I provide below all the things I did to pass the exam:
1. There's no substitute for hard work and practice. So, study hard with full concentration and 3 weeks before the Cert. Exam. keep aside all your books and practice, practice, practice.
2. The only way to practice is to purchase the question/answer modules of 150 questions from different sources (you will find many on the internet plus 3 from AAPC). I purchased a total of 7 modules. You can share the expenses with friends/study buddies.
3. In 3 weeks you should practice each module 3 times. By the third time you should get 80% and be able to complete or almost complete within 5hrs, 40mins. Read and understand the correct answers with justifications.
4. The day before the exam do absolutely nothing.....maybe get a good massage (which is what I did)
5. Make sure you have at least 6 #2 sharpened (not too sharp) pencils, good quality eraser, couple highlighters and a sharpener and a good pen for signing. Get a watch with countdown function, if you can. Begin the countdown as soon as the proctor says begin.
6. I'm assuming that all the good stuff of highlighting, tabbing etc. has been done. In the CPT book I tore out the modifier pages and stapled them to the inside front cover. This was very helpful.
7. Driving to the exam--I was 1 hour from the exam location....not good. So, I spent the previous night in a hotel near the exam location (10 min drive). Be there at least 15 mins early.
8. Breakfast--have a heavy breakfast but not too heavy.....3 eggs, toast, no hash browns or bacon, and only one normal cup of coffee. If you must, drink only a little water. Wear warm clothing.
9. Do not take any food with you and only one small bottle of water (try not to drink any water during the exam) and go to the bathroom just before the exam begins. Do not go to the bathroom during the exam. Try to train for this when you're practicing. THIS IS REALLY A BIG TIME SAVER.
10. Now for the actual exam:
(i) Do not answer the questions sequentially but look for the shortest questions first. Finish the questions which do not require coding (anatomy, terminology, general type). I found the easiest questions at the very end. I did the whole exam from back to front in the first pass. Highlight the questions you have answered and make sure you're filling the correct answer bubbles.
(ii) Operative Reports take a lot of time to read. So, first look at the question. You may not have to read the whole Report every time. Look at the choices; are there multiple ICD9/CPT codes? Sometimes, if you get the correct ICD9 codes, you do not even have to do the CPT code or the choice is only 1 out of 2.
(iii) I find E&M codes take more time and very easy to make a mistake. I left them till the end.
(iv) For other questions use the process of elimination. Rule out the obvious wrong ones. You often have to choose between 2 answers. If you can't decide, don't waste time, pick one. You have a 50% chance of being right.
(v) Don't spend too much time on any one question about 2 mins, no more in the first pass.
(vi) Some questions will have answers with modifiers. Check on the modifiers for appropriateness. This will eliminate 1 or 2 of the answers.
(vii) Follow your first instinct. It is usually the correct one.
(viii) Any answer beginning with an E code is out unless it is about E codes only.
(ix) Keep track of the time left. When you have only 15 mins left, begin selecting answers on a random basis. You have a 25% chance of being right. Do not leave any question unanswered.
That's about it. Good luck, all.