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Wiki Can I write exam, if my membership expires
- Thread starter anusham
- Start date
devinmajor14
Guru
You have to have a current membership to test and maintain your certification
Dear Anusha, in order to actively sit in the exam, you must have an active CPC membership. the answer, in your case is "NO". Please consider contacting AAPC and make the necessary arrangements.
twizzle
Guest
Since you are asking this question in October 2017 are asking if your test will be a 2016 test??
Clearly it will be a 2017 test and you must have 2017 books. Codes change a lot each year, especially CPT codes. In addition, your exam proctors should have been instructed to not allow anyone with out-of-date books to test but not all follow that rule.
Don't put yourself at a disadvantage even before you answer a question by using out-of-date books. It's not worth it.
In case anyone is wondering, we can use older year books for the test. See below.
Q. What year coding books should the examinee be using? (2017 test dates)
Each code set is updated annually; it is essential that examinees use the current calendar year’s coding manuals when taking the
exam. However, if examinees choose to use previous year’s coding books, they should not be disqualified from the exam. If an
examinee chooses to use 2016 and 2017 books, they should not be disqualified. However, this is a timed exam and they will be at a
disadvantage using both sets.
This is under the FAQ for Proctor Instructions: https://www.aapc.com/documents/exm-proctorinstructions.pdf
These are shipped with the tests, and the proctors are also required to read these instructions before proctoring; however, these pages are not given or shown to examinees.
I have misplaced books, so I've had to use 2012 HCPCS and 2015 CPT for my tests this year, and they allowed me to take the test. Taking an outdated CPT book, as stated by others, is not advised.
Also found under Exam FAQ: https://www.aapc.com/certification/faq.aspx
What year’s books should I use?
Since the code sets for each coding book are updated every year, it’s essential for coders to have the current year’s books/manuals to ensure accurate performance. Reporting wrong codes can lead to denied claim submissions and substantial penalization. It’s clearly very important to get an education on the annual code set updates and to obtain new code books every year.
All AAPC exams are based on the current calendar year’s code sets, so we strongly suggest you use the current year’s books. The previous calendar year’s books may be used on an exam, but you would be at obvious disadvantage doing so. The upcoming year’s books are not allowed for exam use. The exams are updated every January for the new code sets. Examinees using their second attempt in the next calendar year will not be permitted to take the previous year's exam.
Note: Please make sure you are now using ICD-10 CM or ICD-10 PCS when needed.
Most proctors don't seem to know that you are not supposed to use next year's books. I would not advise that other. You may end up very confused if you are trying to use a code that doesn't exist for the year of your test.
Q. What year coding books should the examinee be using? (2017 test dates)
Each code set is updated annually; it is essential that examinees use the current calendar year’s coding manuals when taking the
exam. However, if examinees choose to use previous year’s coding books, they should not be disqualified from the exam. If an
examinee chooses to use 2016 and 2017 books, they should not be disqualified. However, this is a timed exam and they will be at a
disadvantage using both sets.
This is under the FAQ for Proctor Instructions: https://www.aapc.com/documents/exm-proctorinstructions.pdf
These are shipped with the tests, and the proctors are also required to read these instructions before proctoring; however, these pages are not given or shown to examinees.
I have misplaced books, so I've had to use 2012 HCPCS and 2015 CPT for my tests this year, and they allowed me to take the test. Taking an outdated CPT book, as stated by others, is not advised.
Also found under Exam FAQ: https://www.aapc.com/certification/faq.aspx
What year’s books should I use?
Since the code sets for each coding book are updated every year, it’s essential for coders to have the current year’s books/manuals to ensure accurate performance. Reporting wrong codes can lead to denied claim submissions and substantial penalization. It’s clearly very important to get an education on the annual code set updates and to obtain new code books every year.
All AAPC exams are based on the current calendar year’s code sets, so we strongly suggest you use the current year’s books. The previous calendar year’s books may be used on an exam, but you would be at obvious disadvantage doing so. The upcoming year’s books are not allowed for exam use. The exams are updated every January for the new code sets. Examinees using their second attempt in the next calendar year will not be permitted to take the previous year's exam.
Note: Please make sure you are now using ICD-10 CM or ICD-10 PCS when needed.
Most proctors don't seem to know that you are not supposed to use next year's books. I would not advise that other. You may end up very confused if you are trying to use a code that doesn't exist for the year of your test.