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CPC exam - mttocoder

Posted: Aug 09, 2014

Hi, I'm just wondering how many people have taken the CPC exam with AAPC and passed on their first try? If so, do you have any tips? My coding class ended in May, but I am just now able to sit for the exam. I will take it Sept 9th. I'm reviewing all my homework assignments, studying the practice exams on the AAPC website to prepare for the actual exam.

I find myself so stressed out with worry and anxiety that it is hard to concentrate. I'm also job seeking for anything in the healthcare field, so that is always on my mind. It's a constant stressor.

My biggest fear is running out of time on the exam. I think my strategy will be to answer the easier questions first, then go back, and answer the others.

CPC Exam - Coder

[ In Reply To ..]
Out of hundreds, I have only known a couple of people who didn't pass the first time. The usual problems were extreme fear and anxiety, or running out of time due to poor test-taking skills.

OK, so you are stressed out with worry and anxiety. I will explain why that is unnecessary, but first I suggest you think about why youe are doing it. Think about the benefit worry and anxiety has for you. Is it something you always did before exams? Is there another person playing into this? Do you LIKE it?

I ask because some people just believe they are the kind of person who fails. Or that they aren't good learners. One person I know said that her mother's reaction to the failure made her sick. Mom would tell her she could have told her she would fail and so it was a waste of money. (Others said their husband or kids or sister did the same thing.) Once she realized that mom wouldn't know unless she told her, and she didn't have to tell her, there was no reason to be anxious.

Another reason for anxiety is the expense of the exam. You don't want to waste that money. However, that reason simply does not apply to the CPC because ... you can take it again within a year for free.

Another reason is the fear of not knowing what is on the exam. Do I know the answers to the questions? What kind of questions are there? How hard are they? Can I finish in time?

Note that is not a fear of what is on the exam, but a fear of NOT KNOWING. Fear of the unknown. It is a normal fear, but you can deal with it.

How do you do that? Well, you already know that you get one free retake. So, that frees you up to take the test ... for practice. Sure, you want to pass and all, but you must get over the worry and anxiety first. So, recognize that this is not a one-shot thing and just take the test to see what it is like. Take it for practice. Nobody I know who did that failed, even after years of failing everything.

Do I recommend taking practice exams? No. Buying all the prep books? No. Why? Because they are a waste of money. It is more cost-effective to take THE TEST ITSELF for practice. Besides, none of those prep book authors know what is really on the test and if they do, they can't tell you. I know what's on those exams because I have taken them, and I can tell you the prep books aren't very close.

What DOES make sense and what IS worthwhile? The review class that the CPC chapter giving the test will have. It is usually the day before the test. They are totally worth it, because they cover key points that you can write in your code books, highlight, etc. They know what you need to know.

Not finishing due to time is a problem. Do all the fast questions first (anatomy, terminology, facts, etc.), then go back to do the coding.

Don't CODE the answers. In other words, do not read the question, code it, and then look to see which answer matches. It takes too long and you will never match. Instead, read the question, decide in words what to code, then look up the codes IN THE ANSWERS really fast to see which fit.

Usually, on multiple choice, one will be correct, one will be close, and the rest will be really wrong. The answers will have the same codes over and over. Look for the differences and eliminate anything glaringly wrong.

Leave the really complex ones for last. Skip anything you get stuck on and come back to it.

Take extreme care that you enter your answers in the correct number on the answer sheet. Do not get off track. If you skip one, put a tick mark by it so you do not put the next answer there by mistake. Check EVERY question number twice.

If you are preparing by reading course materials over and over, or by doing your homework over and over, it is mostly wasting time. They are not going to ask you those questions. Coding is not memorizing or learning how to code 150 situations ... it is learning to code any situation by looking up the codes. You should practice looking up codes, not rehashing old work. Code new things. Get a new book, perhaps. Find procedures online and code them. Go to those patient-focused websites like the Mayo Clinic that explain what procedures entail and code them.

The goal is to become very familiar with the CPT code book. The more familiar you are with it, the faster you will be.

I don't think "studying" the AAPC practice exams is helpful. What is there to study?? They are not going to ask you those questions.

There is a really good book on learning that you might want to read. It might help you with your anxiety and test strategy. It is "A Mind for Numbers: How to Excel at Math and Science" by Barbara Oakley. (It is about learning in general and how to learn, so don't let the math and science thing throw you.) It is in really short supply worldwide right now because it is the recommended book for a course being offered through Coursera, Learning How to Learn. [One of those free, massive open online (MOOC) courses. It is pretty good. You could even enroll and enjoy the lecture videos yourself. It is hassle-free with no requirement to do any work if you don't want to. I put a link to Coursera below. Just search for the course.] You can get the Kindle version if the paper text is not available. Just download the free Kindle reader for your PC, tablet, or smart phone if you don't have a Kindle.

I hope this helped. Really, there is no reason to worry. Just take the darn thing. If you pass, fine. If not, just take it again.

Also, please don't say that it will take 6 months until they offer it again. It is what it is. Don't turn that, or anything else, into an "issue." Your goal is to reduce your anxiety, not come up with more reasons for it. You will get more mileage out of chilling on this than worrying. Passing is, in large part, a matter of being relaxed and alert for the test. Do not sabotage yourself.

Exam - mttocoder

[ In Reply To ..]
You have given me some excellent advice. I believe my nerves are coming from the fear of failure. Like you said, if I fail, just take it again. I know I cannot blow this, so I'm going to focus more on that instead of the fear part of it. I don't have a point to prove to others, just myself that this is what I want. Doing those practice exams online scares me because most of those questions are at least a whole page to code from. That makes me think I will run out of time. I'm coding them and doing well, but it is taking me longer than the time allowed. Thank you for the link too. You are most helpful.

How are you aswering the questions? - Coder

[ In Reply To ..]
For the longer questions, are you actually coding them? If you are actually coding them, the same way you would on the job, you will take too long.

How do you know you are taking too long?

Answering - mttocoder

[ In Reply To ..]
I have an online practice exam that times me as I code. I printed out the test and started coding the questions for practice without the clock. For example, I read the entire question, then I underline the terms I'm coding. It gives me 4 multiple choice codes to pick from, A,B,C,D with codes. I start at A and look up what code is listed by A. If it's not correct I put an x beside it to tell me that's not right and move to B. I look up the B code, and do the same until I have narrowed down the answer and found the correct answer.

That is good. - Coder

[ In Reply To ..]
So, are you timing this or not? Now I'm confused.

You will have 2 minutes 15 seconds per question, but the easy questions will not take anywhere near that long. Hence, you will have more time for the page-long ones.

Your practice test might have more long ones just to get you used to them. The actual exam is fairly balanced, as I recall.

The big thing is to develop speed in code-finding. Every time you sit down to do this, do so with a timer on and the attitude that a fire alarm is going off, but that you have to finish before you can escape. The more you do with this pressure, the faster you will get.

If you do not have a copy of Clinical Coding Workout, you might consider getting it just for practice looking up codes. There are a couple with answers on Amazon for about $30, and some without for $1.20. You do not need a current year just to use it as a source of items to look up.

CPC exam - another MT 2 coder

[ In Reply To ..]
I recently passed my CPC and agree with coder's excellent suggestions (why the dislikes??) I took the day off before the exam and rested, no review, tried to go in with a very positive attitude and I passed easily. I had been through Andrews, and felt I had excellent preparation. I did review the coding guidelines a LOT and I did do the practice timed exams to get a feel for it. I feel they did help me because the real exam was similar and I didn't get over anxious at the long complicated questions...you can skip over them and mark in your booklet any questions you want to come back to. I also tried to stay calm realizing that I did have a free retest if I did not pass. Good luck, you can do it!!

Why the dislikes?- to another MT 2 coder - Anonymous one

[ In Reply To ..]
Maybe because Coder gets off on about 12 different tangents instead of answering the question. Don't waste your time on extra learning materials but enroll in this class that has nothing to do with coding, then in her next post she recommends learning materials to buy. The OP is looking for a job and trying to study for the exam and is probably looking for ways to make things more simplified and not more complicated. The exam is September 9, that does not leave a lot of time to prepare.

So what would be your suggestion? - not a coder, just interested

[ In Reply To ..]
Do you have suggestions as to what she should do to prepare? I am always interested in everyone's input myself. Have you taken the exam? If so, what helped you?

What I would do - Anonymous one

[ In Reply To ..]
I would skip the Excelling at Math class and Learning How to Learn class - it's 4 weeks long and you have to purchase a book, the OP probably already knows how to learn. I probably would take a CPC practice exam to get a feel for the kind of questions they will ask and to see how well I did. If I had access to charts at work, I would practice coding some of those. If you have co-workers who have done it, find out what it was like for them. I would do an anatomy review because I think there is a section on anatomy in the exam. It is okay to be anxious, some people just are not test takers. I would not approach it as something that I could blow off and come back for a retake because it is free. Maybe the OP needs to put the job search on the back burner until after the exam to reduce the stress level and give herself more time to prepare, and take time to have a little fun, that's the best stress reducer of all. I'm not a coder either but those are some of my suggestions.

Thank you for admitting that you are not even a - coder

[ In Reply To ..]
I will just come right out and say it ... you are very bold, as well as almost bizarrely inappropriate, to think you should be advising others on a professional examination that you not only have not taken, but isn't even in your career field.

Further, you are complaining about the advice given by an experienced educator who has taken and passed more than 6 of those exams, given review courses, and coached at least 50 people, all of whom passed.

The book is not required for the course. The course is short and, in my opinion, can do a lot toward reducing anxiety.

I forgot - Anonymous one

[ In Reply To ..]
I don't work as a coder and therefore have no right to an opinion. I actually did study coding but chose not to follow that path. I was asked what I would do so I shared. I know who coder is but I really don't care; if you can't impress people with knowledge, baffle them with BS. Didn't you say that you weren't a coder either?

Sorry, but I am a coder - Not who you thought

[ In Reply To ..]
NM

more tips to CPC - another MT 2 coder

[ In Reply To ..]
I decided to add more tips since I just took the exam in June so it is fresh in my mind. However, everyone is different so it may not apply across the board. Coder's tips about not trying to code the question but look at the choices and look up those codes to see what fits is essential to pass this timed test. Almost all of the questions had 2 choices obviously wrong, like Coder said above. I DID spend money on the practice tests though, they are 50 questions each. I started doing one set at a time and timing myself, then worked up on a weekend to taking all 3 at once to simulate the 150 question test. I also studied all of their rationales for the correct answer, even if I got it right, because sometimes there was more info that I gleaned that was helpful. I looked at the differences between the choices and often it was guidelines, and so I focused on this. The practice tests obviously aren't the same as the real test, but they were similar and I feel they did prepare me.

I also purchased the official AAPC review guide and blitz videos. I watched the video on a section, highlighted/bubbled my CPC book and then studied that chapter in the AAPC review book. I have always done well on tests and maybe didn't need all of this, but I had a job already with the condition that I pass my CPC in 6 months so I wanted to be SURE!

I felt confident going in and rested the day before, no studying. I took mints, some peppermint essential oil (helps refresh, keeps you alert), some power energy bars and water. I unwrapped my mints and had them in a baggie (they ask you not have anything that makes a lot of noise). I took 12 sharpened pencils (yes I over prepare LOL) I took 2 short breaks and I finished with time to spare and went back to several complicated questions where I had it narrowed down to 2 choices and was able to then easily figure out the correct choice.

Anyway, these are much more specific suggestions and they may not work for everyone, but feeling prepared and being confident and not too anxious really makes a difference IMO. Good luck!

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