Wiki CPB Exam

[jodyfee]

I will be taking the CPB exam in 2021 but have the 2020 coding books (CPC, HCPCS Level II and ICD-10). Do I really NEED to buy the 2021 books? I know it's recommended but they are so expensive and I was wondering if it was really worth it. Thanks in advance for any thoughts!

 

[csperoni]

1) You are always putting yourself at a disadvantage if not using updated reference materials.
2) For the CPB, it is only a small disadvantage. Per the AAPC website, of the 200 questions, only 15 are coding questions. The odds of those 15 being specifically related to something that changed between 2020 and 2021 are rather slim.
3) How would you feel if you did fail by 1 question and it was coding related?
From a practical standpoint, if this was a coding certification exam, I would strongly encourage 2021 books. However, it is not a coding certification exam. In your situation, I would say your 2020 books are fine. I would make notes in the 2020 books regarding 2021 changes. Specifically for outpatient E/M which changed a lot.

 

[sls314]

1) You are always putting yourself at a disadvantage if not using updated reference materials.
2) For the CPB, it is only a small disadvantage. Per the AAPC website, of the 200 questions, only 15 are coding questions. The odds of those 15 being specifically related to something that changed between 2020 and 2021 are rather slim.
3) How would you feel if you did fail by 1 question and it was coding related?
From a practical standpoint, if this was a coding certification exam, I would strongly encourage 2021 books. However, it is not a coding certification exam. In your situation, I would say your 2020 books are fine. I would make notes in the 2020 books regarding 2021 changes. Specifically for outpatient E/M which changed a lot.

I agree with this.

I took the CPB exam in February (results still in processing). Coding is a small number of questions on the exam. I did use the 2021 books - I don't remember if any of my coding questions related to something that would have been different from 2020 to 2021. If there was, it would have been only maybe 1 question.

If you were taking a coding-specific exam, I'd highly encourage you to get the 2021 books. Since you are taking the CPB, I think you could be okay. I would make some notes of any key changes to codes and guidelines from 2020 to 2021 just to be safe though.

 

[jodyfee]

I agree with this.

I took the CPB exam in February (results still in processing). Coding is a small number of questions on the exam. I did use the 2021 books - I don't remember if any of my coding questions related to something that would have been different from 2020 to 2021. If there was, it would have been only maybe 1 question.

If you were taking a coding-specific exam, I'd highly encourage you to get the 2021 books. Since you are taking the CPB, I think you could be okay. I would make some notes of any key changes to codes and guidelines from 2020 to 2021 just to be safe though.

Thanks so much!!

 

[jodyfee]

1) You are always putting yourself at a disadvantage if not using updated reference materials.
2) For the CPB, it is only a small disadvantage. Per the AAPC website, of the 200 questions, only 15 are coding questions. The odds of those 15 being specifically related to something that changed between 2020 and 2021 are rather slim.
3) How would you feel if you did fail by 1 question and it was coding related?
From a practical standpoint, if this was a coding certification exam, I would strongly encourage 2021 books. However, it is not a coding certification exam. In your situation, I would say your 2020 books are fine. I would make notes in the 2020 books regarding 2021 changes. Specifically for outpatient E/M which changed a lot.

Thank you for your reply! I really appreciate it!