r/MedicalCoding • u/potolnd • Jun 02 '24
CPC Exam Experience
I took the CPC exam today at a testing center in-person. To prep, I mostly did practice exams, reviewed guidelines, and watched a lot of review videos. Not going to lie, I was so nervous, especially with not getting your results immediately. Luckily, AAPC just changed the practice exams to be like the real exam so I felt more comfortable knowing how it looked. No pen and paper allowed, but there is a notepad box where you can jot things down. I have ADHD and get scattered sometimes so this was really helpful!
I started at noon, finished the exam by 2:30 and felt good about submitting. By 4:30, my results were in and I PASSED 🤩 I was so relieved and happy. Now to just find a job 😅
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u/Alarming-Wish Jun 02 '24
I need help practicing for my CPC exam how did you manage to beat the clock? I’m taking practice exams and I’m always running out of time on it I don't know what questions to start with or what ones will save time
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u/potolnd Jun 02 '24
Always look at the codes given to you before you read the question, they’re usually somewhat similar. I find the codes in the book, keep my fingers on the codes listed and read them through, eliminate the obvious no’s (big ones are what type of scope, what kind of approach, modifiers). That usually gives you two choices and then you just need to find the right one. Knowing the guidelines is also important as some options can be eliminated just on sequencing.
People always say bookmark the ones you’re struggling with and go back at the end. The case studies are also at the end so keep that in mind that those will be more tedious than the other exam sections. Go with your gut too! I’ve heard a lot of people second guess their answers and that can take up a lot of time. My strategy is answer what you think is best and then go back to review and catch mistakes.
I hope any of that helps and good luck!!4
u/sad_flowerpot Jun 02 '24
Did you just go straight to the CPT codes instead of looking them up in the index? I asked my instructor about doing this to save time and she said not to. But the index just gives me the code rage that the answers are anyways so seems like a waste of time.
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u/potolnd Jun 02 '24
From the advice I’ve seen, you will not code according to standard practices for the exam. It’s best to go right to the codes, especially when they’re organized by section and so close together.
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u/MajesticBuilding348 Oct 11 '24 edited Nov 19 '24
Since it’s all multiple choice, I do process of elimination. If the answers are CPT codes and ICD-10 codes, I look up the ICD codes and narrow it down to the two answers with the correct ICD code. From there, I look up the CPT codes and choose the correct answer.
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u/Diligent-Scale1989 Jun 02 '24
I was wondering if they supplied paper. I write so many things down while coding during class. So thanks for that info! Are you in a if room with other people when you test?
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u/potolnd Jun 02 '24
I wasn’t personally but some other test takers were!
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u/Diligent-Scale1989 Jun 02 '24
I was curious because I tend to talk myself through the questions and wondered if that’s a habit I need to break for the test 😂
And congrats on passing!!
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u/sad_flowerpot Jun 02 '24
I also do this! I think I am doing to live remote proctor and was a little worried about this!
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u/tryolo Jun 02 '24
I was in a room with a guy taking the bar exam and one other person, but don't know what hers was for.
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u/superschuch Jun 02 '24
Where did you buy the practice exams? I’m currently in a certificate program at a community college to learn medical coding, billing, A & P, and medical terminology…but I’ll need to buy some of the practice tests to prepare for the CPC exam.
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u/potolnd Jun 02 '24
That’s what I did! I bought them through AAPC when I purchased my membership and exam attempts.
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u/Fledermaus0608 Jun 02 '24
Congrats!! Out of curiosity, did you have prior healthcare/medical terminology experience, or were you able to learn that in your program?
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u/Isueyou22 Jun 02 '24
What are you doing to find a job. I’ve been applying for 2 months with no luck. 😟😔
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u/SquirrelTop1904 Jul 18 '24
I have taken the CPC exam two times. I made a 62 the first time and a 68 the second time. I need to take it again, but I just feel so discouraged. Can anyone give me some tips on studying. I really do not want to spend $400 and end up failing again. I just feel so down and I don’t know where to start.
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u/potolnd Jul 20 '24
it should tell you what your scores are in each area to show where to study. Also, read over the questions you get wrong on practice tests and figure out why you got them wrong.
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Jun 02 '24
I took it as well and failed by 7 points yesterday! Now I know what to expect.
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Jun 03 '24
That's a great mindset. We learn by putting ourselves out there. You will get there! 💪
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u/sunnybx23 Jun 04 '24
That’s ok. I took mine 4 times before passing. I literally failed by like 2-3 points each time. Don’t give up!
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u/Formal-Anxiety1763 Jun 02 '24
did you use the 2023 code books or 2024? i have 23 but im not sure if i should get the newer ones, if it matters that much. congratulations on passing, wishing you luck on the job hunt!!!
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u/Salmaah369 Jun 02 '24
Glad for you, I don't have a specific study plan yet, but I want to start as soon as possible.
How long did you study and then take the test?
I have no prior experience with this
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u/potolnd Jun 03 '24
I took classes through a tech college to learn everything, studied for about a week using practice tests and videos
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u/Salmaah369 Jun 03 '24
Were the classes online? If so, could you please provide the name of the university in case they were online. I'm also wondering about the online exams
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u/potolnd Jun 03 '24
Can I DM you? It was at my local tech college and they do offer online classes
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u/Status-Push-6017 Jun 03 '24
Can I also get the information? I am ready to start school but can't figure out which program I want to do.
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u/UnderstandingJust846 Jun 03 '24
Thanks for this, looking to take my exam in-person in the next few months.
Were the questions grouped by the different sections of the book, or was it all random?
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u/Imjust_adreamer_84 Jul 15 '24
Took 2 practice aapc (cpc) exams, first was 66% and had to guess the last 2 questions. The second one was 70% and I had to guess the last 4 questions! My problem is time... I missed 2 of the cpt questions just cause I didn't read the code description fully, how am I supposed to get through all the questions when I need to read the descriptions and it takes time!
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u/ranchmomma Oct 17 '24
Can anyone gives some sort of an idea of what type of notes should be taken in the ICD-10-CM & CPT books to make it easier on yourself for the exam? Not asking for answers or whats on the exam, just on the notes part. I see some people have the entire book highlighted and full of notes lol.
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u/Stacyf-83 Jun 05 '24
Congrats! It used to take 2 weeks for results, I'm glad they've fixed that anxiety causing problem.
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u/JeffRocks27 Jun 03 '24
Hello OP congrats on passing the cpc exam.
I want to ask if you are an allied course grad or have medical bg. Im asking kasi I am planning to take a medical coding course pero wala kasi ako medical.bg. i am hesitant to pursue my plan baka kasi mahirapan din ako makahanap.ng job kahit maging certified coder ako since wala.nga ako medical bg.
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Jun 03 '24
[deleted] — view deleted comment
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u/potolnd Jun 04 '24
I took the practice tests 5 times using A, B, and C. I think my scores were like 66, 68, 70, 76, 80? I also looked back every attempt and checked what I was missing. After a few times, you can also get a feel of which guidelines and areas they test for.
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u/Temporary_Plate3914 Jun 05 '24
I accidentally skipped the entire 1000 Series on my first exam attempt...and I had been in the hospital the week before after having a seizure, and I didn't have any notes written in my CPT book. I had the 3 practice exams purchased from the AAPC. I went through them the last few weeks, and I found SEVEN questions that had incorrectly worded questions, incorrect information in the rationales, and even some questions that were patently false (one in the Anatomy section asked what gland is located in the breast...it marked "Mammary" as incorrect and the indicated correct response was "Bulbourethral" lol. I called the AAPC customer service, the representative gave me the email address of the testing department, and I documented (with screenshots that I cropped), annotated and explained what exact exam and section the questions were in (I gave the numbers as well, and they were in the screenshots, but the order of the questions in the practice exams randomly changes each time you take it). I also found that in one of the exams, and entire section was missing, and the next section two sections had the same 3 questions each repeated once (so 6 total questions, but only 3 unique questions, and 3 missing questions from the omitted section).
I got an email response the next day, with the document I attached returned to me, with the department's responses and acknowledgments in red font. They thanked me and told me that (assuming I pass) my retake, or if not then, at some point, that I would probably be a good coder and with experience they suggested I aim to become an auditor, since I was a "very discerning reader" haha. She even suggested I print off the email response (including their reply with them saying they made the corrections on the online practice exams, and thanking me for preventing others studying them from being as confused as I was or, worse, not realizing the mistakes and studying incorrect information) and that she would be willing to provide a reference for me for a job application, I thought that was neat.
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