CPC

Thecertifiedprofessionalcoder(Cpc)Exam

The Certified Professional Coder (CPC) exam is administered by AAPC. It tests the ability to assign accurate medical codes for diagnoses, procedures, and services performed by physicians and other qualified providers in professional settings: CPT codes for procedures and services, ICD-10-CM codes for diagnoses, and HCPCS Level II codes for supplies, drugs, and other services, together with the modifiers, guidelines, and compliance rules that apply to them. Employers across physician practices, outpatient facilities, payers, and billing companies recognize the credential.

Exam Pattern

The CPC exam has 100 multiple-choice questions, each with four options (A–D), and a time limit of 4 hours, an average of about 2.4 minutes per question. Most questions present a short clinical scenario and ask which codes are reported. The last 10 questions are medical record cases: each gives an operative note, office note, or similar record and asks one question about the codes it supports.

The exam is open code book. You may use the AMA CPT® Professional Edition, an ICD-10-CM code book from any publisher, and a HCPCS Level II code book, in the current year's print edition (AAPC also accepts the prior year's). Handwritten notes and tabs in the books are allowed; study guides, practice exams, and loose notes are not. The exam is taken online with a live remote proctor or in person at an approved testing center.

Scoring and Results

Each question is worth one point, and you need a score of 70%, or 70 correct answers out of 100, to pass. There is no penalty for wrong answers, so answer every question. Results are usually posted to your AAPC account within 7 to 10 business days.

Because the exam is open book, the challenge is time, not memory. Tab your books by section, highlight the guidelines at the start of each CPT section and each ICD-10-CM chapter, and practice looking up codes quickly. On the exam, look up the most likely option first and check only the digits, modifiers, or characters where the other options differ.

The 17 Content Areas

AAPC divides the exam into 17 knowledge areas plus the medical record cases. CPT surgery, spread across the six surgery series, supplies more than a third of the questions, and the medical record cases draw heavily on surgery and E/M as well.

Questionsbycontentarea(100Total)

Thesixcptsurgeryseries(6Questionseach)

Series	BodySystemsCovered	ReviewChapter
10000series	Integumentarysystem	Section23 .
20000series	Musculoskeletalsystem	Section24 .
30000series	Respiratory cardiovascular hemicandlymphaticsystems mediastinumand , , ,	Section25 .
	diaphragm
40000series	Digestivesystem	Section26 .
50000series	Urinary maleandfemalegenital maternitycareanddelivery endocrine , , ,	Section27 .
	systems
60000series	Nervoussystem eyeandocularadnexa auditorysystem , ,	Section28 .

Exam at a Glance

ExamAspect	Details
Administeredby	AAPC
Format	100 four-option multiple-choice questions; the last 10 are medical record cases
Time	4hours(240minutes)
Codebooksallowed	AMA CPT Professional Edition an ICD-10-CM code book and a HCPCS Level II code book (print , , ,
	currentorprioryear);handwrittennotesandtabspermitted
Delivery	Onlinewithaliveremoteproctor oratanapprovedtestingcenter ,
Passingscore	70%(70of100correct);nopenaltyforguessing
Fee	US$425foroneattemptorUS$499fortwoattempts;currentAAPCmembershipisrequiredand
	priced separately; exam fees are non-refundable

ExamAspect	Details
Results	Usuallywithin7to10businessdaysinyourAAPCaccount
Credentialmaintenance	36continuingeducationunits(CEUs)everytwoyears

Why the CPC Matters

Membership, Registration, and the CPC-A

You must hold a current AAPC membership to take the exam and to keep the credential. You purchase an exam attempt (or a two-attempt package) through AAPC and schedule an online or testing-center session. Candidates who pass without the required professional experience earn the CPC-A (apprentice) designation. The "A" is removed after the coder documents experience, for example two years of coding experience verified by letters of recommendation, or one year of experience combined with at least 80 contact hours of approved coding education. Certified coders maintain the CPC with 36 CEUs every two years.