Well, I don't have a clue what YNOT is talking about... there is no test for AMA. He's just being a snot. There may be a club related or public site related test, but I've never hopped around to enough clubs to see which ones have a test flight to certify you or anything regarding that matter. Here's how it goes. Sometimes you just show up with AMA card, put it on the frequency board, and go fly. Sometimes there are club reserved days, and that's when you need a club membership, or, all days are for club members, and you'll need both. Rarely, the club will have an entirely different insurance agency, and won't even let anyone fly without their insurance, I've seen that at a private field in Oregon. I was hoping to fly there as soon as I saw it (road trip), and I couldn't. Often, clubs that require both club and AMA will have some form of a visitors pass valid for a certain number of days, one day, whatever they choose. I'd say if you want to fly at a particular field, before you go to the field, visit and have a formal introduction at a club meeting, ask questions, and that should do it.

Go here:
http://www.modelaircraft.org/preapp.aspx
and click on the underlined New Members link.