Taking the CPMS® exam
The CPMS exam is a test of medical coding proficiency consisting of 40 multiple-choice questions that assess 7 areas of knowledge. Most questions test your understanding of medical terminology, anatomy, components of the medical record, and requirements of documentation to support services.
You must complete the CPMS exam within four hours and answer 70% of the questions correctly to pass.
Who should take the CPMS exam?
If you’ve completed AAPC's CPMS training course or have related experience, you should take the next step toward certification by registering for the CPMS exam.
Passing your certification exam will make you stand out as a certified candidate to employers, increasing your job opportunities and income potential.
What to expect on exam day
The exam has a total of 40 questions and 3 case studies to work through in four hours. People often wonder if the CPMS exam is hard. We'll say this: If you have taken the training course, studied, and are familiar with the areas of knowledge you'll be tested on, the test will be demanding, but not difficult.
Here's a quick overview of what you can expect:
Before you begin the test, take a moment and breathe. You have prepared for this. This is your opportunity to demonstrate your expertise.
You'll have four hours to finish the exam, giving you approximately 5.6 minutes to answer each of the 40 multiple-choice questions and 3 case questions. You can save time by reading the answer choices before reading each question and by saving the more difficult questions for last. It’s important to answer every question, even if you aren’t sure. Your best guess is better than no answer at all.
The questions assess 7 areas of knowledge to test your understanding of medical terminology, anatomy, components of the medical record, and requirements of documentation to support services. The end of the exam has 3 cases that test your ability to scribe medical visits.
Live Remote Proctored exam
Our Live Remote Proctored (LRP) exam* is taken on a computer at home and proctored remotely by ProctorU® via an external webcam.
Once you purchase your exam voucher, you’ll receive a confirmation email from AAPC. After redeeming your voucher and selecting your preferred book format, you’ll receive a Notice to Schedule email from Meazure Learning. When you are ready to schedule your exam, you may select one of our two electronic testing options (LRP or Testing Center) at the time of registration for a date and time convenient to you. For step-by-step instruction on scheduling your exam as well as guidelines and policies for each exam format, watch our exam video tutorial.
On the day of an LRP exam, you will log into your Meazure Learning account, then connect with your ProctorU proctor to complete a security check and take your exam. A valid, government-issued photo ID is required. Temporary, copies, paper or digital IDs are not permitted.
*Live Remote Proctored exams are available in the US, Bahamas & Jamaica only.
Equipment required: A reliable high-speed internet connection, a computer, working speakers and microphone, and an external webcam that can be positioned to show your face, hands, keyboard, and the area around the keyboard (about 10 inches).
Location: Taken at home in a closed room with window coverings, free from distraction or interruption.
Exam format: 40 multiple-choice questions and 3 essay questions delivered in one sitting
Time allowed: 4 hours
Proctor to examinee ratio: 1 to 2
Cancellation and rescheduling policy:
Within 48 hours prior to exam: cancellation and rescheduling is unavailable. If you do not show for your exam time, you will be considered a "no-show." Your exam attempt will be forfeited and a new voucher must be purchased (or a 2nd attempt used, if available) to reschedule.
48 hours or more prior to exam: you may reschedule or cancel with no applicable fee.
Availability: Schedule now
Testing center exam
Our testing center exam is taken on a computer, in-person, at one of Meazure Learning testing sites and is proctored by testing center personnel.
Once you purchase your exam voucher, you’ll receive a confirmation email from AAPC. After redeeming your voucher and selecting your preferred book format, you’ll receive a Notice to Schedule email from Meazure Learning. When you are ready to schedule your exam, you may select one of our two electronic testing options (LRP or Testing Center) at the time of registration for a date and time convenient to you. For step-by-step instruction on scheduling your exam as well as guidelines and policies for each exam format, watch our exam video tutorial.
Plan to arrive at your test center location 15 minutes early. A valid, government-issued photo ID is required. Temporary, copies, paper or digital IDs are not permitted.
Equipment required: All computer equipment required is provided by testing center
Location: Taken at a testing center, often at a college or university
Exam format: 40 multiple-choice questions and 3 essay questions delivered in one sitting
Time allowed: 4 hours
Proctor to examinee ratio: Testing center personnel may vary
Cancellation and rescheduling policy:
Within 48 hours prior to exam: cancellation or rescheduling is unavailable. If you do not show for your exam time, you will be considered a "no-show." Your exam attempt will be forfeited and a new voucher must be purchased (or a 2nd attempt used, if available) to reschedule.
Fifteen (15) days to 48 hours prior exam: $25.00 fee applies to cancel or reschedule.
Fifteen (15) or more days prior to exam: no fee applies to cancel or reschedule.
Availability: Schedule now
Passing grades
An overall score of 70% or higher is required to pass the certification exam. If you don’t pass, you will be notified of the categories/areas of study with sub-scores of 65% or less to help you prepare for retesting.
All AAPC certification exams exclusively measure proficiencies relating to the one credential named in the exam. To earn additional medical coding credentials, you will be required to pass additional certification exams.
Your results will be shared with you online in your My AAPC Account Dashboard under My Exams. You can expect the results within 7-10 business days after taking the exam. Once you have passed, your certificate will be sent to you in the mail.
Breakdown of the 40-question CPMS exam
The CPMS exam will test your ability to correctly identify the following domains:
Communication and compliance (7 questions)
Identify strategies for communicating crucial messages
Demonstrate the ability to query providers
Obtain a general understanding regarding fraud and abuse
Apply HIPAA regulations, including patient privacy, administrative simplification, and security
Documentation (3 questions)
Identify ancillary service clinical indicators
Apply medical record and documentation requirements and regulations
Identify and create the required elements of a medical record
Apply documentation requirements in an electronic medical record
Apply documentation requirements utilizing templates
Identify the needs and goals of a medical record
Explain the holistic, integrated, aggregate use of the medical record
Identify improved patient outcomes based on documentation
Demonstrate an understanding of the responsibilities of medical and clinical staff as it relates to documentation
Identify timely completion requirements
List common pitfalls of scribing
List abbreviations on “Do not use” list
Type at a given speed
Accurately spell verbiage used in documentation
Medical terminology (7 questions)
Recognize key terminology, abbreviations, and terms associated with selected conditions
Anatomy (9 questions)
Understand and identify general anatomy
Quality measures (3 questions)
Demonstrate an understanding of meaningful use
Demonstrate an understanding of the Quality Payment Program
Revenue cycle (6 questions)
Demonstrate a basic understanding of CPT®, HCPCS Level II, and ICD-10-CM coding
Explain the revenue cycle
Safety (5 questions)
Demonstrate an understanding of scribe safety: infectious disease, sterile fields, blood borne pathogens
Cases (3 medical visits to scribe, 1 question each)