Medical Coding Mock Exams — Certification Guide
Overview
This section supports exam-readiness practice for the credentials covered in this course's Overview: CPC, COC, CCA, CCS, RHIT, and BCHHC. Format details below are for CPC specifically, since it's the most common entry credential — see the Overview section's table for the others, and verify all format details directly with the issuing body (AAPC/AHIMA/BCHHC's administering organization) before exam day, since formats are periodically revised.
CPC (Certified Professional Coder) — AAPC
|--------|------|
| Format | 100 MCQ, 4 hours |
|---|
| Passing score | 70% (70/100 correct) |
| Open book | Current-year ICD-10-CM, CPT, and HCPCS Level II codebooks |
| Cost | $399 member / $499 non-member (AAPC membership required to register) |
| Retake | Verify current retake policy/waiting period with AAPC |
Related credentials tested similarly by AAPC: COC (formerly CPC-H, hospital outpatient coding) and CIC (inpatient coding) — verify current question counts/time limits for each directly, since they may differ from CPC's.
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Exam Strategy (applies broadly across CPC/COC/CCS/CCA/RHIT/BCHHC)
BEFORE THE EXAM:
Tab and highlight codebooks: ICD-10-CM, CPT, HCPCS (for open-book exams)
Create quick reference tabs: anatomy terms, modifiers, E&M table
Practice with full-length timed mock exams matching your target
exam's actual time limit — don't assume a round number
Review official ICD-10-CM guidelines (free from CMS/CDC) and
CPT guidelines at the start of each CPT section
DURING THE EXAM:
Read the full question before looking at answer options
Eliminate answers you can rule out with certainty first
Never code from index/summary alone — verify in the full tabular
listing where the real exam format requires it
For surgery questions: identify the procedure, check if add-on
codes or bundling rules apply
For E/M questions: identify patient type and complexity from the
documentation clues given
TIME MANAGEMENT:
Flag hard questions, skip, and return
Answer easier questions first: anatomy, definitions, basic codes
No penalty for guessing on most of these exams — verify for your
specific credential, but generally answer every question
COMMON TRAPS:
"Most appropriate" — more than one code may be technically valid;
the exam wants the best one, not just an acceptable one
Bilateral procedures — check modifier -50 applicability
Bundled services — check NCCI edits before billing separately
Incomplete diagnosis documentation — code to the highest
specificity the documentation actually supports
OPEN BOOK STRATEGY (for exams that allow codebooks):
Do not look up every code — too slow for the time budget
Know common, high-frequency codes from memory
Use the codebook for: verification, unusual codes, checking
guideline language you're not 100% certain of
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Quick Code Reference (illustrative — verify against current codebooks)
COMMONLY TESTED E/M CODES:
99213/99214: office visit, established patient, low/moderate complexity
99232: hospital subsequent visit, moderate complexity
99283: ED visit, moderate complexity
COMMONLY TESTED ICD-10-CM CODES:
E11.9: Type 2 DM without complications
I10: Essential hypertension
J18.9: Pneumonia, unspecified
Z00.00: Adult health exam without abnormal findings
COMMONLY TESTED CPT CODES:
45378: diagnostic colonoscopy
47562: laparoscopic cholecystectomy
27447: total knee arthroplasty
Study Resources
•AAPC CPC Study Guide — official, matches current CPC exam content
•AAPC Practicode — coding scenarios with audit feedback
•AHIMA exam prep resources — for CCA/CCS/RHIT
•This course's BCHHC Prep module — for the BCHHC-specific track
•Optum360 EncoderPro or equivalent — online coding tool with guidelines built in
