AAPC - Advancing the Business of Healthcare

Certified Professional Medical Auditor (CPMA)® certification

Exam
Want to schedule exam?
  • Choose to take the exam online at home with a live remote proctor or at a testing center

  • Purchase an exam voucher to view available dates and times

Starting at $399

Training
Need exam prep training?
  • Self-paced and virtual instructor-led course options

  • Everything you need to prepare for the CPMA exam

Starting at $1,295

Medical auditing is a critical piece to compliant and profitable physician practices. Whether the audit purpose is Recovery Audit Contractor (RAC) audits, private payer denials, or just peace of mind, physicians have audits conducted regularly. The risks of being non-compliant with documentation and coding are too costly. As a CPMA, you will use your proven knowledge of coding and documentation guidelines to improve the revenue cycle of nearly all types of healthcare practices.

With tighter regulation on reporting medical services, there is a growing demand for CPMAs. They have a clear understanding of when and where an organization is at risk for non-compliance. CPMAs help providers avert liability and secure proper reimbursement for their patient care.

Certified CPMAs demonstrate expertise in:

  • Medical documentation, fraud, abuse, and penalties for documentation and coding violations based on governmental guidelines

  • Coding concepts

  • Scope and statistical sampling methodologies

  • Medical record auditing and abstraction

  • Quality assurance and coding risk analysis

  • Communication of results and findings

  • The medical record

Exam format

100 multiple-choice questions

Two ways to take the exam

Choose to take the exam online at home with a live remote proctor, or on a computer at a testing center. Learn more about your exam options and how to prepare.

Time allowed

Exams are administered in one sitting, with four hours to complete the exam.

Equipment required for exam

Our live remote proctored exam requires a closed room free from distraction with window coverings, a reliable, high-speed internet connection, a computer, and an external webcam that can be positioned to show your face, hands, keyboard, and the area around the keyboard (about 10 inches).

Exams taken at a testing center do not require any special equipment from the test-taker.

Experience requirements

Please be aware that the CPMA certification exam is a difficult, high-level examination and is not intended for individuals lacking training or experience. Examinees should have CPMA training and/or experience in auditing physician services, and be well versed in different types of audits, including evaluation and management (E/M).

Not ready yet? We recommend taking our CPMA preparation course.

Approved code books

Current year books are highly recommended as code sets are updated annually. You may choose to utilize books from the preceding year, the current year, or a combination of both; however, only one copy of each book is allowed. 

Maintaining your certification

To maintain your dual credentials, you must maintain your AAPC annual membership, and earn 40 continuing education units (CEUs) every two years.

Pricing

Choose to purchase one exam attempt for $399 or two exam attempts for $499. Of note:

  • 80% of AAPC students pass on the first attempt.

  • Students who train with AAPC are three times more likely to pass the certification exam.

What students are saying

  • Michelle Edel testimonial

    Testimonial

    I was a retail manager for 20 years. I took my test in September and got a job offer in October.

    Michelle Edel

  • Nilayana Sterling testimonial

    Testimonial

    As a stay at home mom and homeschooling two kids, it was a challenge; but if I can do, so can you all.

    Nilayana Sterling

  • Stacey White testimonial

    Testimonial

    If you plan to take an AAPC exam, take the AAPC course.

    Stacey White

  • Lamontica Alexander

    Testimonial

    It hasn't even been a year since I passed my exam and I've had 3 remote job offers, with no experience.

    Lamontica Alexander

About the CPMA exam

The exam is open book and consists of 100 multiple-choice questions (proctored) to be completed in four hours. The majority of the questions are presented in multiple choice format, covering auditing theory, legal and regulatory issues, NCCI, RAC audits, statistical sampling, coding concepts, and modifiers. In addition, each test taker will need to audit 15 cases.

Whether you take the exam online or in person, you must complete the CPMA exam within four hours and answer 70% of the questions correctly to pass.

Need help preparing for an exam?