Wiki CPC exam....how should I narrow my answers??

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CelenaCobb

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Hello, I need a lil bit help... I'm taking my exam this Saturday. I'm currently taking a practice exam....I'm some what comfortable, but I'm trying to figure out a system...After reading the chart....Do you start with narrowing down your answers by looking up the correct CPT codes or the correct ICD-9 code?..Looking up the CPT codes allows me to move faster..but is it wise???

thanks:)
 
Reply- Narrowing Answers

Hey, Firstly Best of Luck for your exams.

The key lies in knowing your strengths while selecting answers. If you are proficient with tracking correct CPTs than ICDs, use that method but you should not follow that as a thumb rule. There may be some CPT topics where you may not be as proficient as others (Cardio as in my case !), so for those sections you can try first matching the Dx.

One more suggestions, AAPC uses almost similar opitions to confuse, like
A. B25.0, B25.1
B. B25.0, B25.11
C. B25.9, B25.3
D. B25.8, B25.2

Here the trick is to find the similar options which AAPC is trying to confuse you, 75% of chances are answer will be 1 of them, as in above example answer could be A or B as both options have B25.0 to confuse.

Finally undersand the question well before attempting any answer. I assure you that if you will correctly understand the question, you can easily find answer from books. (CPT, ICD, HCPCPS etc.)

Thanks and Best of Luck
 
Last edited:
CelenaCobb said:
Hello, I need a lil bit help... I'm taking my exam this Saturday. I'm currently taking a practice exam....I'm some what comfortable, but I'm trying to figure out a system...After reading the chart....Do you start with narrowing down your answers by looking up the correct CPT codes or the correct ICD-9 code?..Looking up the CPT codes allows me to move faster..but is it wise???

thanks:)
Click to expand...

Personally, narrowing down the CPT/HCPCS codes helped me. Also, I paid close attention to key words in the question such as "with" and "without" to single out answers.

GOOD LUCK!
Lena
 
CPC test

Hi ~ good luck with your upcoming test!
Best advice that I can offer/provide is to secure bringing 2015 books. I cannot express this enough. I just proctored an exam not so long ago in and there were books that were several years old.
Thanks,
Dana
 
Thanks Dana..

Yes, I have the 2015 editions...My school books are from 2014, but I made sure to have the current edition for my exam..
 
Also, if you have medical terms you're unsure of, WRITE THEM in the books. For example I wrote in the nerve block section under "intercostal" between ribs. During a test I know I'd blank on an easy question like " Dr x injected a nerve block between two ribs." or similar, lol.
 
My recommendation is read the question before delving into the whole visit note. Sometimes there is no need to read the whole op note because they are looking for the diagnosis. For me, ICD coding was my strong suit so if a question had different dx's I would use that to start ruling out wrong answers. And then the standard suggestions: start on the sections that you're comfortable with, make sure you know where things "live" in your book, and lastly breathe. Good luck!
 
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