Wiki Help! I failed the my text!

[paocol89@gmail.com]

I need guidance I do not know what to do. I failed my first CPC attemp with a really low %. I have not been in school for about 15 years. I did well on the course but that because I was not pressure by time but the exam is hard and limited time. And as you know is not cheap to retake the text. I do not want to give up but I can’t afford to pay that now. I do not know what to do. Does AAPC or any organization offers Financial assistance to ratake this text? And is there a way to retake the test with a more that 5h:40m hours?
help

thanks

 

[Orthocoderpgu]

You do get one free re-take. If you can't pass the test in almost six hours your not ready to code. You can't ask your employer to give you more time to do your job. Just reality. The AAPC has practice exams and they will let you know when you are ready to take the test again.

 

[paocol89@gmail.com]

You do get one free re-take. If you can't pass the test in almost six hours your not ready to code. You can't ask your employer to give you more time to do your job. Just reality. The AAPC has practice exams and they will let you know when you are ready to take the test again.

I took the test online si no free retakes. I wonder why:/

 

[sls314]

I took the test online si no free retakes. I wonder why:/

The initial price of the online exam is lower than the in-person exam. It's $299 for one attempt at the online exam and $399 for the in-person exam.

Also, I assume that the online proctoring company charges the AAPC a set fee for each attempt that they proctor, whether it's a first attempt or a retake.

The in-person exams are proctored by chapter officers as a service to the AAPC. The proctors don't get paid. (AAPC gives a nominal amount to the chapter for hosting an exam, but the proctors don't get paid.) I assume that's part of the reason why they're able to include a 2nd attempt (when needed) for the price of the in-person exam.

It's definitely a factor to consider when making the decision whether to take the CPC online or in-person.

 

[sls314]

Regarding the time to take the exam...

If an examinee qualifies for ADA accommodations, they could potentially receive extra time to take in-person exams. The examinee must request the ADA accommodations IN ADVANCE through the AAPC and may need to provide documentation to be approved. Each chapter is required to offer at least 2 ADA-compliant exams per year.

I would assume that there is the potential for ADA accommodations for the online exam as well.

If you think you would qualify for ADA accommodations, I'd recommend calling the AAPC as far in advance of your exam date as possible to get the process started.

Outside of approved ADA accommodations, no...there's no exception to the 5 hour, 40 minute exam time.

 

[sls314]

As you prepare to retake the exam, I would strongly encourage you to do timed practice as part of your preparation process. The more you condition yourself to move through the questions quickly, the better you will get at it.

One more thing about the price of the exam...there are a couple of times a year where there are specials on the exam fees. For example, there's usually a Black Friday sale on exam fees.

There's also usually at least one time a year where there's a bundle for the in-person CPC exam with "unlimited" attempts for 1 year. ("Unlimited" in theory, but it would be limited by the number of in-person exams in your area. So if your local chapter hosted one per month, then you could theoretically take it 12 times.)

I would suggest focusing on your preparation and timing. There are some great YouTube videos out there that give pointers on preparing for a retake - Victoria from Contempo Coding has a free YouTube series on preparing for the CPC exam, I think.

Start setting a little money aside each month while you're studying, so that when you feel ready to retake the exam you'll have the fee ready.

Watch for any specials on the exam bundles and watch for one that includes the "unlimited" retakes. Or you could wait for the Black Friday special and get the regular exam + 1 retake at a deep discount.

Good luck!!!