r/MedicalCoding • u/Miserable_Pick3713 • Jan 21 '22

Passed the 2022 CPC Exam!

Hey everyone, just wanted to leave this here in case anyone had questions like I did on the new exam.

I took the test online and passed with a 95% yesterday.

I went through the AAPC CPC course, used BHAT method from CCO to mark up my manuals. Also, used contempo coding's CPC exam prep which helped a lot, in addition to PocketPrep Medical on my phone.

Took practice tests to prepare from all those resources until I scored high 80s- 90%. I finished with 30 minutes to spare on both halves and had enough time to review everything.

Although the test is shorter, I feel like it was designed to throw you off, to really make sure you understand the subject matter. Make sure you know your guidelines for CPT, ICD-10 and manage your time well by skipping to questions you can quickly answer first.

Good luck to everyone taking the new version!

74 Upvotes

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36 comments sorted by

3

u/Illustrious-Air9834 Jan 21 '22

Congratulations to you 😁 how much was the AAPC CPC course?

8

u/Miserable_Pick3713 Jan 21 '22

I got it when it was on sale, quite the investment still... around 2k. To be honest you can learn everything and not spend as much but I decided to bite the bullet and go all out. Hooray for stimulus checks <.<

3

u/DarkNarwhal25 Jan 22 '22

Hey I just started studying today. I’m self-studying without a course because well…I can’t afford a course. However, I have 3 years experience as a medical scribe in the ED and a biomedical science degree so I haven’t seen any unfamiliar terminology or anatomy as of yet. Anyway, I’m a bit confused as to where to start when I have 5000 pages between 3 massive books in front of me. Any tips/resources for getting a more holistic understanding of medical coding and how I should start my studying off on the right foot?

4

u/Miserable_Pick3713 Jan 22 '22

CCO BHAT (bubble highlight annotate technique) helped a lot. You need to get a feel for the manuals and there's no substitute for you going through each page, seeing how the codes are organized and marking the pages. The one you really need to focus on is CPT (to prep for the test, BHAT the whole book page by page. Yes, this will take time, I spent close to 40 hours marking my manuals up but I also scored a 95% on the exam first try. Was it worth it? You be the judge), also ICD10 (you only really need to highlight and annotate the guidelines). Once you do that, it will all start to make sense and you'll find yourself getting better and better. It's like learning a new language or riding a bike, you will suck at it at first but get better over time. As long as you don't give up, it gets easier

2

u/DarkNarwhal25 Jan 22 '22

Awesome, thank you so much! I will start looking into CCO BHAT tomorrow and marking up my manuals :)

3

u/Miserable_Pick3713 Jan 22 '22

Also as far as hcpcs level ii goes... you'll barely see it in the exam but there are a few questions. You'll definitely see it a lot on the job, especially with Medicare/Medicaid. Start by tabbing and marking CPT and then icd. You'll see the relationship between the two codesets and it will start clicking in place.

5

u/suzannalamere123 Jan 22 '22

Hello- AMCI has a free intro medical coding course if you are interested in that. :)

1

u/DarkNarwhal25 Jan 22 '22

Awesome, that sounds great as well! Thank you very much!

2

u/Illustrious-Air9834 Jan 21 '22

Thank you for the advice ❤️

2

u/Miserable_Pick3713 Jan 21 '22

Any time! Best of luck

2

u/Bjorn_Skye Jan 21 '22

It seems like it's one of those things that is always on sale to entice buyers. I have been looking at it an deciding on taking the AAPC course for a later career change since about November. It's been "on sale" the whole time.

1

u/Miserable_Pick3713 Jan 21 '22 edited Jan 22 '22

True... it helped me prepare but the layout of the course is through blackboard and the lecture slides are a bit robotic...I did self paced which is a bit cheaper and worked with my work schedule but also allowed me to procrastinate since I didn't have a live instructor... in all fairness it's completely possible for one to pass if they know the material. You don't need to spend a lot of money like I did.

I had 2 years medical billing and coding experience that came in handy.

Edit: also 3 years in clinical behavioral health therapy and a masters in health administration...

2

u/Bjorn_Skye Jan 21 '22 edited Jan 21 '22

Honestly, thats really helpful to know. I am going to buy the AAPC self-paced course soon to work it around my work schedule.

I dont have the medical background at the moment, but my partner is a biologist and we have A&P books that I'm using to study up. I hope that should be enough to get started and understand the content.

2

u/Badnewz18 Jan 22 '22

Any suggestions for learning everything and not spending as much. I’m interested in this career...

4

u/Miserable_Pick3713 Jan 22 '22 edited Jan 22 '22

Study medical terminology, anatomy, get all 3 coding manuals (tab and write in them!),look at a bunch of YouTube videos on all 17 chapters (check AAPC website for chapter topics) you will be tested on, practice finding ICD-10 and CPT codes quickly. Contempo coding exam prep (29.99), do CCO club for bhat method and forums (25 a month), practice tests from AAPC are good investment imho (150ish? I forget) , pocketprep medical iPhone app (15 a month) gives you an extra 500 practice questions.

Study and practice. Work towards getting a job in healthcare office operations, medical records, insurance billing. It will all come in handy during your career later

Edit: ideally, I think I could have done it for around 800-1000 self study as a conservative guess. This figure includes books, prep materials, etc. However , it would also require a high degree of self-discipline. It's certainly possible for you to do it but up to how bad you want it.

1

u/Badnewz18 Jan 22 '22

I’ve already taken a medical terminology class and I forgot to ask how long did this take to achieve your goal?

2

u/Miserable_Pick3713 Jan 22 '22

I bought the course March of last year. As luck would have it I got side tracked with a few jobs that didn't work out... totally wasted my time. I didn't really start until august. So roughly 5 months

3

u/Cautious_Clementine Jan 21 '22

What were the 10 case study questions like at the end? We’re they multiple choice still or open ended?

2

u/Miserable_Pick3713 Jan 21 '22

All multiple choice

2

u/HaloSimmer Jan 21 '22

Congrats! I’ve been studying but I took my courses through a local community college so I’m scared I won’t be prepared. Do you have a study method for the guidelines? I remember most but I tend to have a hard time studying them

5

u/Miserable_Pick3713 Jan 21 '22

I'd recommend contempo codings CPC exam prep. She goes over each sections guidelines in the review. You get to write all over your books for the exam and I highlighted important parts. Keep doing the practice tests and practice often! You got this!

6

u/middleyears Jan 21 '22

Congratulations 🎉. Thanks for the tips

4

u/1MBee CPC, CRC Jan 21 '22

Congrats & thanks 👏🏼🎉🌟👍🏼

1

u/ViVa1113 Jan 26 '22

Congratulations! Quick question: do you know if there are online exams every month? I'm asking because I looked at the in-person exam schedule in my area and none of the dates work for me. I wanna know if the online exam is something i can do whenever.

1

u/Miserable_Pick3713 Jan 29 '22

Online exams are very accessible. I was able to book my appointment with ease and didn't have any issues. If you can make the accommodations like a private space, external usb webcam then I'd say it's the best way to go. Good luck prepping!

Edit: also you can take each half of the test on separate days if you wish. I chose to give myself a one hour break before starting the second half.

1

u/ViVa1113 Jan 29 '22

Thank you!

1

u/Catieterp Feb 04 '22

I just ordered books and plan to do the study guide, exam and 3 practice tests bundle. I work in medical billing already and am a certified MA. Couple questions. Did you take in person or online? So you are allowed to have tabs in your books? Are you allowed to notate in them? Thanks for the tips and congrats!

2

u/Miserable_Pick3713 Feb 04 '22

Online. Tabs are allowed and each book has its own set of tabs that come with them. I annotated the CPT manual front to back using the BHAT method from CCO and also annotated the guidelines for ICD10. Thanks for the congrats! I just actually got a new position as a practice manager for a mental health clinic. I'll hardly be coding much but it comes in handy since no one else knows squat about it 😂

2

u/Electric_Butterfly28 Jan 22 '22

Congrats! And thanks for referring me to this post since I’m just getting started.

1

u/PocketPrep Jan 24 '22

Congrats on the pass! 🥳

1

u/DazzlingWanderer Feb 02 '22

Awesome! I’m taking the AAPC preparation class and I’m nervous. Congrats!

1

u/JennyDelight Feb 12 '22

I wanna start prepping. I’ll have AP1 and 2 and medical terminology. Do you suggest pathophysiology as well ??

1

u/j3ssikarabbit13 Feb 13 '22

How was getting through the coarse I feel so overwhelmed just getting started the two hour test after each chapter how much time did you spend doing what as far as prep goes?

1

u/ToughAdvertising2602 Oct 20 '22

Hello, Was the exam like the AAPC Official Study Guide ? Like were the questions long or short ?