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If you’re nervous about what is going to happen when you’re taking the AAPC CPC exam for the first time then you must continue reading. The panic or stress you feel when taking a medical coding certification exam mostly comes from uncertainty. You feel this way because you are not sure what questions to expect and how you’ll do during the exam. An excellent way to alleviate that is to know exactly what to expect in the exam hall so you go in mentally and physically prepared. The following is how a typical CPC exam is conducted.

The AAPC CPC exam hall will have proctors to assist you, they will introduce themselves and begin giving you instructions verbally. Listen carefully and make sure to ask if you have any questions.

First you’ll be given a Proctor-To-Coder Instructions along with an exam packet. The exam packet contains a test grid, marking instructions for the grid, gold seals, and exam booklet. You’ll be told to fill in the grid marking instruction form using a #2 pencil before it is collected. If you are still unsure this is time to ask now.

Then you’ll be told how to fill in the answer grid for sections A, B, C, and D. For section D you’ll refer to the back of the exam booklet for the exam type, version, exam number and sign your first and last name on it. You can refer to the white adhesive label on your exam packet to find your member ID#.

The proctor will then tell you the rules of the exam. You’re given 5 hours and 40 minutes to complete the exam. Snacks and hydration is allowed during the exam but you need to be careful to keep your answer grids dry and clean. You’re also allowed to take breaks and go out but only one person at a time. The time will continue ticking if you take a break and you’re not allowed to bring exam materials out with you.

One useful thing to know is that if at any time you feel the exam environment is distracting or have other reasons, you may elect to not take the exam. You have the responsibility to follow up and contact the AAPC to reschedule. If you stop the test in the middle of the exam then you have to contact them to review your decision and the AAPC may or may not choose to grade the exam.

If you’re lost on the most effective techniques to pass the CPC exam, click here now to learn more.

When you have completed answering, locate your gold seals that was part of the exam packet and put them on the top, right side, and bottom of your exam booklet. Do not attempt to seal it though. Fill out sections F and G and return everything to the proctor before leaving the room quietly.

Once that is done the AAPC CPC exam results are usually released within 5 to 7 business days after they receive the exam package from the proctor. Results won’t be revealed through the telephone so you can check your results from official website in the member area. The official result documents typically takes 2 weeks to be mailed to you.

Now that you have a walkthrough of what to expect in the AAPC CPC exam when you’re taking it for the first time, you can then stride into the exam hall with confidence and give it your best!

Click here now for a special message from Laureen Jandroep!

Read the original: CPC Exam Prep: A walkthrough of the CPC exam

CPC Exam Layout – I say CPC because most of the people that comes to these review classes are preparing for the CPC, some are preparing for a AHIMA’s CCS-P, the physician-based exam that they have. Others might be taking the CPC-H. Is there anyone here taking the “H”? Planning on it?

Participant: Next weekend.

Speaker: Okay, for the “H” everything you’re going to learn here will help you with that exam; however, you need to supplement this. I normally recommend getting the AAPC Study Guide for the reimbursement knowledge that you need on that board exam. But for the CPC or the CCS-P, the physician-based board exams, you don’t need to really know a lot of reimbursement stuff. It’s about coding guidelines that they’re testing you on. Okay?

I’m going to talk a little bit about the CPC exam, it’s a 150 questions. It is 5 hours and 40 minutes now. Over the years, I have been doing this since 1999, they’ve changed how much time you’ve had, they’ve changed where you had to get a 70% in three sections; but as of today, you need to get a 70% overall for all 150 questions. They all count the same. Those long OP reports with four and five codes to look up are worth as much as a quickie medical terminology question. So, I’m going to teach you some techniques, so keep that in mind.

I’m a very visual person, so a lot of my teaching methods come from how I taught me. This is basically what I did to cram; unfortunately, I’m a procrastinator for studying the board exam. What I found is a lot of coders really like that; the visual method resonates with them. So, picture in your mind a scantron form, everyone has done those bubble forms, right? I retook the exam a couple of years ago and it’s literally five columns of 30 questions each, which is kind of cool because it’s a 5-hour and 40 -minute exam. Now, you can start to think of some strategies, timing, because that’s really what a lot of this about, time management.

You’ve got five columns. So, picture that and picture A, B, C, D and your job is going to be, to pick the best of the four possible answers. I’m going to ask you that throughout the next two days: What’s your job? To pick the best of the four possible answers. Don’t overthink things. It’s an exam; it’s a multiple choice exam. It’s not a real world “Here’s a note, code it.” Keep that in mind.

So, 70% is what you need to pass.

That means that you can get 45 wrong and still pass, that’s a lot. Honestly, give yourself a break because what we do, a lot of coders are very type A, and we wanted to really get that first one done and move on to the next one and it makes us feel better. You don’t want to do that. It’s about time management; it’s about quick, quick, quick in getting those answers quickly. If it’s one that’s really stumping you, just say to yourself “That’s going to be one of my 45,” let it go. “I have a 25% chance that I even got it right. It’s okay.”
As everyone probably knows, you got two tries for the same fee. I will let you know not as a discouragement, but just as a heads up that the 2012 exam has been especially challenging. I have been doing this since 1999. I know how people do. They’ll watch my videos, they’ll email me and tell me; and for whatever reason in 2012, if anyone didn’t pass, they got a 68. Not a 64. All except for maybe one, 68. I don’t know what is about that, but I do know that the exam is harder and I’m going to go over that which I haven’t done in years past: How to handle multiple code answers.

If you picture an exam question and then A, B, C, D next to “A” they’ve got four codes to look up. Next to “B” four codes, next to “C” four codes. It’s not like just one code in each answer, it’s multiple codes. You can imagine how that’s going to slow you down, okay? I think they have a lot more of that than they’ve had in years past based on feedback I’m getting from students who have already taken it. Of course, I’m using 2013. I don’t know what that exam is going to be like.

If any of you are planning on taking the exam in 2013, then maybe they’ve made it a little easier. We don’t know. They don’t share that information on how they make the test or whatever. I’m just letting you know how it’s been in 2012. That, if you don’t pass the first time, you are not in the minority. It’s happening to a lot of people. So, if you have to take it twice, that’s okay. That’s what it’s for.

More Related CPC Exam Layout

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By Laureen Jandroep

CPC, CPC-I.,Sr. Instructor for CodingCertification.Org. Resides in southern New Jersey with her husband of over 20 years Anthony and four children. They are active foster parents and spend most of their time these days just being parents which they love.

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