KaylaT_73484
New member
WHOO! I passed with an 86% on the first try! I finished the test with 20mins to spare, enough to go back and double check some questions I wasn't totally sure on. Here's some FYIs and tips from my experience, leading up to and day of the test:
Those were the biggest surprises for me - happy test taking you guys! You got this!!
- BHAT method was really freaking worth it, for me! Be aware of the time required to complete though!! I think the estimate of total time is about 22 hours, but I wager the time it took me to do it while watching tv took me over 50 hours, since April. But, again, worth it! There were at least two questions on the CPC test where the highlight already present in my book was the difference between choosing an answer with an additional code (wrong!) vs the correct answer (portion in parentheses called out to never bill with that specific additional code).
- I finished the PBC course about 1.5 months before my test, and leading up to the test I had taken 4 practice tests, one of which was via CCO, and the other 3 I purchased via AAPC when I signed up for my test. Scores I received were 80, 82, 84 and 86 in my practices, so extremely close to my real score.
- When you receive your test day of, know that not everyone is taking the same test! I don't know why I didn't anticipate this, but it did surprise me seeing what others brought for their test. For instance, the person next to me was allowed to have a medical dictionary during their test, whereas CPC it is not allowed.
- Look carefully at your scantron. Mine (and what I assume is standard for CPC), did not look like the typical scantron sheet that I grew up with as a kid, with 1-100 in one long vertical line. It's in columns of 30, and then the next column starts with 31 (I tried to find a form that's similar below, but this is not the exact same). At least one person in my test group answered her questions horizontally, not down and column by column. The error basically nulled her test by the time she realized, which was 3 hours into the 4 hour test, and she left (and I assume will now have to take a 2023 test).
- In mine, the test STARTS with anatomy / physiology / easy questions first, which is the opposite of every practice test I took leading up. The terminology questions were always at the end! At least, that is what my test did.
- When you first get your test, triple check you have all pages of your test book! Our proctor had everyone right off the bat double check the staple in the middle of our test book has sequential pages, that the middle page is not missing. She said she has had that happen before, and it was a nightmare to fix.
- Download the AAPC app. I took my test on 12/18/2022, and received my score via the app on 12/22/2022.
- The date I took my test was the last offered test date of the year, and from that I learned some pros and cons! It was nice for me, knowing I had as much time as possible to study for my test that year. But know, if you cancel or miss your test, you have to now buy all new books for the next year! There were at least 3 other test takers that cancelled within a week of the test I took, and our proctor made a point of mentioning how they would need to buy new books now. And if there were any major updates (think of all the Covid 19 related charges that were added) that's a ton of new info to learn for a new test. Also, be prepared to section your time off between holiday related time and study time in the month of December.
Those were the biggest surprises for me - happy test taking you guys! You got this!!