AAPC Certified Professional Coder (CPC®)

The physician-practice coding credential — 100 code-it-from-the-record questions in four hours, open code book.

Questions100 multiple-choice questions — most are coding scenarios, plus medical record cases at the end

Time4 hours in one sitting — about 2 minutes 24 seconds per question

Passing score70% (70 of 100 correct); results in about 7–10 business days

Code booksAMA CPT Professional Edition plus ICD-10-CM and HCPCS Level II books from any publisher — current or preceding year, one copy each; no encoders

WhereOnline with a live remote proctor (private room, external webcam) or at a testing center in the U.S.

FeeUS$399 for one attempt or US$499 for two attempts (per AAPC); an active AAPC membership is required

After you passNew coders earn CPC-A (apprentice) until experience or approved training removes the A; 36 CEUs every two years

About the exam

The CPC is AAPC's core credential for professional (physician and outpatient) medical coders and the most widely held coding certification in the United States. It shows employers you can read a medical record and assign accurate CPT, ICD-10-CM and HCPCS Level II codes, apply coding guidelines and modifiers, and stay inside payer and compliance rules.

The exam is 100 multiple-choice questions in one four-hour sitting, and you need 70% to pass. It is open book: you bring the AMA CPT Professional Edition plus an ICD-10-CM and a HCPCS Level II book (current or preceding year, one copy of each). Most questions are coding scenarios, and the exam ends with medical record cases you code from start to finish. You can test online with a live remote proctor or at a testing center in the United States.

Our practice follows the CPC's knowledge areas — E/M, anesthesia, every surgery series, radiology, pathology and laboratory, medicine, ICD-10-CM, HCPCS Level II, coding guidelines, compliance, terminology and anatomy — with original operative-note and office-visit scenarios, explanations that walk through the code book logic, and timed 100-question practice exams at the real pace. CPT code numbers appear where you must choose a code; we describe services in our own words rather than reproducing AMA descriptors.

How we track your progress

Every blueprint domain moves through five levels as you study:

Not startedNo questions answered in this domain yet.
Getting startedFirst questions answered — not enough yet to judge.
DevelopingAt least 5 answered and 50% or better on your recent questions.
ProficientAt least 15 answered and 70% or better on your recent questions.
Exam readyAt least 25 answered, 80% or better recently, and holding up on hard questions.

The exam blueprint

AAPC CPC exam as described by AAPC for 2026: 100 questions across 17 areas of knowledge plus end-of-exam medical record cases, updated each January for the new code sets. Our bank uses 2026 CPT, ICD-10-CM (FY2026) and HCPCS Level II conventions. — CPT (E/M, anesthesia, surgery 10000–69999, radiology, pathology and laboratory, medicine), ICD-10-CM, HCPCS Level II, coding guidelines, compliance, medical terminology, anatomy and medical record cases. Tap a domain to see its topics.

1 Evaluation and Management (E/M) about 6 of 100 questions of the exam

Office and outpatient visits (99202–99215)Medical decision making and timeHospital, emergency and critical care servicesPreventive medicine, consultations and E/M modifiers

29 practice questions in this domain so far

2 Anesthesia about 4 of 100 questions of the exam

Anesthesia code selection (00100–01999)Anesthesia time and unit calculationPhysical status modifiers and qualifying circumstancesAnesthesia modifiers and medical direction

20 practice questions in this domain so far

3 Integumentary System (10000 series) about 6 of 100 questions of the exam

Lesion excision, shaving and destructionWound repair: simple, intermediate and complexBiopsy, incision and drainage, and debridementGrafts, flaps, burns and nails