I have taken the CPC®  exam twice and failed twice. I completed an associates for medical billing and code through a school, but feel the program didn’t prepare us for the test. Nobody, in my graduating class has passed the exam. I’m not willing to just give up but I could use some idea/advice. Should I take the classes through this AAPC website and do you think they might better prepare me so I can pass? Does anyone know of anyone to tutors privatly…? I’m in Kansas city, though, so do you think my local chapter might beable to help me with a tutor? I just don’t know…where to go from this point. I’ve spent a lot of time on this and don’t want to just give up…I am working for a family practice doing ICD-9-CM coding, with a bit of CPT and HCPCS coding and I really enjoy my job but I need to pass the test…sooooo any ideas…on how I can get some help. 

2 questions:

1. Do you make it all the way through the test, or are you rushing through some at the end? And

2. Do you get intimidated by the really long operative note questions?

(If you answered ‘no’, then none of the following will be very helpful to you…but, my guess is that at least one of those is a yes)

Time management is a common pitfall that people encounter. They get freaked out by the sight of really long questions (or get bogged down reading them), and either put them off until the end, or struggle to understand what they’re reading until they run out of time. Or, they spend entirely too much time on questions that look easy, and aren’t. (If all of the code descriptions start to run together and sound the same, you have entered the ‘psych-out zone’)

This advice won’t help you become a better coder, but if you want to pass the test, try to do the following:

(*Remember this very important note: Short questions are not always easy, and Long questions are not always hard – in fact, most of the time, it’s the other way around. Never judge a question by its length!*)

When you start the test, skim through every question, and pick out the ones that you can see the answer to immediately (Like medical terminology, insurance/HIPAA questions, and stuff like that) – I’m talking about the really, really simple ones you don’t even have to open your book to answer.

After you’ve done that, you should give every question a shot – start at the front of the test, and work your way to the back.

If you try to look up an answer, and it takes more than a minute or two for you to feel confident about picking one, make a note of what you think it is (or isn’t), put a star on it, and move on. (A kitchen timer is really helpful for that) I realize it’s hard to ‘give up’ when you’re frustrated (and SO close to getting the answer!), but you have to force yourself to come back to it later.

• Don’t view it as ‘giving up’ on the question – you’re just ‘taking a break’ from it.

• Or, look at it as ‘I’ve already missed this one’…This sounds harsh, but the reality of the matter is: if you’re having a hard time making a confident decision, you’re probably going to end up missing it anyways (some of the questions seriously are just really hard - but there aren’t a lot like that – they’re randomly scattered throughout the test.)

• Don’t waste valuable time that you could be using to answer 5-10 other questions right, trying to answer one you might end up missing anyways; you can always come back to it and give it another shot after you’ve answered everything else.

I can’t stress this enough (especially for the CPT questions like the ones attached):

DO NOT READ THE QUESTION UNTIL YOU’VE CHECKED OUT ALL OF THE ANSWERS FIRST!!!

I know that’s counter-intuitive – you’re hard-wired to read the questions first, from years of taking tests in school – going all the way back to grade school…(Remember standardized reading tests?)

Trust me on this: you really have to make a conscious effort to NOT do that. Here’s why (I learned this from my own experiences):

1. You’ll waste a ton of time reading irrelevant filler that’s put in there, just to screw with you.

2. All of the jargon (especially on the surgeries) is overwhelming, and you’ll get hung up on words that don’t matter.

3. Many of the questions can be answered without reading the note at all (I’ve given examples on the stuff I attached) – reading the note makes it harder than it needs to be.

With CPT coding in particular, your goal is to answer questions through the process of elimination, by looking for the similarities and differences between the choices, and then looking for keywords in the question to narrow down your choices, or pick the right answer.

I gave a couple of examples to show how easy these questions can be, if you look at them the right way. At the end of the day, it’s a multiple-choice test, and all multiple-choice tests boil down to having good test-taking skills (and not so much really knowing the material, although it definitely helps…).

(In case you’re wondering, I made this for the co-workers I’m tutoring – today, actually – I don’t usually just have this stuff handy waiting for someone to need it)

Originally posted at

http://www.aapc.com/memberarea/forums/showthread.php?t=64283.

__________________

Brandi Tadlock, CPC®, CPC®-P, CPMA, CPC®O

Tips to speed up flipping to codes faster in the manual to save time on the CPC® exam?

Well for the ICD Manual, I’ll start with that. One of the frustrating things for me is I don’t think there’s any version of a manual out there that has the true Table of Contents. And most versions are volumes 1 and 2 and one spiral bound book. And if you’re into Inpatient Hospital Coding, you have 3 volumes in it and it’s very hard when you’re brand new at using it to figure out you know, where to even start.

So what I recommend to my students is that at the top of the manual, not on the sides, that they get those hard tabs and put them where all the main sections of their manual are. So obviously, where each volume starts when you have volumes 1 through 3.

For the Index to Diseases, there’s 3 main sections. A lot of people don’t even know that. You’ve got the Index to Diseases. You’ve got the Index to External Causes, the E Code at the end and in the middle, you’ve got a table for like Poisoning Codes and drugs and things like that.

So I would tab those 3 things. Some people will tab the Neoplasm table and the Hypertension table. You could do that but they’re in alphabetical order. And then as far as the tabular part of ICD, I wouldn’t bother doing too much tabbing there because you’re going to be looking up the answers in the book. And what you have to get good at and this is the same as CPT is just like a dictionary is look in the upper corners and I did make a copy of my CPT. But before I go on to that, don’t put tabs in the sides. It’ll slow you down.

The only thing that in the Tabular that I would tab is where your V codes start and your E codes because sometimes, you want to get to them you know, quicker. They are at the you know, end of the 17th Chapter there. But I find that I like to get to the guidelines to the V codes to read them and then that way it’s right there, V codes that I just flipped there.

One last thing that I like to tab and each year when I get my ICD manual is I like the condensed view of the Tabular section. It’s this close to getting to the table of contents in ICD that you can get and that is Appendix E in your Volume 1 of the Tabular. And it does not go to 4th and 5th digits level. It’s down to the category level. That’s 3 digits. And because ICD is a classification system, your codes have to sit in that category. So it gives you a nice overview.

Alright, so as far as CPT and ICD you know, when you’re flipping and you’re in the tabular… let me get to that point… I just picked these sample surgery pages. Okay so you want to look up. So on this left facing page, if you see the code range here, just like in the dictionary and I am guilty of this. I tend to go up and down, up and down and then it wastes your time. If you can really train yourself to look to see if your code is within this range or not and if it’s not, flip to the next page and keep going. Use these upper corners to help speed up your flipping to the book.

Another tip that I do especially for those taking the board exam, maybe not so much for everyday coding, because you’re going to the answers on the board exam, if you’re using my suggestion for op reports and surgery questions, don’t read the scenario until you look up the answers. If you can train yourself to do that and you take practice exams, you will see how much time that will save you.

So leg and ankle is this whole page. Now because I’ve just turned to this page because maybe my answer is 27814, I don’t know where I am. I have to start reading through it. If I look up, “Oh, leg and ankle.” Because actually, this category started a page or two before this one but I have to flip back to see what anatomical area I’m even in. I mean, I know it’s musculoskeletal but this tells me leg and ankle.

And then on the facing page, it says foot and toe. Now that, I grasp from here but I’m going to also have it on the following page because this red heading won’t be on the page. And I picked foot and toes because there are bones in the hands and bones in the feet that have the same name. And you can go to question where you have you know, the answer looks exactly the same. You’re like, “Wait a minute. What’s going on?” When you look up, it’s like, “Oh, this one’s at the foot, the other one’s at the hand. Now I know what to extract for in my blip or scenario or op report when I read it. I need to see if I’m dealing with a hand or a foot to begin with.” So that’s my suggestion for speeding up flipping to the codes faster.

80000 70%,
90000 70%,
Anatomy 50%,
Anesthesia 63%,
Coding Guidelines 67%,
ICD-9-CM 60%,
Medical Terminology 63%,
Practice Management 50%.

Any advice on what I should concentrate on first, or should I just go down the line and review each section?

Sure! Watch the video….

The answer: YES!

Watch the video…

Links mentioned in the video:

.http://www.codingcertification.org/1/aapc-cpc/medical-coding-certification-exam-time-management

.http://www.codingcertification.org/1/aapc-cpc/certified-professional-coder-qas

http://www.aapc.com/certification/cpc.aspx

First of all the greatest challenge of studying along with a full time job is the psychological drain that the applicant must go through. Medical coding does require quite a lot of concentration and a person who is constantly going through this routine daily may not be able to cope with the additional strain of studying for the medical coding certification exam. This would just result in the person not being able to perform his job very efficiently and also he may not be on the correct track with his preparation. If you have a job during the time when you are studying for your exam with a lot of concentration, a distraction in the form of a phone call or fax could disturb you which could divert your mind towards another office issue which may cost you your concentration.

Also, the work at the office may be quite unpredictable and an emergency situation could come up at the office when your medical coding certification exam is just around the corner. An example could be an internal fraud or break–in in the company premises which would require the assistance of almost all the medical coders which would mean that you would be forced to sideline your studies in order to fulfill your duties at the workplace. These situations could harm your chances for clearing the medical coding certification exam significantly and thus it is not worth it to take the risk with an ongoing job as after you have appeared in the exam you can continue with the job without any harm to your work performance.

Also, some people prefer to sleep during the day and study during the night. Such people are at a severe disadvantage if they have a job as they would not be able to stay awake till late night as they would have to wake up early during the next day. Along with that if a person does not have a job while he is preparing for the medical coding certification exam; the person will have a clear mind which will enable him to focus on his studies which could mean that he would be able to clear the exam with much lesser effort than would have been otherwise required.

Medical Coding Certification Exam (CPC® Exam) Time Management Tips

I’ve been teaching medical coding and preparing students for coding certification since 1999. Many coding certification prospects that have come to my review class have said they took a medical coding course, attended a coding certification boot camp etc. and still did not pass the CPC® exam. For those students it is no longer a matter of studying – it is about how they take the test.

For the CPC® exam (Certified Professional Coder) sponsored by the AAPC (AAPC) you will have to pass a 150 question exam in 5 hours 40 minutes.. The CPC® exam is pass/fail – not about getting an A. Therefore you need to make sure you go through the CPC®® exam several times so you can answer the easier questions quickly and leave the more difficult ones for last.

Coding Certification (CPC® Exam) Time Management Strategy

Coding Certification Exam Method 1: Multiple Passes

Answering an easy peasy medical terminology question carries as much weight as a time consuming surgical question. Your goal with this method is to go through the exam three times.  The first time you answer all of the easy questions first, the second time you focus on the medium difficulty ones and the third time you answer the difficult ones.

Coding Certification Exam Method 2: One Dot – Two Dot Rating

As you go through your CPC® exam booklet rate questions you’ve started to answer but decided to leave for later. In the margin of your exam grid put two dots if you feel it is a very hard, time consuming question, and one dot for a medium difficulty one. Don’t over think it – just go by your gut feeling.  Now when it’s time for your second pass you just focus on the one dots – you don’t have to reassess the questions.  And on the third pass – you guessed it – you are going to focus on the two dot questions.

Coding Certification Exam Method 3: Final Pass

Don’t leave any CPC® exam questions unanswered. Use the last minutes to guess at an answer on any unanswered questions. You have a 25% chance of getting it right without even looking at the question. Of course if you’ve looked at the question and thrown out an answer or two indicate that on your answer grid so now you may have a 50/50 chance of getting the answer right.

Alternative Coding Certification Time Management Strategy:

One Hour Per Column Timing

When you open your CPC® exam you’ll find an answer grid with five columns containing 30 questions each. Allow yourself an hour for each column to keep yourself moving along.  That will leave some time left over to review.  You can ask the proctor to announce as each hour elapses. So when hour one is over and the announcement is made you finish the question you are on and move to the next column – so question 31. Yes you may have some unanswered questions in column one – that is ok – you will go back. The idea is to keep yourself moving.

If you mentally rehearse these CPC® exam time management strategies, you will surely improve your chances of achieving coding certification.

coding-certification

Q: I want to be a CPC® – where do I start?

A: The first thing you want to do is obtain a copy of the exam application packet from the AAPC (American Academy of Professional Coders) available at http://www.aapc.com or by calling 800-626-CODE. This four page form will explain exactly what is covered on the exam, how to apply and what you need to submit. Keep in mind the AAPC requires 6 weeks to process your application. Therefore an exam date of September 18th will require your exam application to be received no later than August 6th.

Q: What is the difference between the CPC® and CPC®-H credential?

A: Because there are distinct differences in CPT® coding for physician services vs. outpatient facility services, AAPC has two accreditation exams to meet this need. The CPC® for physician coding and the CPC®-H for facility coding (outpatient hospital).

Q: What is covered on the CPC® exam?

A: The CPC® exam covers medical terminology, anatomy, CPT Coding Guidelines, Use of Modifiers, ICD-9-CM (Vol. 1 & 2) Diagnostic Coding, E&M Coding, Anesthesia Coding, Surgical Coding and HCPCS Level II coding.

Q: What is the format of the CPC® Exam?

A: There are 150 multiple choice or true/false questions as follows:

Evaluation & Management (12)
Anesthesia (6)
Radiology 70,000 series (9)
Pathology 80,000 series (10)
Medicine 90,000 series (10)
Medical Terminology (13)
Anatomy (9)
ICD-9-CM (11)
HCPCS (5)
Coding Concepts (5)
10,000 series (9)
20,000 series (10)
30,000 series (10)
40,000 series (10)
50,000 series (11)
60,000 series (10).

Q: How is the exam scored?

A: The exam used to be scored in three sections but that is no longer the case. You need to get a 70% or higher to pass.

Q: Is the exam open book?

A: Yes you will use your CPT, ICD-9-CM and HCPCS manuals for the current year or the year you applied for. You are not allowed to use a medical dictionary. You can use any version of ICD-9-CM or HCPCS but you can’t use the expert version of CPT. Review application instructions carefully.

Q: I heard that only people with experience can take the exam, is that true?

A: The CPC® credential indicates you passed the exam AND have met the experience requirements. If you don’t meet the experience requirement you can apply for the apprentice credential (CPC®-A). You will take the same exam but will be awarded the CPC®-A credential. When the required medical coding field experience is met, you can submit documentation and receive your official AAPC CPC® designation.

Q: How much experience is required?

A: Two years experience is required for the CPC® designation. One year is waived if you have taken an 80 hour coding course and six months is waived if you have taken a 40 hour course. If you do not meet this experience apply for the “CPC® Apprentice” designation.

Q: Where can I take the CPC® exam?

A: The exam is offered annually at the national AAPC conference and quarterly at local chapters throughout the US. The best way to locate an exam in your area is to go to the AAPC web site (www.aapc.com) and use their “exam finder” feature. Once you find an exam date and location make a note of the exam index number and proctor information to put on your application. It is a good idea to contact the proctor to make sure there is room available.

Q: How do I apply for the exam?

At least eight weeks prior to your desired exam date mail in your completed exam application form, letters of reference (not needed if applying for apprentice designation) and exam application fee ($285). You should also be a member of the AAPC and it is a good idea to apply for membership before applying for the exam so you are established in their system.

Q: Do I have to take a course before taking the exam?

A: No, the AAPC does not require that you take a course in order to sit for the exam. However if your experience is limited to only one or two specialties it is recommend you take a course or at the very least attend a review class.

The AAPC has several educational products to help your prepare. They have an independent study program (ISP), the Professional Medical Coding Curriculum (PMCC) which is a classroom course offered by approved curriculum sites, and a study guide. Also many local chapters offer review classes.

Other education sources to consider are local colleges and vocational schools. Make sure they are advanced courses designed to prepare you for the board exam. Check their syllabus against what topics are covered on the board exam.

Q: Besides taking a course how can I prepare for the exam?

A: A lot of preparing depends on what you already know. Multispecialty surgery coders seem to have the broadest base of experience and do well on the exam because there are 60 out of 150 questions on surgery. Many are not so fortunate and spend time studying each surgery sub-section along with the medical terminology related to that sub-section.

Know your surgical suffixes like -otomy, -ectomy, -ostomy etc. like the back of your hand. This will help you read surgical scenarios accurately. If you’re weak in medical terminology purchase a medical terminology text book and consider making flash cards. You are not allowed to use a medical dictionary during the exam so it is very important you know your medical terminology.

I highly recommend using the professional version of CPT, study each of the guideline sections thoroughly and ask yourself what are 10 key things I could be tested on. When you’re in the guidelines you’ll see where they note additional guidelines that are found within the section instead of at the front. Go to those and make sure you understand the principles there.

Mark up your CPT books by highlighting key words especially in the guidelines area. You are allowed to make brief (one to three word) notes in the margin by your codes. Usually underlining a key word in a code is all that is needed to make it stand out compared to a neighboring code. Group families of codes together and underline or highlight the key word or phrase that makes that group different from the other groups in the same category.