How to Pass the CPC® Exam on Your First Try
By Kaplan CertPrep Editorial Team · Jun 05, 2026 · 4 min read
The CPC® exam consists of 100 multiple-choice questions across 17 coding sections, and you have 4 hours to complete it. To pass, you need a score of 70% or better. The exam is open-book — but that advantage disappears quickly if you haven’t built a fast, well-tabbed code book system before exam day. Candidates who pass on their first attempt consistently share three things: they took timed, full-length practice tests, they mastered the high-weight sections first, and they treated time management as a skill to practice, not an afterthought.
Why Most Candidates Fail the CPC® Exam (And What You Can Do Differently)
The CPC® exam's open-book format gives many first-timers a false sense of security. The assumption is that if you can look it up, you can't really fail. The reality is the opposite: if you're looking up too much, you run out of time before you finish the exam.
AAPC's CPC® is considered one of the most rigorous entry-level credentialing exams in healthcare. It tests working knowledge of CPT® surgery, E/M coding, ICD-10-CM, HCPCS Level II, and federal compliance across 17 distinct sections — all in a single sitting. Candidates who don't prepare with realistic practice often find themselves burning through time on unfamiliar code ranges, leaving the back half of the exam rushed or incomplete.
The good news: a structured, intentional study plan changes the outcome. The sections below break down exactly what that looks like.
Understand the Exam Format Before You Study a Single Code
Before you open a codebook, know what you're preparing for.
- 100 multiple-choice questions covering 17 sections
- 4 hours (240 minutes) total — approximately 2.4 minutes per question
- Open-book: You may use your CPT®, ICD-10-CM, and HCPCS Level II codebooks
- Passing score: 70% (70 correct out of 100)
- Administered by AAPC in-person at a testing site or via remote proctoring
Build a Tabbed, Annotated Codebook System
Your codebooks are allowed in the exam room. That makes how you've organized them a genuine competitive advantage.
Before exam day, tab every major CPT® section (Surgery subsections especially), the ICD-10-CM tabular list, and the HCPCS Level II categories you're likely to hit. Write brief notes in margins where guidelines tend to trip people up — for example, the parenthetical instructions under E/M codes or the "Code also" and "Use additional code" flags throughout ICD-10-CM.
Do not rely on memory to pull codes under pressure. Instead, train yourself to locate the right page in under 30 seconds. That speed is built through practice, not through reading the codebook cover to cover.
Master the High-Weight Sections First
Not all 17 sections carry equal weight on the CPC® exam. Surgery — including subsections like Musculoskeletal, Cardiovascular, and Digestive — accounts for a significant portion of exam questions. E/M (Evaluation and Management) coding is another area that rewards focused preparation; the 2021 E/M office visit changes are still a source of errors for candidates who haven't updated their knowledge.
Prioritize your study time in this order:
- Surgery (all subsections): Highest question volume; requires familiarity with surgical package rules, modifiers, and bundling logic
- E/M Coding: High stakes and frequently misapplied; know the 2021 outpatient guidelines cold
- ICD-10-CM: Diagnosis sequencing, combination codes, and chapter-specific guidelines
- Anesthesia: Formula-based (base units + time units + modifying units); learnable and predictable
- Radiology, Pathology/Laboratory, Medicine: Lower volume but straightforward if you know the global rules
Time Management Is a Skill You Have to Practice
The single most consistent difference between candidates who pass on the first try and those who don't is time discipline. Many test-takers spend too long on difficult questions early in the exam and don't leave enough time for the sections that follow.
Use a per-section pace target. On practice tests, set a soft limit per question. If you hit that limit and don't have a strong answer, mark it and move on. Return with remaining time.
Simulate full-length, timed conditions. Short quizzes do not prepare you for the mental endurance of a 4-hour exam. Take at least two or three full 100-question timed practice tests in the weeks before you sit. Identify which sections slow you down and use that data to guide your final study week.
Use Practice Questions as Diagnostic Tools
Practice questions are most valuable when you treat wrong answers as information, not just outcomes. When you miss a question, identify exactly why: Was it a guideline you hadn't read? A code range you didn't know? A modifier rule you misapplied?
Build a short "weak spots" list from your practice results and review those specific areas — not the whole codebook — in your final week of prep. This targeted review is how prepared candidates get faster, not just more familiar.
A high-quality question bank built on current code sets will also expose you to the style and phrasing of real CPC® questions, which differ from simple recall. Many questions present a clinical scenario and ask you to select the most accurate code — a skill that only develops through repeated exposure to scenario-based practice.
The Week Before Your Exam
The final week is not the time to learn new material. It's the time to sharpen what you already know.
Focus on: reviewing your annotated codebooks, running through your weak-spots list, and taking one final timed full-length practice test early in the week (not the night before). Confirm your exam logistics — whether in-person or remote proctored — and make sure your codebooks are ready to go.
On exam day, arrive or log in early, bring only approved materials, and pace yourself from question one. The candidates who pass aren't always the ones who know the most — they're the ones who've practiced performing under the conditions of the actual exam.