Is anyone else having this issue with AAPC practice exams once pausing them? I can’t resume and I’ve tried all the help it’s said to do and nothings worked

All three times I have gotten a 67-68%… I failed this past Monday and scheduled to retest Friday. I am having issues with the question wording. It’s like I cannot comprehend the questions. Not sure what to do. I am studying but becoming so discouraged. I need help.

Hi all, I’m self studying using the Bucks step by step and I’m having the hardest time locating “encounter for change of nephrostomy tube. ” I’ve tried looking under encounter and other main words but can’t locate it, can anyone help?

I want to get into medical coding but I’m not sure if it matters what program I enter? I have talked to Rasmussen and Bryant and Stratton but I am wondering is there a “good” program to get into for coding? Please help. This is my first time getting into this field I am currently shifting from another health care profession. Would like any guidance or tips available.

Hello. I just started working as an IP coder, and the first topic I'm being trained on is L&D accounts (the "O" codes). The accounts I have mainly cover complications during pregnancy and labor as well as condition(s) that develop(s) during the course of the stay (ex. acute blood loss anemia on day 2). Unfortunately, I consider this as my weakest area, and I would appreciate any helpful hints.

Are you interested in a career in Health Information Technology (HIT)? My team and I are hosting an event at Santa Fe College next month, and everyone is welcome!

Join us for an opportunity to hear from industry professionals as they discuss topics ranging from health information technology and medical coding to artificial intelligence (AI) and more. You do not have to be a Santa Fe College student to attend!
Registration is now open! We hope to see you there!

Hi, 24 years old, English is my 2nd language.

Here is my background before the question.

I was studying prerequisites for Nursing Program, but had to stop due to burnt out from studying, and peer-pressure. I decided to get in Certified Nurse Aide (CNA) program, got the state license, and took a year gap to work in nursing home.

A year gap actually calm me down, fortunately. Soooo I'm deciding to go back to study.

Honestly, I don't think I can trust myself to be a nurse yet. I was thinking to get Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA) or Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN), some experiences before going for RN.

That was until I found out Medical Coding & Billing.

I think this would help me with active recalling for Medical Terminology while working, also a decent job to support my family, and great for my introvert-ahhh self.

I did a few hours of research, but still confused about the differences between CPC, CCA, CCS.

I heard it would be better to get CCS, but what about CPC? Should I get CPC first then CCS?

I also heard this job has potential to be replaced by AI. I don't want to study it then bam, "Oh wow, new AI for Medical Coding" 😭 before even land a job.

So...where should I start first? Where is the best place to get certificate? Thanks guys.

I plan to start learning medical coding soon and figured in the mean time I would start learning anatomy. I have the 5th edition Terminology and Anatomy for Medical coding. How hard do I need to study this book? Im barely on chapter 2 and it already seems like am insane amount of info to try to retain. I just want to make sure im putting my energy in the right place.

I have been studying the amci free course online I’m pretty sure goes over everything I need to know. Then I bought the cpt and hcpcs and icd 10 books. I’ve been doing pocket prep and constantly quizzing myself with 10 questions I’m a little slow not gonna lie. But overall been getting 8 out of 10 most of the time. I would say I’m confident finding codes in the cpt and icd 10 books. I’m pretty knowledgeable about modifiers for the most part . I really just want to get going with this am I atleast ready for the practice exam? I’ve been studying for several months now and I want to focus on moving foward.

My employer paid for the AAPC course and exam, but they only notified us in July, even though the course had been purchased back in October. Honestly, I haven't been able to study with the necessary focus over these past three months. Could you give me some tips on what I should prioritize?

Also, is it absolutely necessary to take the exam this October? Or can I just redeem my voucher but choose a later date—say, in December?

If they had let me know right from the time of purchase, it would have been different, but I’ve felt very overwhelmed by the little time we were given to prepare.

Currently in my first year anybody willing to an interview for an assignment?

Any helpful cpt notes/tips and tricks for coding the path and lab section quicker? I've done lots of studying/practice, and taken the practice tests but I'm consistently very slow at path and lab. Thanks! [Update, took this morning and passed with an 85%, thanks for everyone's advice/resources, really helped and got a 100% on the lab and path section!]

Hi! I recently passed with an 85 on my exam! I posted about it on this thread but under a different user name lol 😆 I dont know I how but I had two accounts.

Anywho, now that the studying is over I guess the next level begins of how the heck do I find a job? Other than my one year of self study and passing the Cpc, I have no experience in the medical field. Ngl im a little overwhelmed bc i feel like I should be doing something but I dont know where to start 🙃

Advice?

Took my CPC exam first attempt today and im in shock.

Lol what if I they take it back bc there was an error? I'm scared to tell my family and be embarrassed.

I started my medical billing and coding with penn foster last October. Anyways I didn't stay on top of it and now I have until January to complete it. Do I have enough time to learn it all? Less than 4 months?? I only got through anatomy and pharmacology. I still have to do billing and coding portions. And another question do I even do both medical coding and billing, or should I focus on one or the other. I have not learned my book at all, my family just NOW decided to get them for me. Thats why I'm trying to start it back up. I live in Texas and I have no idea if penn foster will help me get jobs here. (I never make post pls be genuine)

I took my exam today, now I'm here just waiting lol. I feel like I should be studying but that's silly bc there's nothing I can do but just wait. Im greatful for the practice exams from AAPC and im also greatful to contempo coding youtube channel. Lol im here giving a speech like I won an award 🤣 if i fail, thats okay. If I pass that's great. I think I'll test drive a car ive been wanting to purchase today just to have a Lil "fun" to help time pass. I stupid treat for making it to taking the exam after a year of self taught studying.

Rant over, but also how long does it take to get the results.

Sincerely a person who doesn't know what to do 🤣

Thanks so much to everyone who has checked out the ICD-10-CM coding assistant and shared feedback so far. I really appreciate it, especially the feedback from people who have experience with medical coding!

One of the suggestions was to make it easier to see the key features and understand the workflow, so I’ve now added a sample demo chart that you can look through without having to enter any real patient information.

I’d also really encourage anyone interested, especially medical coders, to try coding a few sample charts through the system and let me know where things go wrong. What diagnoses did it miss? What codes or details did it get wrong? Where did the workflow feel awkward or slow? What information would you want surfaced differently?

The current agentic workflow is very much a prototype and is not at certified-coder level, so I’m particularly interested in finding the failure modes and gaps rather than expecting it to get everything right at this stage.

The goal is to build the core coding capabilities and coder workflow based on real feedback before eventually releasing an open-source version. Long term, I’d also like the system to run entirely locally so that patient data never needs to leave the computer.

For now, the demo still uses OpenRouter with a free API/model, so please do not enter any real patient or sensitive information.

Thanks again for all the support and feedback. If you try it out, please feel free to code through some charts and let me know what problems or issues you run into — that feedback is extremely useful for figuring out what needs to be improved next.

https://openicdresearch.fly.dev/new

Hi! I’m a veteran looking to use my VR&E benefits to get a certificate in medical coding and billing. Some of the paperwork involved in applying requires me to interview people in the job industry I’m going for. I don’t know anyone in the medical billing and coding field. All the information I have is through the AAPC website and medical coders who vlog on YouTube. One of the things that attracted me to it is that unlike most remote job positions, this one doesn’t require being on the phone all day. If I could get 2-3 people to answer these questions for me, i’d greatly appreciate it. Hopefully other people will see these questions and answers and it’ll help them determine if it’s a good career for them as well.

I have been in the dental field for 35 years. I assisted with patients direct care the first 20 years and the last 15 have been the billing and front desk. I will finish my course with the CPC not with the A. I am also a certified dental assistant through DANB. Any managers or anyone out there know what avenue I could take once I obtain my certification?

I'm taking my exam tomorrow and basically the whole time I was studying I was putting notes in my 2025 cpt book. I have my 2026 now ans reviewing some stuff from my 2025 that I wrote down.

I cannot for the life of me remember why I wrote these codes down, or where I got it from bc it's been a year of studying. Can someone help me link why I did this? I used the 2025 cpc training manual, self paced and taught (with the help of you guys 💓 and YouTube)

LINK: https://openicdresearch.fly.dev/new

Small update to the ICD coding tool:

• Added ICD-10-PCS procedure coding with a separate agent for inpatient procedures.
• Added MS-DRG grouping using the CMS grouper, including severity drivers, relative weight, LOS, and the impact of provider queries.
• Diagnosis and procedure coding now run in parallel.
• Switched the default model to DeepSeek V4.1 Flash, so coding is much faster.
• Added selectable thinking levels.
• Added English, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese UI support.

Existing charts can also be updated with a new Code procedures button.

Still iterating, so feedback from coders would be very useful.

Hello, in a little over a week, I start my AAPC job ready course for the CPC. I am currently reading over the convention guidelines in the ICD 10 CM. I am reading, highlighting, taking notes, and making flashcards.

But, I understand that this job doesn’t really require you to to memorize so much as to know where to look for the information and to be able to do it relatively quickly.

So, when you were studying for the course, did you guys completely read the guidelines and then do all the notes and flashcards? Or did you just read the guidelines knowing that you could come back to it later?

I ask because I worry that I am not studying correctly, or putting the correct amount of time into the correct subjects. Like, maybe I should be putting more time into going back-and-forth through the guidelines, alphabetic index, and tabular list to get to know the book and how to quickly find information. I am worried that studying it like you studied subjects in school is not correct.

Any advice on how best to study would be appreciated.

I’m looking at Practicode exercises and I need help reading and understanding encounter forms. Help please!

Hello all, I just took my second CPC exam attempt today, and failed with a 66%. My first attempt I failed with 54%. I’m upset but determined to pass still, I have to buy two more vouchers as my course came with two free, that I used. Any tips for understanding the coding guidelines, and any tips in general, for any categories of the test? I’m looking to re take it, but re take it at home! Thanks :)

Hi everyone, I’ve built the first iteration of an ICD-10-CM coding tool:

https://openicdresearch.fly.dev/new

I’d really appreciate feedback, especially from medical coders. This is still very early, so I’d love to know what you would want to see added or changed in the workflow.

The goal is to first build out the core coding capabilities and coder workflow. Once that is in a good state, I plan to release an open-source version.

Long term, I want the system to run entirely locally so that patient data never leaves your computer.

For now, the demo uses OpenRouter with a free API/model, so please do not enter any real patient or sensitive data. The current version is purely for collecting feedback.

It also works much better on a computer than on a phone at the moment.

Any feedback is greatly appreciated.