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Coding exam review guides - Raine59

Posted: Jun 07, 2010

I'm planning to take either the CCS or the CPC when I finish my coding program (probably in 5-6 months). I've been thinking about getting one of the exam review guides (of which there seem to be lots of different ones) but they are pretty expensive, especially the current year. I've seen some on Ebay and Amazon that are for previous years and they are usually a little less expensive. I know some codes do change from year to year but I really wonder if the exam guides change that much from one year to the next that it would hurt anything to get one a few years old. Does anyone have any opinions on this and/or if any of the authors are better than any others?

Hi Raine59 - JM

[ In Reply To ..]
I remember when I was researching which study guide to use, I found information on some of the other coding boards, some praising one or the other. I will see if I can find any of that info. I know that one of the best study guides for me was Clinical Coding Workout, which I believe you will have in your course anyway. The Carol Buck CCS Coding Exam Review, I did not like due to it being not so user friendly, but that's me.

Recommendation - Redpen

[ In Reply To ..]
I'd recommend the AHIMA review books. They seem to be a lot more focused. You'll probably need to buy them new, because they just came out with new editions. They look quite good.

Some review books spend a lot of time reviewing ridiculous things, like med terms. That's not very useful, although it does take up space and up the price.

I've seen one book that just says "Review this. Review that." You then have to go review it on your own. While you'll have to do that anyway, to me it seems annoying to have to pay for this.

This isn't something you need to do now though. It is just going to distract you from your current study plan. Wait until you're much closer to the actual date.

Recommendation - Anonymous

[ In Reply To ..]
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I did not think it was possible to take the CCS exam without 3 years of on the job experience. Is there a way to get that waived?

Recommendation - JM

[ In Reply To ..]
For the CCS, anyone can take it if they are a high school graduate and have the money to pay for it. They STRONGLY recommend having the experience though.

CCS does NOT require experience -- AAPC exams do - Redpen

[ In Reply To ..]
There is no experience *required* for the AHIMA CCS or CCS-P exams. They recommend 3 years, but it is just a recommendation.

You might be thinking of the AAPC. They DO require 2 years of full-time experience in the type of coding being tested. However, you can still take the exam without it. If you pass, they will grant you a certificate as a CPC-A (or apprentice) which you will keep until you have the experience. (Employers don't seem to care about this at all--they know you passed and that's all that matters.) AAPC will also waive one year of that experience if you have completed a formal course of a particular length. (I think it's 90 hours.) It does not have to be their course.

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