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What is Certified Professional Coder (CPC) exam?

To make a career in medical coding, the coder should carry a certificate from AAPC or AHIMA. To clear the certification exam, the coders needs to have full knowledge about medical coding and billing. Since the last decade, the number of certified medical coders has increased significantly. In India only, if we see a lot of medical coders being certified every year. In US also, the number of certified medical coders has increased significantly. For medical coders, the first basic exam to clear is Certified Professional Coder (CPC) exam. Even I was told by my friends to get a CPC certificate from AAPC first, to have a stable growth in my career. Hence, I would like to share here my experience about my preparation for CPC exam.

Always stick to coding guidelines for Certified Professional Coder (CPC)

ICD 10 coding guidelines are very important to follow for clearing CPC exam. To prepare for CPC exam, coder has to always follow the ICD 10 coding guidelines. Just to save time during CPC exam, do highlight the complex thing, which are not easy to find out. When I was preparing for CPC, I used to highlight the codes for sepsis, Poisoning, diabetes and pregnancy codes. Since, these conditions require two or more codes so it would be easy to find them during CPC exam. In CPT book, I used to highlight notes written below CPT codes to follow the coding guideline for that procedure. Finally, I would say coders should know the coding books as their best friend so that they can search anything within seconds.

Things to remember while Certified Professional Coder (CPC) exam

From 2022, AAPC has decrease CPC exam questions from 150 to 100. From 2022, CPC exam will have 100 multiple-choice questions (includes 10 case study). So their will be 100 questions in CPC exam. The time duration for CPC will be 4 hours from 2022.

During the test, you will reference approved coding books — the AMA’s CPT® Professional Edition, as well as your choice of ICD-10-CM and HCPCS Level II code manuals.

Whether you take the exam online or in-person, you must complete the CPC exam within 4 hours and answer 70% of the questions correctly to pass.

MCQ question has 4 options to answer. The time duration for CPC is 4 hours . There are no negative marking for wrong answer. Now, here is a thing to remember not to leave any question unanswered. I have seen some of my friends not clearing the CPC exam with 1% or 2% , because they have not attempted few questions. So always, attempt all the questions of CPC exam. I think 4 hours and will be enough to attempt all the questions. I know everyone will not know all the answers, but still we can guess the answers, who knows you might choose the correct one. When I was preparing for the CPC, I was always told by my seniors not to leave any question unanswered. During CPC exam, even I have confusion in solving few questions but somehow I answered the entire paper at the end. I was little conscious about passing the exam but my seniors told if you have attempted all the question there are more chances to pass the exam. So, finally, the result came and I cleared the exam, my exam score was within 70% to 80% percent. To clear the exam we need equal or more than 70 %. Do not get scared and write the whole exam with full confidence. Be positive during CPC exam and manage the time properly while writing the exam.

Always manage time during Certified Professional Coder (CPC) exam

As we know, time never waits for anyone; you will experience this during CPC exam. For CPC we have 4 hours to solve the whole paper. It all depends on how you manage your time during CPC exam. What I experienced during CPC exam is that, we have both complex and simple questions, so if we take a lot of time for complex questions we will lose time. So, I would suggest please keep a time limit for each question to solve, do not waste your time solving only one question. For example, when I was giving the exam, the question paper started with the surgery questions and the last section of paper have single line questions. So, solving surgery questions was taking too much time compared to one-line questions in last section. We should be prepared to save time during exam because sometimes we do not get time to attempt easy questions. So, it is very important to manage time during CPC exam.

Clear Certified Professional Coder (CPC) exam in First attempt

We know CPC exam has one extra free attempt to clear the exam. I would urge everyone to clear the CPC exam in first attempt if possible. Just follow the above tips and prepare for the exam without hesitation. Many people do not clear it in first attempt and they wait for second attempt, which take again 3 to 4 months minimum. In second attempt, people are more stressed, since they think it is their last chance. So, try your best to clear CPC exam in first attempt and enjoy a successful career in medical coding.

Certified Professional Coder Salary

The BLS reports that the median salary for a medical records and health information technician, under which medical billers and coders fall, was $45,240 per year in 2020. If you earn industry certification, however, such as the Certified Professional Coder (CPC) credential from the AAPC then gain years of experience, you could earn more.

Hope, you would have got some great tips to clear CPC exam in future. Do share the article if you liked it.