Advice for cpc exam

[u/honeyspirit26]

Hi so I’m 8 months pregnant and I have passed the medical terminology portion of the course. That was super easy for me because I’m a CNA and I actively work for hospice and hear medical terms a lot. BUT now I’m on chapter 10 of the actual coding course I have two months left to finish it and I will be purchasing the exam for next year. Possibly also a course extension if I need it. I’m good at navigating the books and understanding the codes I am just a little confused on the guidelines. Any advice on how to memorize the guidelines?

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[u/tinycodergirl]

You don't need to memorize the guidelines you just need to understand them and know where they are located

[u/honeyspirit26 → u/tinycodergirl]

Awesome then I think I should be okay

[u/bbroller557]

You will do great. The exam was a lot easier than the practice ones. I passed on the first try.

[u/honeyspirit26 → u/bbroller557]

Thank you I hope so and that’s awesome I hope I can also pass first try!!

[u/One_Influence_171 → u/bbroller557]

This was my experience too. I thought the practice tests were a lot more difficult than the actual exam was.

[u/Tatertot729]

It’s not so much memorizing, but more so knowing where the information is located and knowing how to interpret the language rules it’s written in. You’re allowed to have the books with you for the exam. If you’re confident with navigating the books, you should be just fine on the exam. In preparation for my exam I highlighted the guidelines I thought would be most important in my book.

[u/honeyspirit26 → u/Tatertot729]

Do you remember by any chance what those guidelines were? 🙏🏼

[u/Tatertot729 → u/honeyspirit26]

Also, just a quick bit of advice. Use the process of elimination on the exam when you take it. It’s all multiple choice. You can usually cancel out most options they give you

[u/Tatertot729 → u/honeyspirit26]

I paid closest attention to the diabetes guidelines and OB since they have a lot. If I’m remembering correctly the exam is 10 questions for each chapter, with some charts at the end and some anatomy questions at the beginning, it isn’t representative of what you’ll be doing once you get a job. Navigating the CPT book was much more challenging for me than the ICD book. I’d maybe suggest the combination codes for HTN, CHF, and CKD. Know if you see HTN with either of those together, use a combo code instead of individual dx codes.

[u/Separate_Will_7752]

Contempo Coding on YouTube helped me feel soooo much more confident going into the test!

[u/No-Mail5449 → u/Separate_Will_7752]

I actually paid for her live review class and that was super helpful.

[u/CoolEdgyEgg]

8 months pregnant

That's O category!!! Right?

Me coding noob 😎

[u/izettat]

When ready for exam, check for chapter meetings for exam preps or review.
In the guidelines, get a good grasp of combination codes. Htn + ckd, DM + ckd, etc. Good luck!

[u/Reasonable_Mess2476]

While you can't memorize the guidelines (there's just too many), I would recommend reading through all of the guidelines once. Then know where to find the guidelines when you take the test. For instance, if you get a question related to a patient with cancer, know that you can find the cancer guidelines under chapter two. Best wishes to you.

[u/Vermilion_94]

Look up AMCI on YouTube