Your exam-day checklist

Guidance checked September 12, 2026. Recheck the official links and your appointment instructions before the exam. The checkboxes below are a personal checklist; they are not saved or sent.

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Before the appointment

I confirmed the date, start time, delivery method and actual appointment. My required photo ID and registration have the exact matching name. I resolved any accommodation request through the official process. I checked the current check-in, break and rescheduling instructions for my appointment.

U.S. testing-center guidance requires valid government-issued photo ID and a printed confirmation or admission ticket. Temporary, paper, copied and digital IDs are not accepted in that setting. Use the rules for your actual location; another country's identification process is not a U.S. exception. [aapc-id; aapc-exam-day]

Code books and allowed materials

For CPC, use AMA CPT Professional Edition and the approved ICD-10-CM and HCPCS Level II references. Current-year books are recommended; the print guidance also allows the immediately preceding year, with one copy of each book. Choose print or platform eBooks for the required set rather than mixing formats, and finalize that choice at least 48 hours before the exam. [aapc-exam; aapc-book-help]

I confirmed the CPC book list and editions, not another specialty exam's list. My print or eBook choice is finalized in my AAPC account. My tabs mark pages and my notes comply with the current rule. I separated my course notebook and practice questions from permitted exam materials. I checked the full prohibited-items list.

Daily-coding notes and page-marking tabs have limits. Practice or exam questions, long supplemental passages and altered pages used to add reference material are prohibited. The current CPC guidance provides an on-screen calculator and prohibits a physical calculator. [aapc-notes; aapc-exam]

At a testing center

I have the required ID, printed confirmation and any approved print books. I checked the location and arrival instructions. I arranged how to secure items that cannot enter the exam room.

The testing center supplies the computer equipment. Personal electronics and unapproved study references are not allowed in the examination room. Review the complete current list and follow the on-site instructions. [aapc-exam-day]

At home

I passed the provider's system test on the actual computer and connection I will use. My external webcam shows the required view of me and my workspace. My computer has power and my room and desk meet the current checklist. I know how to reach the proctor or support if check-in fails.

Use AAPC's current home-testing page, checklist and provider system test for equipment and room requirements. Do not treat the laptop's built-in camera or a successful course quiz as proof that the proctoring setup is ready. Confirm the current technical specifications before relying on particular equipment. [aapc-at-home; aapc-examinee-checklist]

During the four-hour rehearsal

The official format gives 240 minutes for 100 questions: an overall average of 2.4 minutes each. Our suggested practice method is to preserve some time for review, answer the items you can support and flag specific unresolved decisions. [aapc-exam]

I know how to answer, navigate, flag and review in the practice system. I check remaining time without treating every question as equally long. I move on when one lookup is consuming too much of the remaining time. Before submission, I check for unanswered questions and revisit useful flags.

Read the actual question again before changing an answer. Verify the decisive instruction, then submit within the available time. Course practice strategies do not replace the exam platform's tutorial or proctor instructions. Review the final lesson for a full rehearsal and remediation plan.