Prepare for the CPMA® exam
Your success as a CPMA is dependent on your ability to prioritize the information presented to you and organize it in ways that allow you to problem-solve efficiently. The following preparation tips will help ensure that you’re fully prepared.
Ensure you have mastered the essentials
The CPMA certification exam is a difficult, high-level examination and is not intended for individuals lacking training or experience. Examinees should have CPMA training and/or experience in auditing physician services, and be well versed in different types of audits, including evaluation and management (E/M).
A minimum of two years of coding experience is strongly suggested prior to taking the CPMA exam.
Do I need the essentials?
If your education or employment background have provided you with reliable knowledge of medical terminology, anatomy, and pathophysiology, you can skip past the essential training. Otherwise, you need to take this course as the CPMA exam will thoroughly test your knowledge in the fundamentals of medicine.
Train with AAPC’s world-class instructors
The surest way to prepare for the CPMA exam is to train with AAPC by enrolling in the CPMA Online Auditing Training Course. Designed by the creators of the exam, this course will ensure you receive an effective and comprehensive education covering proper use of all medical code sets you'll encounter on the exam. Choose from a self-paced course or a virtual instructor-led course.
Designed for the experienced coder, AAPC's CPMA training course provides training for the multifaceted components of medical auditing. This online training course covers medical record standards and documentation guidelines, coding and documentation compliance, coding and reimbursement concepts, audit scope and statistical sampling methods, medical record audit abstraction, and category risk analysis and communication. A minimum of two years of coding experience is strongly suggested prior to taking this course.
Test your knowledge before the exam
Diagnose your strengths and weaknesses We highly recommend that you take one of the 50-question online practice exams to help you become familiar with the format and time constraints of the real test. Our practice tests accurately mirror the exam to ensure you are fully prepared on exam day.
Diagnose and prioritize your focus areas
After you take your first practice exam you’ll realize not all areas of CPMA curriculum require equal study time. Based on your diagnostic results and practice performance, we’ll recommend lessons and exercises at just the right level. Follow these recommendations to make the most of your practice time.
Review the study guide and test-taking techniques
Designed to help you prepare for the exam, our official CPMA Study Guide walks you through a review of all the content sections found on the exam. Best of all, it provides testing tips for taking the AAPC's CPMA exam. If you have auditing experience or have successfully completed auditing training (such as the courses listed above), this study guide will optimize exam preparation.
Five chapters will guide you through a review of medical record standards and documentation guidelines, coding and documentation compliance, coding and reimbursement concepts, audit scope and statistical sampling methods, medical record audit abstraction, and category risk analysis and communication.
