Guided Notes

Certification Exam Strategy

What the CPC (and similar) exams test, how to prepare your books, time management, answer-elimination techniques, and a 6-week study plan.

What the exam covers

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The CPC exam (AAPC) is about 100 multiple-choice questions in 4 hours, open code book. Content spans: • CPT sections: E/M, anesthesia, surgery by body system, radiology, pathology/lab, medicine • ICD-10-CM and HCPCS Level II • Coding guidelines and modifiers • Medical terminology and anatomy • Compliance and regulatory topics, payment basics

Most questions are short cases or op-note excerpts with four code combinations to choose from. Always check AAPC's current exam description — formats can change.

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