# CPMA Workshop vs. study guide



## cjmusser

Hello,

Has anyone taken the 2 day course and/or used the study guide.  I am trying to decide if the study guide will be sufficient of if I should also attend the course.  I have Deb Griders book the Medical Record Auditor as well.  I have been auditing and educating for 7+ years and over 15 years in the field but I know there is a lot of regulatory material that I may not be familiar with and need to study.  

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!
Christie Musser, CPC


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## tmerickson

Christie

I took the 2 day course, and felt it was very valuable. I feel very prepared for the CPMA test.


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## Elbee

the exam is very heavy on compliance so any resources you can find on that would probably suit you better if you are already experienced in the auditing part.


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## kvmoses

*CPMA Exam*

I tool the 2 day course and recently took and passed the exam. The course was helpful, but if you have audited in the past the book may work for you.  Good Luck


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## Mjones7

kvmoses said:


> I tool the 2 day course and recently took and passed the exam. The course was helpful, but if you have audited in the past the book may work for you.  Good Luck



I have the NAMMAS study guide which is heavy on compliance it seems pretty good and I am confident (at least now ) about taking the CPMA exam in a few weeks.


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## gared111

tmerickson said:


> Christie
> 
> I took the 2 day course, and felt it was very valuable. I feel very prepared for the CPMA test.



I'm going back & forth as to whether or not I want to spend the money on that two day course.  It's not being offered in my state until late in 2011 so I would have to fly to another state & pay those added expenses as well.  I emailed & asked what the pass rate was for people who took the course & was told that *only 40% of the people who take that two day course actually pass the test.*  They couldn't tell me if that result was the result of the first test taking or the second.   I found that statistic to be pretty low.  I have a good 25 years of billing experience & probably 10 years of that doing coding (about 7 or 8 years certified) but I'm worried about spending all that money & not passing the test.  

Have you taken the test yet?  Just how difficult was it?  lol  I'm guessing it's very difficult.   I'm just looking for any info I can find to help me decide if I should spend the money or not.  I do believe that if I pass the test that the investment will be worth it financially, I am just questioning if this two day course is really enough to prepare a person.

Thanks!


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## prg29307

I recently took a specialty exam ( GCSC) and passed. At the same exam, someone was taking the CPMA who had taken the 2 day course and she did not pass. I am interested in others' experiences as well as I would like to take the CPMA next.


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## jennyannk73

I took the test after the two day boot camp and passed the first time.  Barely.  Admittedly, I barely studied, and have been in the career field for 6+ years, but, I did highlight quite a bit of stuff covered in the class that ended up being on the test.  Without the NAMAS boot camp I would have certainly failed.


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## RebeccaWoodward*

I found that everything you need to know can be found in those links, websites, etc recommended by the AAPC .


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## lisahair

I recently took the 2 day course and passed the exam on the first try. I will say, the exam is very difficult and as others have stated, is very heavy on regulatory type issues. And you must remember to think national guidelines, not what your local carrier says. Out of 7 of us who took the exam, 3 passed on the first try. I can't reallly say if the study guide would be enough because I just took the class and used the curriculum guide that came from the class, as well as personal experience.


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## aprilroc

I just took the 2 day boot camp course and Instructor pointed out lots of things to highlight and spend additional time reviewing or reading over. I think the course was great and very informative. I am scheduled to take the test in November. A collegue of mine took the boot camp and test the next day and she said the test was very hard but she said she feels confident she passed. The book by Deb Grider, The Medical Record Auditor is a very good resourse also. I would recommend the course and you also get 16 CEU's which is great. Good luck!!

April Ash, CPC


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## gltrooney

I have been auditing for a while, so decided to rely on both the book by Debra Grider and the study materials from NAMAS for the test, and passed.  It is a difficult test, but if you study these two resources thoroughly, you should not have any problem passing.


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## crystalreign

*I took the class, used the study guide and passed the CPMA*

Hi there! My name is Crystal and I took the CPMA exam on 10/2/2010 following the 2 days course the previous two days. In my opinion the course was very helpful especially in bringing the information to the forefront of my mind and sort of a bootcamp right before the exam. I also already had the NAMAS study guide and Deb Griders The Medical Record Auditor that I began reviewing in March. I wasn't dedicated to studying until about 6 weeks prior to my exam but that was a time issue! Anyway I feel that studying on my own and taking the class helped me to be successful on the exam. My advice for the exam is to pace yourself. We didn't have a clock in the room and I wasn't able to watch the time so I freaked out when I started running out of time. I still finished all the questions but I was uncertain about passing which is unusual for me-an excellent test taker! As far as what you need to know, the AAPC provides a breakdown of the exam and the information content. They cannot include all areas because of the limited number of questions obviously but if you follow that list and study appropriately noticing the number of questions per topic that should guide you on what to study. I started with the part with the most questions-Compliance & Regulatory Guidelines then went to Med Recs and so on. As for auditing just work on your speed and any specialties you are not familiar with. They do provide an auditing tool with your exam. I really like their tool but used my own due to familiarity. I didn't really look at theirs until after the exam. If you have more questions let me know!  I wish you the best! The exam is a challenge but worth it!!


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