Certified Professional Coder (CPC^®) Certification

Take the CPC Exam and become a Certified Professional Coder. Save up to 55% through May 31st

The Certified Professional Coder (CPC®) credential demonstrates expertise in coding medical services and procedures performed by physicians. This includes coding patient symptoms and diagnoses, as well as diagnostic tests.

Exam Format

100 multiple-choice questions.

Online or In-Person Options

AAPC offers online and in-person proctored exams. Choose to take the exam at home in a quiet, private location or through your local chapter or a licensed instructor.

Learn more about the online proctored exam and how to prepare for the current exam.

Time Allowed

In-person and online exams are administered in one sitting, with 4 hours to complete the exam.

Equipment Required for Online Exam

Reliable Internet connection and an external webcam that can be positioned to show your face, hands, keyboard, and the area around the keyboard (about 10 inches).

Experience Requirements

A high-level knowledge of Medical Terminology, Anatomy and Pathophysiology, along with understanding of the proper application of CPT® procedure codes, HCPCS Level II supply codes, and ICD-10-CM diagnosis codes.

Not ready yet? We recommend taking our CPC exam preparation course.

Approved Coding Books

AMA's CPT® Professional Edition, as well as your choice of ICD-10-CM and HCPCS Level II code manuals.

Maintaining Your Certification

AAPC annual membership, along with 36 CEUs every two years.

Pricing

One attempt for $399 or $499 for two attempts. For U.S. only. Country specific pricing applicable.

80% of AAPC students pass on the first attempt.
Students who train with AAPC are 3x more likely to pass the certification exam.

About the CPC Exam

The CPC exam is a test of medical coding proficiency consisting of 100 multiple-choice questions that assess 17 areas of knowledge.

Most questions present a coding scenario to test proper application of CPT® procedure codes, HCPCS Level II supply codes, and ICD-10-CM diagnosis codes—all of which medical providers use to submit claims to payers.

During the test, you will reference approved coding books — the AMA's CPT® Professional Edition, as well as your choice of ICD-10-CM and HCPCS Level II code manuals.

Whether you take the exam online or in-person, you must complete the CPC exam within 4 hours and answer 70% of the questions correctly to pass.