CPC (Certified Professional Coder, AAPC) Exam Survival Guide

Window: US | 150 Q / 5.5 hrs | Medical coding exam

Must-do topics

• CPT codes: surgery, anesthesia, radiology, pathology, medicine
• ICD-10-CM: diagnostic coding basics, chapter-specific rules
• HCPCS Level II: supplies, drugs, ambulance, DME
• Guidelines: coding order, modifiers, sequencing, bundling rules
• Anatomy & terminology for correct code selection

Top traps (avoid)

• Forgetting coding guidelines take precedence over intuition
• Misusing modifiers (e.g., -25, -59)
• Coding symptoms when definitive diagnosis present
• Overcoding when bundled service applies
• Time waste flipping manual; use tabs/indexing smartly

Time split

• 150 Q / 5.5 hrs → ~2 min/Q
• 2-pass system: easy → tough

Last-48h checklist

• Tab CPT/ICD books; practice navigation
• Review common modifiers list
• Anatomy terms (prefixes/suffixes)
• Do 30 practice Qs timed

Quick facts

• -25 = significant, separately identifiable E/M same day
• -59 = distinct procedural service
• ICD codes = 3–7 characters; always highest specificity
• CPT = 5-digit numeric; HCPCS = alphanumeric

Speed tactics

• Highlight guidelines; they override examples
• Eliminate codes outside range (wrong organ/procedure)
• Practice flipping books fast; don’t overthink synonyms

Day-of mini-plan

• 10-min code warm-up (5 ICD, 5 CPT)
• Keep pace ~25 Q/hr; use breaks wisely
• Answer all Qs; no penalty for guessing