Certified Professional Coder (CPC) Exam Flashcards
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How many questions are on the CPC exam, and what format?
100 multiple-choice questions.
How much time are you given to complete the CPC exam?
240 minutes (4 hours).
What score do you need to pass the CPC exam?
70%.
What is the exam fee for one CPC attempt?
$425 for a single attempt.
On average, how much time can you spend per CPC question?
About 2.4 minutes per question (240 minutes ÷ 100 questions), so pace yourself and flag hard items to revisit.
How many questions can you miss and still pass the CPC?
With a 70% cutoff on 100 questions, you can miss up to 30 and still pass (70 correct needed).
What is the CPT code set used for?
CPT (Current Procedural Terminology) codes report physician and outpatient procedures and services. It is a core code set tested on the CPC.
What does the ICD-10-CM code set report?
ICD-10-CM reports diagnoses (the patient's condition or reason for the encounter), not procedures.
What are HCPCS Level II codes used for?
HCPCS Level II codes report supplies, drugs, durable medical equipment, and services not covered by CPT (Level I).
What is a modifier in medical coding?
A two-character code appended to a CPT/HCPCS code to indicate a service was altered without changing its definition (e.g., -25, -59, -50, -RT/-LT).
What does E/M stand for, and why does it matter on the CPC?
Evaluation and Management — codes for patient visits/encounters. E/M is heavily tested and now driven mainly by medical decision making (MDM) or total time.
What is the 'global surgical package'?
A single payment covering the surgery plus related pre-op and post-op care within the global period, so those routine services aren't billed separately.
What do the terms in a CPT index / semicolon convention mean for parent-child codes?
In CPT, text before a semicolon in a parent code is common to all indented child codes below it; read the parent to get the full descriptor of the child.
Is the CPC exam open-book, and which manuals are used?
The CPC is open-code-book: examinees use current CPT, ICD-10-CM, and HCPCS Level II manuals. Knowing your books' layout and tabs saves critical time.