A grueling exam for aspiring medical coders, taking nearly 6 hours, the American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC) CPC or Certified Professional Coder certification exam is brutal and doesn’t have a very high pass rate for first-time test takers. If you’ve failed the CPC exam, trust me, you’re not alone. Although the CPC exam is an open book exam, there are many factors to consider.

First, you need to get a 70% pass rate to pass the CPC exam. It used to be that you need to get a 70% in each of the 3 sections of the CPC exam, which means if you fail to achieve 70% in just one section, you won’t pass the CPC exam.

For this reason, there are many study guides that will help you prepare to retake the CPC exam. There are a few recommended by the AAPC, as well as online prep courses taught by experienced coders and trainers that can help you hone your coding skills.

You can retake the CPC exam within 12 months of your failed test without having to pay the hundreds of dollars the first test cost. That alone should be a relief to you, so now you not only have the opportunity to take the exam again, but you can do so at no additional cost to you. The thing to remember is that you must take the test within 12 months of the initial exam or you will be charged a fee. Don’t take too long to take the test because all the studying you did will still be fresh in your mind. If you have to wait longer before retaking the CPC exam, you’ll need to keep your study efforts at a high level to make sure you don’t forget and lose the information you’ve worked hard for.

When you receive your scores, you’ll be notified which sections were problematic for you, so you can focus your studies and improve your weaknesses. Being able to refine your studies to pass the CPC exam is a great benefit for you. Not only will you see where you are successful, but by being able to focus on your low scores, it will be much easier to focus all your energy and effort for the next round. Talk to other students, as well as your mentor or coach, so that you can specifically target your weak areas.

Take more timed practice tests to get back on track and refine your study and question answering strategies. When you return on test day, you will be calmer and better prepared for the CPC exam. Don’t let your nerves get the best of you. Go in with a positive mindset and confident that you will do well this time.