Hi everyone,
Does anyone took this exam recently?
As a background i am a doctor from India with my MD and i recently took the exam and found the exam was so tough for me .
I even purchased "Distance Learning - 2025 CHONC Training Package w/SG & CSG (Two Attempt Electronic)" and paid 700$ approximately and prepared for that and took the exam.
Does anyone else feel that the materials they give with the training package is not adequate?
Any inputs on this is highly appreciated.
Thank you in advance
The specialty certification courses aren’t designed to teach coding from scratch. They’re built on the assumption that the candidate already has a solid foundation in general coding and also coding experience in the specialty.
That’s why the specialty courses are 4 clock hours, compared to the CPC course, which 80 clock hours. The specialty course is meant more as a concept review and exam prep, not full coding instruction from the ground up.
I do hold the CHONC credential. I took the CHONC specialty course, and I did find it helpful as a refresher.
CHONC also recommends at least two years of hematology/oncology coding experience, along with strong knowledge of medical terminology, anatomy, and pathophysiology. With an MD background, you’re likely already strong on the anatomy, pathophysiology, and medical terminology side, so the challenge may have been more on the coding-specific aspects.
Chemotherapy and infusion services make up a significant portion of the exam. The coding and guideline hierarchy for those services is especially detailed and nuanced. If you haven’t had much real-world infusion coding experience, that’s an area I would strongly recommend spending extra time reviewing.
That’s where I focused most of my own prep. I primarily code radiation oncology rather than medical oncology, so I really had to revisit chemo and infusion coding before testing. While those topics are introduced at a basic level during CPC prep, the CHONC exam goes much deeper into the details.
I'd also recommend knowing the ICD-10 guidelines relevant to oncology coding inside and out. All of the Chapter 2 Neoplasm guidelines for sure. Navigating the neoplasm table for proper code selection, knowing the sequencing guidelines for anemia, dehydration, and pain, when to use an active neoplasm vs history of code, etc.
If you have any other questions, please let me know.