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Resolved I passed my CPC! Heres some FYIs and Tips!

K

KaylaT_73484

New member
WHOO! I passed with an 86% on the first try! I finished the test with 20mins to spare, enough to go back and double check some questions I wasn't totally sure on. Here's some FYIs and tips from my experience, leading up to and day of the test:

  1. BHAT method was really freaking worth it, for me! Be aware of the time required to complete though!! I think the estimate of total time is about 22 hours, but I wager the time it took me to do it while watching tv took me over 50 hours, since April. But, again, worth it! There were at least two questions on the CPC test where the highlight already present in my book was the difference between choosing an answer with an additional code (wrong!) vs the correct answer (portion in parentheses called out to never bill with that specific additional code).
  2. I finished the PBC course about 1.5 months before my test, and leading up to the test I had taken 4 practice tests, one of which was via CCO, and the other 3 I purchased via AAPC when I signed up for my test. Scores I received were 80, 82, 84 and 86 in my practices, so extremely close to my real score.
  3. When you receive your test day of, know that not everyone is taking the same test! I don't know why I didn't anticipate this, but it did surprise me seeing what others brought for their test. For instance, the person next to me was allowed to have a medical dictionary during their test, whereas CPC it is not allowed.
  4. Look carefully at your scantron. Mine (and what I assume is standard for CPC), did not look like the typical scantron sheet that I grew up with as a kid, with 1-100 in one long vertical line. It's in columns of 30, and then the next column starts with 31 (I tried to find a form that's similar below, but this is not the exact same). At least one person in my test group answered her questions horizontally, not down and column by column. The error basically nulled her test by the time she realized, which was 3 hours into the 4 hour test, and she left (and I assume will now have to take a 2023 test).
    general-purpose-multiple-choice-answer-sheet_big.png
  5. In mine, the test STARTS with anatomy / physiology / easy questions first, which is the opposite of every practice test I took leading up. The terminology questions were always at the end! At least, that is what my test did.
  6. When you first get your test, triple check you have all pages of your test book! Our proctor had everyone right off the bat double check the staple in the middle of our test book has sequential pages, that the middle page is not missing. She said she has had that happen before, and it was a nightmare to fix.
  7. Download the AAPC app. I took my test on 12/18/2022, and received my score via the app on 12/22/2022.
  8. The date I took my test was the last offered test date of the year, and from that I learned some pros and cons! It was nice for me, knowing I had as much time as possible to study for my test that year. But know, if you cancel or miss your test, you have to now buy all new books for the next year! There were at least 3 other test takers that cancelled within a week of the test I took, and our proctor made a point of mentioning how they would need to buy new books now. And if there were any major updates (think of all the Covid 19 related charges that were added) that's a ton of new info to learn for a new test. Also, be prepared to section your time off between holiday related time and study time in the month of December.


Those were the biggest surprises for me - happy test taking you guys! You got this!!
 
Congrats!

Be sure to let CCO know officially here:

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To elaborate on the CPC exam.

You can use the previous year's manuals it is just not recommended due to the many changes each year.
AAPC WHAT year manuals.png

For 2023 more E/M guidelines.

The ICD-10-CM code system for 2023 includes 1176 new codes and 2,081 changes.
The 2023 CPT code set will see 393 editorial changes, including 225 new codes, 75 deletions, and 93 revisions.

I am not sure if AAPC has updated the scantron to just be 100.


Yes, the in-person exams accommodate many different exams & some allow different resources

Screen Shot 2022-12-26 at 10.09.52 AM.png

When should I expect to view my results?​

Exam results are normally released within 7 to 10 business days after the exam has taken place. Please do not call AAPC in reference to exam result until after the 10 business days. exam results will not be released over the telephone

Due to the grading process of the CIC exam, it may take 10-15 business days after the exam has taken place.

In the month of January there may be a longer wait time due to reviews of new content.

June, November, and December may be a longer wait time due to high volume of exams being taken.

When will I receive my electronic CPC exam results?​

We want to ensure the accuracy and quality of the exam. Exam results will be available within 7-10 business days of completing the exam. Results will show in the member area under MyAAPC>Exams in the exam details.

no medical dictionary for the CPC exam is allowed but you can write definitions in your manuals for an exam.

AAPC said the questions are not in order any longer.

Passing the CPC exam requires you to correctly answer a minimum of 70 questions from the series below. The exam questions, however, will not be identified or sorted by the series to which they pertain. The CPC test will rely on a level of understanding that enables you to identify the series.

Questions based on the CPT® code book include:

  • 10,000 Series CPT®: Surgical procedures performed on the integumentary system (6 questions)
  • 20,000 Series CPT®: Surgical procedures performed on the musculoskeletal system (6 questions)
  • 30,000 Series CPT®: Surgical procedures performed on the respiratory system, cardiovascular system, hemic and lymphatic systems, and the mediastinum and diaphragm (6 questions)
  • 40,000 Series CPT®: Surgical procedures performed on the digestive system (6 questions)
  • 50,000 Series CPT®: Surgical procedures performed on the urinary system, male and female reproductive systems (including maternity and delivery), and endocrine system (6 questions)
  • 60,000 Series CPT®: Surgical procedures performed on the nervous system (6 questions)
  • E/M services (6 questions)
  • Anesthesia, including time reporting and qualifying circumstances (4 questions)
  • Radiology (6 questions)
  • Laboratory and pathology (6 questions)
  • Medicine (6 questions)
The exam also covers relevant coding topics beyond the CPT® code book, including:

  • Medical terminology (4 questions)
  • Anatomy (4 questions)
  • ICD-10-CM code application, and the ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting (5 questions)
  • HCPCS Level II, including modifiers (3 questions)
  • Coding guidelines, including modifier use (7 questions)
  • Compliance and regulatory — Medicare Parts A, B, C, and D; place of service (POS) codes; National Correct Coding Initiative (NCCI) edits; HIPAA, and other regulations (3 questions).
The CPC exam will test your ability to pull everything together in medical cases requiring you to accurately code from clinical record documentation.

  • Ten cases with multiple choice answers involving CPT®, ICD-10-CM, and/or HCPCS Level II will cover 10000 series, 20000 series, 30000 series, 40000 series, 50000 series, 60000 series, medicine, anesthesia, radiology, pathology and laboratory, and evaluation and management services. Medical terminology, anatomy, compliance, and regulatory information may also be tested in the cases.
Exam tip thread in CCO Community
https://www.cco.community/threads/cpc-exam-tips.5274/

Student Exam tips in CCO Community:
https://www.cco.community/forums/test-taking-tips.71/

Unofficial online CPC exam FAQ:
https://www.cco.us/online-cpc-exam-faq/

We have many free Practice exams available at this link.
We have paid Practice Exams available at https://www.cco.us/ under the Practice Exam menu item.

Purchase 2023 manuals here:

www.cco.us

Recommended Textbooks, Manuals & FAQ

Listing of Textbooks, Workbooks and Manuals students will need for our full Courses and Review Blitzes. Book FAQs also included.
www.cco.us www.cco.us
 
KaylaT_73484 said:
WHOO! I passed with an 86% on the first try! I finished the test with 20mins to spare, enough to go back and double check some questions I wasn't totally sure on. Here's some FYIs and tips from my experience, leading up to and day of the test:

1) BHAT method was really freaking worth it, for me! Be aware of the time required to complete though!! I think the estimate of total time is about 22 hours, but I wager the time it took me to do it while watching tv took me over 50 hours, since April. But, again, worth it! There were at least two questions on the CPC test where the highlight already present in my book was the difference between choosing an answer with an additional code (wrong!) vs the correct answer (portion in parentheses called out to never bill with that specific additional code).
2) I finished the PBC course about 1.5 months before my test, and leading up to the test I had taken 4 practice tests, one of which was via CCO, and the other 3 I purchased via AAPC when I signed up for my test. Scores I received were 80, 82, 84 and 86 in my practices, so extremely close to my real score.
3) When you receive your test day of, know that not everyone is taking the same test! I don't know why I didn't anticipate this, but it did surprise me seeing what others brought for their test. For instance, the person next to me was allowed to have a medical dictionary during their test, whereas CPC it is not allowed.
4) Look carefully at your scantron. Mine (and what I assume is standard for CPC), did not look like the typical scantron sheet that I grew up with as a kid, with 1-100 in one long vertical line. It's in columns of 30, and then the next column starts with 31 (I tried to find a form that's similar below, but this is not the exact same). At least one person in my test group answered her questions horizontally, not down and column by column. The error basically nulled her test by the time she realized, which was 3 hours into the 4 hour test, and she left (and I assume will now have to take a 2023 test).

general-purpose-multiple-choice-answer-sheet_big.png


5) In mine, the test STARTS with anatomy / physiology / easy questions first, which is the opposite of every practice test I took leading up. The terminology questions were always at the end! At least, that is what my test did.
6) When you first get your test, triple check you have all pages of your test book! Our proctor had everyone right off the bat double check the staple in the middle of our test book has sequential pages, that the middle page is not missing. She said she has had that happen before, and it was a nightmare to fix.
7) Download the AAPC app. I took my test on 12/18/2022, and received my score via the app on 12/22/2022.
8) The date I took my test was the last offered test date of the year, and from that I learned some pros and cons! It was nice for me, knowing I had as much time as possible to study for my test that year. But know, if you cancel or miss your test, you have to now buy all new books for the next year! There were at least 3 other test takers that cancelled within a week of the test I took, and our proctor made a point of mentioning how they would need to buy new books now. And if there were any major updates (think of all the Covid 19 related charges that were added) that's a ton of new info to learn for a new test. Also, be prepared to section your time off between holiday related time and study time in the month of December.


Those were the biggest surprises for me - happy test taking you guys! You got this!!
Click to expand...
Congratulations Kayla!. Thank you for the heads up.
 
That was excellent feedback on the changes in the test. No one else has mentioned those points. Thank you Kayla for your insight.
 
KaylaT_73484 said:
WHOO! I passed with an 86% on the first try! I finished the test with 20mins to spare, enough to go back and double check some questions I wasn't totally sure on. Here's some FYIs and tips from my experience, leading up to and day of the test:

1) BHAT method was really freaking worth it, for me! Be aware of the time required to complete though!! I think the estimate of total time is about 22 hours, but I wager the time it took me to do it while watching tv took me over 50 hours, since April. But, again, worth it! There were at least two questions on the CPC test where the highlight already present in my book was the difference between choosing an answer with an additional code (wrong!) vs the correct answer (portion in parentheses called out to never bill with that specific additional code).
2) I finished the PBC course about 1.5 months before my test, and leading up to the test I had taken 4 practice tests, one of which was via CCO, and the other 3 I purchased via AAPC when I signed up for my test. Scores I received were 80, 82, 84 and 86 in my practices, so extremely close to my real score.
3) When you receive your test day of, know that not everyone is taking the same test! I don't know why I didn't anticipate this, but it did surprise me seeing what others brought for their test. For instance, the person next to me was allowed to have a medical dictionary during their test, whereas CPC it is not allowed.
4) Look carefully at your scantron. Mine (and what I assume is standard for CPC), did not look like the typical scantron sheet that I grew up with as a kid, with 1-100 in one long vertical line. It's in columns of 30, and then the next column starts with 31 (I tried to find a form that's similar below, but this is not the exact same). At least one person in my test group answered her questions horizontally, not down and column by column. The error basically nulled her test by the time she realized, which was 3 hours into the 4 hour test, and she left (and I assume will now have to take a 2023 test).

general-purpose-multiple-choice-answer-sheet_big.png


5) In mine, the test STARTS with anatomy / physiology / easy questions first, which is the opposite of every practice test I took leading up. The terminology questions were always at the end! At least, that is what my test did.
6) When you first get your test, triple check you have all pages of your test book! Our proctor had everyone right off the bat double check the staple in the middle of our test book has sequential pages, that the middle page is not missing. She said she has had that happen before, and it was a nightmare to fix.
7) Download the AAPC app. I took my test on 12/18/2022, and received my score via the app on 12/22/2022.
8) The date I took my test was the last offered test date of the year, and from that I learned some pros and cons! It was nice for me, knowing I had as much time as possible to study for my test that year. But know, if you cancel or miss your test, you have to now buy all new books for the next year! There were at least 3 other test takers that cancelled within a week of the test I took, and our proctor made a point of mentioning how they would need to buy new books now. And if there were any major updates (think of all the Covid 19 related charges that were added) that's a ton of new info to learn for a new test. Also, be prepared to section your time off between holiday related time and study time in the month of December.


Those were the biggest surprises for me - happy test taking you guys! You got thi
Click to expand...
 
Thanks so much for the detailed information. Much appreciated. Congrats on passing with a lot of room to spare!
 
KauralP_79960 said:
Thank you for sharing that link. I just want to see how AAPC scantron looks like since you mentioned lit was different than typical one.
Click to expand...
Here is what it probably looks like. This was the old one with 150 questions but it sounds like they're using the same 30-questions-per-column format.

 
KaylaT_73484 said:
WHOO! I passed with an 86% on the first try! I finished the test with 20mins to spare, enough to go back and double check some questions I wasn't totally sure on. Here's some FYIs and tips from my experience, leading up to and day of the test:

  1. BHAT method was really freaking worth it, for me! Be aware of the time required to complete though!! I think the estimate of total time is about 22 hours, but I wager the time it took me to do it while watching tv took me over 50 hours, since April. But, again, worth it! There were at least two questions on the CPC test where the highlight already present in my book was the difference between choosing an answer with an additional code (wrong!) vs the correct answer (portion in parentheses called out to never bill with that specific additional code).
  2. I finished the PBC course about 1.5 months before my test, and leading up to the test I had taken 4 practice tests, one of which was via CCO, and the other 3 I purchased via AAPC when I signed up for my test. Scores I received were 80, 82, 84 and 86 in my practices, so extremely close to my real score.
  3. When you receive your test day of, know that not everyone is taking the same test! I don't know why I didn't anticipate this, but it did surprise me seeing what others brought for their test. For instance, the person next to me was allowed to have a medical dictionary during their test, whereas CPC it is not allowed.
  4. Look carefully at your scantron. Mine (and what I assume is standard for CPC), did not look like the typical scantron sheet that I grew up with as a kid, with 1-100 in one long vertical line. It's in columns of 30, and then the next column starts with 31 (I tried to find a form that's similar below, but this is not the exact same). At least one person in my test group answered her questions horizontally, not down and column by column. The error basically nulled her test by the time she realized, which was 3 hours into the 4 hour test, and she left (and I assume will now have to take a 2023 test).
    general-purpose-multiple-choice-answer-sheet_big.png
  5. In mine, the test STARTS with anatomy / physiology / easy questions first, which is the opposite of every practice test I took leading up. The terminology questions were always at the end! At least, that is what my test did.
  6. When you first get your test, triple check you have all pages of your test book! Our proctor had everyone right off the bat double check the staple in the middle of our test book has sequential pages, that the middle page is not missing. She said she has had that happen before, and it was a nightmare to fix.
  7. Download the AAPC app. I took my test on 12/18/2022, and received my score via the app on 12/22/2022.
  8. The date I took my test was the last offered test date of the year, and from that I learned some pros and cons! It was nice for me, knowing I had as much time as possible to study for my test that year. But know, if you cancel or miss your test, you have to now buy all new books for the next year! There were at least 3 other test takers that cancelled within a week of the test I took, and our proctor made a point of mentioning how they would need to buy new books now. And if there were any major updates (think of all the Covid 19 related charges that were added) that's a ton of new info to learn for a new test. Also, be prepared to section your time off between holiday related time and study time in the month of December.


Those were the biggest surprises for me - happy test taking you guys! You got this!!
Click to expand...
Congrats! Added note from experience. If you do the BHAT and have to buy new books, because you didn't take the test in time, you have to do the BHAT technique all over again!
 
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