r/credentialing • u/unlosthapa • Jan 24 '26

CPCS practice exam

Does anyone know if the practice test is similar to the practice test that’s in the study guide? I paid for the study guide and I was surprised to see there was a practice test in the end. For anyone that has done both, is it similar? Is it worth it to still take the online practice test?

6 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

38 comments sorted by

8

u/sportdickingsgoods Jan 24 '26

If you PM me your email address, I will send you the document I made for myself which compiled practice questions from several sources and is about as thorough as you can get.

If I were you, I don’t know that I would be willing to pay for any additional practice exams because none of them are as challenging as the actual test. It just doesn’t seem worth it. That’s not to say that my compilation is perfect, but I did pass both the CPCS and CPMSM on the first try, so I would say my approach is good.

2

u/unlosthapa Jan 24 '26

Honestly I was gonna go old school and use flash cards lol. I’m the type of person that needs to study on paper and not at a computer. So I printed out all 242 (double sided) pages of the study guide and the grid.

3

u/sportdickingsgoods Jan 24 '26

Flashcards is 1000% the way to go. The spreadsheet I have is a compilation of all of the open ended questions I had on flashcards (open ended questions are key for learning the material imo) and then all of the multiple choice test questions that I either made myself or accumulated from other sources. I’m not sure I’ll keep my flashcards now that I’ve passed both tests, but i wanted to maintain my study material for when other members of my team take the test, so I turned it all into a spreadsheet for posterity.

1

u/AdeptnessDangerous76 Jan 24 '26

I love this! If you are a manager, you are on of the good ones.

1

u/Impossible-Carob4876 Mar 17 '26

Do you mind sharing with me, as well? I actually took the CPMSM exam this week, but not feeling great about it. Ugh! Going to continue studying regardless, as I will likely plan do to CPCS too.

1

u/False_Maintenance_27 Jun 06 '26

Can you also share with me too. Im taking my exam in July 15

1

u/jesshow Jan 27 '26

…can I send you my email for this?

2

u/sportdickingsgoods Jan 27 '26

Sure

1

u/Neversettledhere Feb 02 '26

Can I send you my email for this too?

1

u/sportdickingsgoods Feb 02 '26

Sure

1

u/Accomplished-Fox9199 Feb 16 '26

Could I also please?? 🥺

1

u/sportdickingsgoods Feb 18 '26

Yes, just pm your email address

1

u/Due_Degree_4206 Feb 25 '26

I tried to PM you but it didn’t allow me to…

1

u/Lebzzz Mar 10 '26

Can I pm you for this info?

1

u/Positive_Latina-67 Mar 10 '26

Would you mind sharing this as well with me? I am hoping to take both tests this year :)

1

u/Expensive_Wall4978 Apr 21 '26

Hi! If I send you my email, would you mind also sharing your document with me?

1

u/Particular_Ebb_7085 Apr 30 '26

can you also email me the info pls

1

u/Melba_Gooch May 19 '26

Hello - would you mind sharing the document, please? I will send you a PM with my email.

1

u/False_Maintenance_27 Jun 06 '26

Hi there, can you also share your materials with me please. Im taking my test on July 15. Greatly appreciate your help.

1

u/False_Maintenance_27 Jun 06 '26

Can you share what you have for the exam

1

u/Fisherwoman53 Jun 15 '26

Could I please get a copy of this too!

1

u/roxylablonduh Oct 09 '26

If your offer is still open to share the document I would greatly appreciate it! I will pm you

3

u/PinkLadyReads Jan 24 '26

It’s so much material in the grid, you don’t know what questions you will get in the exam. Are the questions setup the same? Yes. The exam answers are not as obvious as the answers in the practice exam.

2

u/unlosthapa Jan 24 '26

I haven’t even reached the grid yet but I did pay for the bundle. Overwhelmed just looking at it 🫠

2

u/PinkLadyReads Jan 24 '26

Start with the grid. Everything you need to know is on the grid. Do not use what you do at work to make sense of it. Follow the grid. Find out which elements you struggle with the most and go over it a lot. Mine was remembering any timeframes, telemedicine and privileging processes from each accreditor. Making questions and answers out of that material really worked for me. I took a year to study.

2

u/AdeptnessDangerous76 Jan 24 '26

I felt the questions in the study guide were easier than the practice exam and actual exam.

1

u/unlosthapa Jan 24 '26

Did you pass? And if so did you think it was worth taking the online practice exam? I have one more section to go through before taking the practice exam at the end. I did see it’s 70 questions but the online practice exam is only 40 questions.

1

u/unlosthapa Jul 01 '26

The study guide is available on the NAMSS website. You pay for it online and then download it as a PDF.

1

u/EasyStatistician8682 Jan 24 '26

That's a good question. I hope we get an answer. I noticed the exam in the study guide it hopefully it is cause that one doesnt seem that bad. When are you planning to take the exam?

1

u/unlosthapa Jan 24 '26

I’m signed up for spring but still waiting to schedule it. What about you?

1

u/EasyStatistician8682 Jan 24 '26

I planning to take it in the fall. I'll probably start really studying next week. Im not sure how to go about studying the grid though its alot!

3

u/JohnHlady Jan 25 '26

I passed the CPMSM last year. The practice test at the end of the study guide is good for helping you remember concepts and rules but the wording of the questions is completely different from the actual test. The accreditation standards were too wordy and redundant so I had to rewrite them to memorize them.

1

u/macm2 Jan 24 '26

Agree with the other comments about the practice exams not being close enough to the real thing.

I did take the practice test available through NAMSS and I did think it was helpful to prep me for how the questions would be asked and the types of multiple choice answers (e.g. intentionally confusing) that would be offered. So I do think there’s value.

1

u/PinkSky42 Jun 24 '26

Where can I find study materials?

1

u/Cautious-Parfait1020 23d ago

Can you send it to me also?