complete certification exam. Your performance on the practice exam does not guarantee a particular outcome when testing for your certification. A passing score on the practice exam does not qualify you for the AMSP™ or CMSP™ credential.

After Earning Your Credential

Upon successfully passing your credentialing exam, you will earn either the AMSP™ or a CMSP™ credential depending upon the number of hours of front-line, on-the-job medical scribe experience you possess. Upon completing the Medical Scribe Certification Exam, you will receive a certificate that shows the date that the credential is valid.

Your credential will be valid for two years. Before your certification expires, you will need to recertify. Recertification requires you to retake the then-current MSCE™ successfully.

  • Pricing for Individuals
    $185
    The individual cost of the MSCE™ Credentialing Exam

    No membership or recurring annual fee is required to become or maintain your Certified Medical Scribe Professional (CMSPTM) credential.

  • Employers and Schools
    Bulk exam pricing is available for employers and schools. We offer discounts on the MSCETM Credentialing Exam for companies and educational organizations interested in purchasing exam registrations in bulk. We encourage you to collaborate with your employees and students to help reach the goal of transitioning to a fully credentialed workforce.

    Benefits of Leveraging the MSCETM For Your Organization

Exam Fee and Discounts Available

The pricing below is offered exclusively to AHDPG Corporate and Educational Affiliate members. As a Corporate or Education Affiliate member, you will be able to pass along the savings to your employees and students at one low price.

  • Quantity
  • 1-4
  • 5-9
  • 10-24
  • 25+
  • Practice Exam
  • $39.95
  • $39.95
  • $39.95
  • $39.95
  • Cert. Exam
  • $185
  • $175
  • $165
  • $155
  • Discount
  • 0%
  • 5%
  • 10%
  • 15%

Bulk exam pricing is available for AHDPG Corporate and Educational Affiliate members. As a Corporate or Education Affiliate member, you will be able to pass along the savings to your employees and students at one low price.

Bulk Pricing Purchasing Policies

  • Orders must be placed and paid for at once—no payment plans available.
  • Exam access codes are valid for 365 days.
  • Exam registrations will expire after one year from the date of purchase.
  • Bulk discounts are based on quantity at the time of purchase, not cumulatively over a period.

The MSCETM Credentialing Commission is the governing body responsible for policy development and oversight of the Medical Scribe Certification Exam (MSCETM)—including recertification and continuing education. The MSCETM Credentialing Commission works to develop, revise, and evaluate the performance of the AHDPG credentialing exams and sets policies related to credentialing.

In providing the credentialing exam for medical scribes, we are protecting the public interest by promoting professional standards, improving the practice of medical scribes, and recognizing those professionals who demonstrate job readiness to prospective employers, clients, and industry colleagues.

Yes. There are 100 questions, and you will be allotted 1 hr 15 minutes to complete.

No, membership is not required to take the Medical Scribe Certification Exam.

Reference materials are not allowed. The exam has been designed to test core knowledge, which should not require reference materials.

The results will be available immediately upon completion of the exam. All candidates will receive a pass/fail report both on-screen and by email at the end of the exam. Your results email will provide you with further instructions about what to expect if you passed your exam.

You will receive only a pass or fail result and will not receive a score or breakdown of exam section results. It is prevailing practice with credentialing exams to provide a pass/fail result only. AHDPG will not publish its exam cut scores nor do we provide candidates with specific feedback about performance. Our exams are designed to measure skill and competency and should not be used as a diagnostic indicator of exam readiness.

If you do not pass the exam, there is a 30-day waiting period before you are eligible to take it again.

Yes, the price listed for the Medical Scribe Certification Exam covers the cost of each attempt at the exam. If you fail an exam, you will need to wait for the required 30-day time period before you can retake the exam.

The only grounds for contesting an exam result is in the event of unforeseen technical or logistical difficulties that may have compromised your exam session. If you feel this has been the case for your exam session, you should email us immediately and the technical log of your exam session will be reviewed to determine if your exam was in fact compromised. If your session was deemed to have been compromised by a significant technical or logistical problem (this does not include internet connectivity issues, which are the responsibility of the candidate), AHDPG may opt to allow you to retake the exam at no additional charge. Given your exposure to the exam, you would still not be eligible to reschedule for 30 days.

We will not review for any reason the exam results of a first-time candidate. We will not respond to complaints or inquiries about failed exams on the first attempt. If you have failed the Medical Scribe Certification Exam more than once, you may request a review of your exam file and general feedback on areas for improvement.

To recertify a candidate must retake the certification exam every two years.

Congratulations! The process to document the requirement for earning your CMSP™ credential is easy. Simply go to the Scribe Credential Update Request Form and complete the short form to provide us with the name and contact information of the supervisor or manager who can verify your hours. Your credential will be updated within 7 days of verification.

Refunds will not be given for any reason.

If you pay for the exam and later there is an issue with your payment, AHDPG reserves the right to immediately revoke your credential and ban future credentialing until your account is brought current.

Certification Bulk Purchase Form

Contact us if you have questions, would like to request information, or are looking to access our Scribe Certification Exam Bulk Purchase Form.

Certification Bulk Purchase Form

Contact us if you have questions, would like to request information, or are looking to access our Scribe Certification Exam Bulk Purchase Form.