CPC Coding Guidelines Practice Questions
7 of 100 questions on the CPC exam, in AAPC’s content breakdown
100 questions across all eighteen areas in 4 hours, with a score for Coding Guidelines so you know where you stand.
Free Coding Guidelines drillUnder an ICD-10-CM category there is an Excludes1 note. What does it mean?
Coding Guidelines on the CPC
Coding guidelines are 7 of the 100 questions on the CPC exam, the largest single area outside the CPT series. AAPC lists the ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting, CPT coding guidelines and parenthetical notes, and modifier use.
- Share of the exam
- 7 of 100 questions, as AAPC lists them
- Our drill
- 10 questions from 31 Coding Guidelines questions, untimed, an explanation after every answer; one free attempt, unlimited with a pass
What Coding Guidelines questions test
- ICD-10-CM conventions: Excludes1 and Excludes2, NEC and NOS, "code first," "use additional code" and "with"
- Outpatient guidelines: first-listed diagnosis, uncertain diagnoses and chronic conditions
- CPT conventions: the semicolon, add-on codes, separate procedures, unlisted codes and symbols
- Global surgical package and the modifiers around it: 24, 25, 57, 58, 78 and 79
- Other modifiers: 22, 26, 50, 51, 52, 53, 59 and the X modifiers, 76, 77, 91 and assistant-at-surgery modifiers
Sit the full exam under the real clock
100 questions across all eighteen areas in 4 hours, with a score for Coding Guidelines so you know where you stand.
Free Coding Guidelines drillHow to study it
- Read the guidelines at the front of each CPT section and of the ICD-10-CM book; tab them for the exam.
- Make a one-page modifier chart in your own words and test yourself until you can name each one.
- Learn the outpatient rule for "probable" and "rule out": code the symptom, not the uncertain diagnosis.
- Take the coding guidelines drill more than once; these rules also decide the coding questions.
Common questions
How many coding guidelines questions are on the CPC exam?
AAPC lists 7 coding guidelines questions out of 100, covering ICD-10-CM and CPT guidelines and modifier use.
Are the guidelines printed in the code books?
Yes. The ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines are in the ICD-10-CM book, and each CPT section opens with its guidelines. Knowing where they are saves time on test day.
100 questions across all eighteen areas in 4 hours, with a score for Coding Guidelines so you know where you stand.
Free Coding Guidelines drillThe other CPC areas
- Medical Terminology
- Anatomy
- Compliance and Regulatory
- ICD-10-CM
- HCPCS Level II
- CPT 10000 Series: Integumentary System
- CPT 20000 Series: Musculoskeletal System
- CPT 30000 Series: Respiratory, Cardiovascular, Hemic and Lymphatic, Mediastinum and Diaphragm
- CPT 40000 Series: Digestive System
- CPT 50000 Series: Urinary, Male and Female Reproductive, Maternity and Delivery
- CPT 60000 Series: Nervous System
- Radiology
- Pathology and Laboratory
- Medicine
- Evaluation and Management (E/M)
- Anesthesia
- Cases (Medical Record Coding)
- CPC practice exam (100 questions, 4 hours)
- Mixed drill: all eighteen areas
- CPC practice test: exam facts and every area
Sources
- AAPC: Taking the CPC exam (format, time, passing score, approved books, questions per area)
- AAPC: CPC certification (what the credential covers, CEU requirement)
- AAPC: How much does the exam cost?
- AAPC: What is the Apprentice status?
- AAPC: Why is there an annual exam blackout period?
- AAPC Exam Agreement (annual January 1 update, exam rules)
- CMS: ICD-10-CM code files and Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting
- CMS: HCPCS Level II quarterly code files
- CMS: National Correct Coding Initiative (NCCI) edits and policy manual
Original practice questions written to AAPC’s published CPC content areas; they are not AAPC exam or practice exam questions. CPT codes are cited by number only, and their descriptions are in the AMA’s CPT Professional Edition. Independent practice, not affiliated with or endorsed by AAPC or the American Medical Association. CPC is a registered trademark of AAPC. CPT is a registered trademark of the American Medical Association.