Your study resources

Keep three references at your desk

Use current, authorized CPT Professional, ICD-10-CM and HCPCS Level II books alongside the lessons. The course supplies explanations and original exercises; your references supply the complete entries and instructions.

Before buying or preparing books for the examination, read the book-preparation lesson and check AAPC’s current requirements. Examination book rules and clinical code effective dates are separate questions. [aapc-exam]

Make a simple workspace: books, a notebook for your own reasoning, and a place to record missed concepts. Use a timer for practice, then follow the actual examination rules for permitted equipment on test day.

Choose the right practice tool

• Application questions: choose an answer, then study why each alternative is right or wrong. Use lesson checkpoints to test the material you just studied.
• Code Book Gym: locate an instruction in your book and measure how long the lookup takes.
• Chart Gym: read a fictional record, complete a coding worksheet and compare the walkthrough.
• Explain the Rule: put the reasoning into your own words before opening the comparison points.
• Flashcards: practice short concepts with shuffled decks and a local review schedule.

Flashcard ratings, lookup self-reviews and written worksheets supplement scored questions. They do not automatically count as demonstrated exam readiness.

Use sources as working references

The source register links the official and educational material used by the course. Each lesson also links its own references. When checking a rule, record the source title, section, applicable edition and service date.

For diagnosis coding, follow the Index-to-Tabular workflow rather than relying on a search snippet. For procedure work, read the complete entry and applicable instructions in your authorized book. For a Medicare-specific payment question, check the cited Medicare rule as well.

If two references appear to disagree, compare their dates and scope before choosing one. A historical example, proposed update or future-effective release may answer a different question from the current encounter.

Keep your learning record portable

My progress shows what this browser has saved. Export a backup periodically, especially before clearing browser data or changing devices. Importing requires a review before replacement.

A strong review session is specific: identify a missed concept, reread the supporting rule, explain the error and try a different application. Repeating a familiar answer without explaining it is weaker evidence of understanding.

Sources

1. AAPC — Taking the CPC exam. 2026. Accessed 2026-09-10.