# CPC Exam-I am taking



## Lady1977

I am taking the CPC exam soon, and I am getting very nervous about if I am studying the right way. Just looking for tips and pointers


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## Pam Brooks

Here's a list of tips/pointers I've been gathering over the years from several experienced coders who have taken the exam (and passed).  I hope it will be helpful. Thanks to Brandi Tadlock for many of these suggestions.  My comments are in red.  


1)Skip the index and go straight to the tabular to look up the four options that you are given

2) Skip long and difficult questions on the exam (and bubble sheet) and go back to them at the end if you have time.

3) When guessing make an educated one. Ex: If you are in the musculoskeletal section (20000 codes) your answer will likely have a 20000 code listed

4) Knowing some med term and anatomy can help you more than you think.  And use your CPT book index to look up terminology terms you may have forgotten.  There are some terms in HCPCS.  This is why it's important to know your books.  

5) A lot of the correct answers have codes that are repeated in at least two of the options with only a slight variation (Ex: Option A and B may be identical except A has a modifier and B does not)

6) 95% of the question have the answer some where in one of the manuals. Read your guidelines and know your modifiers!

7) Google "CPC practice exam", there are a lot of free and cheap practice out there and practice is the best way to study

There's a good practice exam here (150 questions for $19.99) http://www.medicalbillingandmedicalc...cticeexam.html

Also don't forget to get plenty of sleep and a good breakfast the same morning.

I didn't take any breaks, I took a restroom break before and after the exam. I "sipped" water during the exam and chewed gum.

I wrote and marked changes in the code books of the revised and new codes. (Just in case). And I highlighted the guidelines and special information for codes

Since you're not "cold coding" - there is no need at all to look in the Index. You need to see the descriptions of the codes quickly.

Be VERY careful if you skip a question. Make sure you skip that bubble line on our grid or your ENTIRE test is going to be wrong!!! Use extreme caution in skipping.

I proctored an exam recently and i had several people that did not finish and they wanted to hand the exam in with 20 or so blank bubbles. If you run out of time, just guess!!! Just fill in a bubble, because you have a 25% chance of it being right. I also have read that B is a popular guess. I am not sure why that is, but I suppose if you have to guess, just fill all the bubbles in with the same choice.

First, any questions that had 3-4 codes per answer I skipped as it would take a long time to look up, so I put a sticky tab on the page so I knew I had to go back and at least fill in the bubble if I didn't have time to look it up. Second, I started at the back of the test as it has alot of questions that don't require looking up an answer or mine had the dx section in the back and those to me were easier and took less time. Third, look at the codes on all answers and if there is one code used in all answer choices no need to look it up. I had to just blindly fill in about 10 questions at the end as I didn't have time to look them up and I still passed using these techniques and not spending my time on the really long questions/and many codes per answer. Of course go back to these if you have time..


I advise ...
1) read the question first (this will give you a clue as to what to look for in the scenario)
2) read the scenario and underline or highlight key words/phrases (e.g. consult, new patient, inpatient, decision for surgery ... etc)
3) look at the answer choices - is there one or two that are obviously wrong? Cross those out and you only have to look up two or three possibilities.

Pam's note:  I looked at the answers first….to see what section of CPT or ICD-9 I needed to be in….before looking at the question, I grabbed the book, and went to that general section.  Then I read the question to drill down to the details.  

I wanted to add to this...when marking your answers in the grid, pay CLOSE attention to what question number you're filling in - the answer key has the questions grouped 10 at a time, in 3 columns, and if you're not paying attention, you can fill in answers in the wrong place (for example, instead of filling in the answer for #11 in the right place, you might accidentally fill it into #61, thinking that you're on #11.) They're numbered, so it's not hard to do it right, but if you're worried about getting through the test in time, you might forget to look.

Bring something to sit on, like a small pillow or a blanket. You never know what kind of chair you'll have to sit in, and if it's hard and uncomfortable, it makes for a miserable 5 1/2 hours (not to mention that having a sore butt is _really_ distracting). And speaking of distractions, if you are distracted easily when taking tests, bring earplugs to drown out ambient noises - just don't put them in until the test starts! 

Bring a highlighter and make sure that your pencil has a good eraser (really, it's better to have 2 or 3 pencils in case one breaks, but the proctors usually have extra ones, if you forget). 
Pam's note:   I used pencils to underline, but didn't use a highlighter.  Too much extra work to cap and uncap the highlighter and change writing implements.  

I agree with everyone else about not getting hung up on hard questions - I go through the entire test, and knock out ALL of the easy ones first - if I can answer it in under 10 seconds (at a glance, or with minimal searching for codes), I'll answer it on the first round, but if it's a longer question, or one with a multi-part answer, I don't even read it until the second round. (Hint: I don't know if it's still like this, but when I took the test, medical terminology was one of the very last sections...) Once I've gotten all of the obvious ones out of the way, it's all about the process of elimination, which I've already told you about in another post. 

Pam's note:  I did not skip any questions.  I stuck with the question until I got the answer.  I had ‘banked' some time by answering many questions very quickly, so I had extra time for those more difficult questions.  Bottom line…you should know your material well enough so that you have a pretty good idea of the answer as soon as you finish reading the question, and all you have to do is verify between the two similar answers.  Make sure you know the coding guidelines (front of the ICD-9 book, and in the beginning of each CPT section).  

If you have a question with 3-4 codes as an answer, see if there is a code that would be easy to figure out, like an E code.  You can eliminate incorrect answers sometimes by looking up the E codes, or diagnosis codes instead of CPT codes.  Also read the code descriptions to see if one code is never to be billed out with another….that would give you an answer you can eliminate.  

Another thing I suggest is, in your test booklet, don't just circle the answer; write the letter you chose out to the side of the question #, where it's easy to see on the edge of the page. It will help you at the end as you're checking to make sure you filled in the answers on the grid correctly (since you won't be losing your place by searching through the actual answers), and it will also help to draw attention to questions that you skipped over earlier - don't leave any questions unanswered - even if you guess, you've still got at least a 25% chance of getting it right. This is extra work….My advice is to work consecutively, or at least a section at a time.  

Finally, I've got an emergency back-up plan if you get to the point that you're desperate, to help you avoid panicking in the last few minutes:
If you're not anywhere near being done, at the start of the last hour (like, 30 or more questions),_ lightly _fill in the *same answer *on all of the ones you still have open (eg, make them all A's),* then *spend time going over the questions and taking your best shot at picking the right answers with the time you have left - you have to fill the dummy answers in lightly 1) so you can tell them apart from other questions you've already answered with the same letter, and 2) so it can be easily erased when you replace it with the answer you choose. Try to get through as many as you can; but if you run out of time, you'll at least have all of the answers filled out.

Take a breath. You do NOT need to remember everything you learned in school. You *DO* need to remember how to look things up. That's it. The answers are on the test, Don't ponder on any one question too long. If you are having trouble, move on to the next one. You can go back and look at those troublesome questions when you've completed the other questions,  as you already know.

Take the time to thoroughly review your books.  Read your ICD-9 and CPT guidelines.  This is information you need to know….how to sequence codes, how to use the modifiers:  these are coding rules.  You won't have to audit, or scrub a surgical note, but you will be asked to decide what code is the best, based on the description.  Don't use payer guidelines….this test is based on the coding books, not Medicare.  

Give yourself two or three opportunities to do a practice exam.  Use that year's version, not an old exam.  You might remember information on old tests that might be incorrectly answered if those codes or rules change in the following year.  

The night before the exam, don't cram.  I was given this advice, and I followed it and passed first try.  

They tell you that you may bring snacks.  Frankly, I'm not sure how people could possibly eat at a time like this…but if you do decide to eat, bring silent food….bananas are a good option. No noisy wrapper, and nutritious.  

Once you finish, do not change any answers.  Your first ‘guess' is usually correct.  

If you take the CPC prep course in a classroom, DO NOT MISS A CLASS.  Believe me, all of the information is very important and valuable, and this test is hard enough without missing a class.  

I'm not a rocket scientist, but I took the CPC prep, did all the homework, and studied pretty consistently for those few weeks before I sat for the exam.  I was very comfortable with the material, and although I was nervous, I found that once I sat down and started taking the test, I knew the material and finished early.  You have to know these books front and back, and understand how to sequence the codes, so you have to know the guidelines the way the CPT and ICD-9 publish them.  And they're in your books.


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## KellyLR

*CPC Exam Prep*

Great recommendations above!

I've proctored a few tests and what I have seen of test takers is running out of time.

May I suggest:

1) Get the outline of the test from AAPC. From that, develop a strategy for which sections to answer first. I actually started at the back of the test and worked my way to the front.

2) Get the AAPC Practice Workbook. Work every page of the book

3) Purchase the AAPC CPC practice online tests. I think there are still three parts A, B, C

4) I remember many moons ago that there are other sites who say they prep you. My thought is this....If you are spending bucks on the AAPC test, makes sense to study with their materials since they designed the test.

5) KNOW the guidelines, make a cross reference where the code is to your guideline by page number of guideline where the code is to quickly turn to that page in the guideline if needed.

6) Don't study too far in the future from test date. I suggest 2 1/2 to 3 weeks out from taking your test. Using the practice online tests closest to the test date possible.

7) Don't burnout during study. Take extended breaks, even a day off.  I didn't open a book for 4 days before the test. I was burned out but I remember I went through the Workbook and did the practice exams as close to the date of my exam as possible (3 wks)

Good Luck!


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## Aten10

*cpc exam*

I took the exam last week and passed.

Can you describe how you are studying and what background you have?

I took the online aapc course starting 7/30/12 and finished around 9/18.
It was a lot harder than I thought it would be. Originally I guessed I'd finish
around 8/30.  I spent about 4 to 6 hours a day with no days off. I
took the cpc class because I have a lot of medical terminology and
physiology experience but am looking for more job opportunities right now.

I took one of the aapc 50 question practice exams each week for the 3 weeks before the real exam and the average of my grades on them was my grade on the exam.  So I'd recommend taking them to get an idea of what the real exam will be like.  It usually took me 1 hr and 55 minutes to finish them and on the real exam I finished with about 5 minutes to spare so they were a good indicator of my timing too.

Good luck, you can do it!


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## espressoguy

My favorite piece of advice is to remember that a passing score is 70%. Since this is a 150 question test you need to get at least 105 questions correct. In other words, you can miss 45 questions, *no one question is that critical to your success.*

I took my CPC nearly 2 years ago. I took snacks. I was in the middle of my externship and one of the coders suggested I take some mints and some cheese.

When I took my CPC-H last month, I also took mints and cheese. The proctors also brought some snacks for everybody.

Don't forget to breathe.


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## Lady1977

*CPC Exam*

I thank everyone for their tips and advice.

I know one thing I am confused on is how do you know if you need or don't need a modifier, your book sometimes has it noted after the code but what if it is not noted. Is it the key words?


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## Pam Brooks

csturner2008 said:


> I thank everyone for their tips and advice.
> 
> I know one thing I am confused on is how do you know if you need or don't need a modifier, your book sometimes has it noted after the code but what if it is not noted. Is it the key words?


 

Read the descriptions of the modifiers in the Appendix A of your CPT book, and understand them completely.  You might even highlight the key words  in those descriptions.  The question will likely use language that mirrors the modifier description, or the body of the question will explain the scenario that corresponds to the modifier.  And look at the answers.  That way you can go right to the modifier description and see if your question describes that circumstance.  You probably can eliminate at least two answers doing that approach.  Also, remember not to use surgical modifiers on E&M codes.   Good luck.


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## snowbird100

*CFPC exam question*

Does anyone know what is the best reference that is best to take to the test?  Does anyone have any other specific advice for the CFPC exam?  Thanks for your advice


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