Certified Professional Coder (CPC®) Exam — exam facts
United States (a national professional certification, not a state licence)
Every source below was read on 2026-09-22
| Administering body | AAPC AAPC awards the CPC credential and sells the exam voucher. AAPC states the exam can be taken online at home with a live remote proctor, or on a computer at a testing center. AAPC does not name the proctoring or test-center vendor on these pages, so none is stated here. Source: AAPC — Taking the CPC Exam (2026-09-22) |
|---|---|
| Questions | 100 questions All multiple-choice. AAPC publishes a per-area breakdown summing to 100, ending with ten case questions (one question per case) that require coding from medical record documentation. It is open-code-book: only the AMA's CPT® Professional Edition plus an ICD-10-CM and a HCPCS Level II code book of your choice are allowed, printed or as eBooks provided through the exam platform. AAPC allows the current or preceding year's books, one copy of each, and states that the upcoming year's books are not allowed. Source: AAPC — Taking the CPC Exam (2026-09-22) |
| Time limit | 240 minutes Four hours, in one sitting. AAPC: “Exams are administered in one sitting, with four hours to complete the exam.” Source: AAPC — Taking the CPC Exam (2026-09-22) |
| Passing score | 70% In AAPC's words: “An overall score of 70% or higher is required to pass the certification exam. For a passing score of 70%, you must get at least 70 questions correct. If you incorrectly answer more than 30 questions, you will not pass.” A candidate who does not pass is told which areas had sub-scores of 65% or less. AAPC states results are available within 7–10 business days. Source: AAPC — Taking the CPC Exam (2026-09-22) |
| Fees |
Each price buys a voucher for that number of attempts; the two-attempt voucher covers a second attempt if the first is not passed. AAPC's CPC page lists the same one- and two-attempt prices for its core exams, and the student prices beside them. Keeping the credential is separate: AAPC states CPC holders must maintain their AAPC annual membership and earn 36 continuing education units every two years. AAPC also states you must register three weeks before the exam date. Source: AAPC — Taking the CPC Exam (2026-09-22) |
| Languages offered | Not published by AAPC None of AAPC's CPC pages we read states the language or languages the exam is given in, and none mentions a translated version. PrepPass does not state a language for this exam. What we read and found nothing in: AAPC — Taking the CPC Exam (2026-09-22) · AAPC — CPC Exam: Certified Professional Coder (2026-09-22) · AAPC — In-Person and Online CPC Exam FAQs (2026-09-22) · AAPC — Certification Exam Questions and Answers (2026-09-22) |
Change log
- 2026-09-22Fact sheet created from AAPC's CPC certification page and its Taking the CPC Exam page. The two agree on the exam prices; the passing rule is recorded in AAPC's own terms, 70% and at least 70 of 100 correct.
- 2026-03-02AAPC: on or after this date the exam uses 2026 HCPCS Level II codes, and candidates may use either the 2025 or 2026 HCPCS code book.