Why stress on percentages
From what i can tell by reading here, seems everyone is concerned about failing rather than passing....re-route thy brain into thinking something more productive like what do i need to study to pass. Starting this year, I found out (through AAPC) you only need 70% on the whole test, so if you remember from school days that equals a "C" in most point systems. 150 questions leaves you to flunder quite a few questions and still pass!
As a suggestion, i would concentrate on knowing the ICD-9-CM guidelines forwards and backwards and possibly even take the time to x reference them into your tabular areas so when you see the diagnosis, you have a page number from the guidelines to refer to written somewhere next to the diagnosis so you can quickly look for any specific guidelines pertaining to the coding sequence or other guidelines to properly code that diagnosis. Be sure to know Late Effects, After care and Followup guidelines and how they are different and affect diagnosis selection. Brush up on Medical Terms prefixes and suffixes, know the modifiers and also in HCPCS Appendixes the acronyms probably.
For the CPT, the guidelines are at the beginning of each section. I would throughly understand Critical Care codes because that is an obvious ara that one would at least have one question from. Vaccinations on kids, well visits, etc. The AAPC has a list on their site that breaks down their exam by section. The AAPC also generously publishes a Study Guide and Online Practice Tests A, B, C to really help you pass the test. These resources are available to help reduce that anxiety we all have when we take the test. The resources acquain you wih their format and timing and give you the ammunition you need to develop a strategy to taking the test.
Now the real kick: You will be thankful that the AAPC was generous in preparing you for their test because employment tests, or yes there are those, are everywhere and I have taken a couple and have heard the horrors from others what they experienced taking those tests. The employment tests normally only let you miss the most of 2 questions or fail. Where I am employed we are tested every few months and must keep ourselves at 97% accuracy, especially after meetings. If we flunk, we are on probation. There has also been consideration that at our work us coders have to re-take the CPC or CCS every two years in order to keep our jobs. Now that is a scary! Especially when you are in specialty. Also, another thing I think the AAPC is doing now is this, you don't necessarily have to take the "umbrella" CPC test and then move on to a specialty certification any longer. The way I understand it, you just pay for the exam you want and take it. But check on this because I could very well be wrong.
I only hope that those who read this long post et some kind of help from it and it helps you discern the right direction to take and how to approach the CPC exam
Best Regards
P.S. I didn't give a hoot about what I got as long as it said "P-A-S-S" to the left of the page when I signed on! LOL But I was pleasantly surprised with my score and have no complaints. But "P-A-S-S" is all that matters!