CCA Exam Debrief!

In this video I discuss what it was like to take the CCA exam!
Getting Certified: • Getting Certified!

[@mariamoore5148]

CONGRATULATIONS!!! You are an inspiration to me. I took my CCA exam and I passed it! March last year. You go lady!!!

[@codingwithkate3792]

Maria Moore thank you and congrats on passing your CCA! How has it been with your CCA for a year?!

[@abigailm9502]

Maria Moore Have you been able to get a job with your CCA?

[@alisharenee1556]

Any tips. Taking mine next Friday

[@sofouli]

This is glorious, I have been researching "medical insurance billing and coding certification test" for a while now, and I think this has helped. Have you ever come across - Lukesey CPC Carnage - (should be on google have a look ) ? Ive heard some great things about it and my mate got amazing results with it.

[@kimgeistkemper]

I just wanted to say thank you for posting this video! I have anxiety already in general and when I take a test obviously it's worse, so knowing what to expect in more detail is helpful!

[@cntrygrl8034]

I took this exam yesterday and the test is set up now to where you can not flag any questions nor can you go back to the previous questions after you've answered it and clicked Next! I passed but I was definitely nervous about taking it!

[@memoriesingreen]

I’m so happy for you!!!!! That is so exciting! Great job!!

[@Cstetson83]

I am scheduled to take my CCA exam on Friday 2/22/19. I am so apprehensive about it. Thanks for all the information.

[@beckyroberts3258]

Hi, Christina! What study materials did you use to prepare for the exam? How did you do on the exam?

[@Cstetson83]

@@beckyroberts3258 I used a CPT, CPS, and ICD-10. I also downloaded an online review guide with some practice quizzes and mock exams. I ended up passing my CCA!! I am so glad!! Good luck!!

[@alisharenee1556]

I take my exam next Friday, any tips?

[@nancyszczepanik5972]

Yeaaaa!. Congratulations! You have been an inspiration to me as I am going through my studies. Well Done!

[@ninablack5223]

I am due to take the CCA exam in a few days and while I do feel somewhat prepared. I do however have one question. I have notes written inside of my coding manuals. They are more notes to describe each code. I hadn't thought about these notes until you mentioned how thorough they are at going through your books. Would my notes be an issue?

[@ellenedgcomb3741]

Just watching this 2023, Feb. How did you prepare for this exam.

[@ha4151]

Congrats girl!!

[@TheGOTJOKES]

I was told we could write in our books. Did you write in yours? My instructor wasn't clear about what to write. She said we can write whatever we want. I take my exam on Thursday. According to my instructions, we aren't allowed to skip any questions or recheck our answers. Yikes!

[@melindago6576]

Congratulations!

[@susansponheimer8503]

Do you have any new videos on KZbin or Facebook?

[@nancyely3131]

-What information do you recommend to refresh on before taking the CCA Exam? For example, A & P, medical billing procedures, etc.

[@terrykoczorowski3618]

CCA credential as important as the CCS (only at least for someone starting out in medical coding), but years of experience in healthcare administration?

[@dustinryan1336]

Palm vein capture? Seems a bit excessive lol

[@nancymassiattie3892]

I got a 294 out of 300 😔😤 I was so frustrated, since I was so close, and I’m hoping hoping I pass it this time around. I’m trying to gather as much information study tips before hand so if anyone has any let me know! And congrats on passing on your first try!

[@yeevanieshepherd]

Nancy Massiattie so did u pass it or fail

[@RoseyBlu]

@@yeevanieshepherd failed

[@yeevanieshepherd]

RoseyBlu damnn sorry to hear that.i wanna do it but im scared ill fail and disappoint my family. So i guess u gotta hit the 300 on the spot to pass huh?

[@QueenOfTheDamned]

Sorry to hear that. But I thought that 294/300 would be a pass since that's a 98% correct score? Did you mean to say 194/300?

[@nancymassiattie3892]

@@yeevanieshepherd all late but failed. Passing rate is 300. Barely failed.

[@cheriep9831]

Congratulations

[@courtneymungin3615]

Congrats on passing! I take mines next Saturday and I am BEYOND nervous. Your video helped a little, but the part you had to be "vague" about is what I'm really nervous about..thank you for sharing your experience though and congrats again, (even though it's a year later lol)

[@beckyroberts3258]

Hi, Courtney! What study material did you use to prepare for the test? How did you do on the exam?

[@courtneymungin3615]

Becky Roberts Hey, I PASSED! Yaaay lol but I used their study guide book mainly. But I was also in a HIT program so used the books from my other classes to study too.

[@Chris-go1gp]

Thank you for your insight. Was the actual test and practice test similar? Was the practice test a good tool of reference?

[@codingwithkate3792]

Chris Chavez they were very similar to the structure of the questions, level of difficulty, and overall content. If you take the practice test from AHIMA with a 70% or higher you should be prepared to take the actual exam and pass!

[@prqueen904]

Damn! They are super strict compared to taking the test with the AAPC! I didn’t know they recorded you while taking the test.

[@codingwithkate3792]

Carla Francesca it was strict! I should have been more clear, they aren’t recording to archive the footage (I think) but they have the audio and CCTV so the proctor can keep an eye on everyone during the exams to ensure no cheating is taking place that may not be visually obvious from the anteroom/control room!

[@QualityReviewer]

Congratulation on passing your exam. Thank you for telling us about your experience with the process. May I ask how they check your glasses? I'm paranoid about anyone or anything touching my lenses. It takes me a bit to clean them if they get fingerprints on it. I'm asking so I can factor in more time for glass cleaning for when I eventually sit for the exam.

[@codingwithkate3792]

QualityReviewer you place them on the table and they just look at your glasses without touching them, the Procter never touches you for any part of the security check. She asked me to turn my head so she could see into my ears, asked me to pat down my legs/waist/arms, and then put my hands in my pockets so she could see I wasn’t smuggling in notes or whatever to cheat.

[@QualityReviewer]

Coding With Kate Thank you for the prompt response. That makes me feel better.

[@Mapo252]

Congratz!!!

[@lynnsiebriones2435]

What books did you take with you?

[@jetarshi1982]

Is there a difference between the way the cca is set up and the ccs? The reason I ask is because I took the ccs in 2021 and we weren't able to skip questions or go back and forth. I had to answer the question before I could move on with the exam.

[@Chorkymom]

Same

[@milapulido4209]

What would you recommend to study on? And how long did you study before taking exam?

[@emabinohar2199]

Quick question anyone.. iam thinking to get into medical billing and coding career. How come whenever i look at job search majority of employers are looking for 1 yr to 3 yr experience in this field.. So how about the new graduates from college and just got their certification from nha and ahima? It dont make sense and doesnt add-up at all.

[@codingwithkate3792]

Mona Abinohar that was one of the things I came to realize and I didn’t understand it either. They want experienced coders even though the position is entry level. I have ultimately left medical coding since I hadn’t landed a coding job in a year since getting certified but I have moved into Clinical Registries (Trauma registry specifically) and oh my goodness have I found my dream job! I will be uploading a video sometime this weekend documenting my first days on the job (my first day in this position was 2/18/19)!!!! I also have a video talking about clinical registries and how it is a good avenue to explore with a coding certification!

[@emabinohar2199]

@@codingwithkate3792 oh cool... good 4 you.. iam on borderline getting it or not.. iam struggling, my downfall is iam very introvert, socially awkward and iam limited only what i can do as a whole. Office duties is only career i know i can excel at.

[@emigliori1]

Hello! I wanted to thank you for this video. I am getting ready to take my CCS in two weeks and this video helped me a lot to know what to expect at the Pearson Vue Center. One question, I have which may sound silly, is do they allow for bathroom breaks? I am actually on medication that acts as a diuretic so this can become an issue for me. I understand there are no scheduled breaks, but if you need to you - can you use the restroom? The CCS is 4 hours long. There is no way I'll go that long with out a visit to the ladies room! This is the one thing I can't seem to find an answer on anywhere. Thanks for your help and for all your time and effort with your other videos. Good luck to you!

[@codingwithkate3792]

emigliori1 yes they do! They may have scheduled breaks depending on the length of the test but no matter what you can raise your hand to notify the proctor and they will let you go to the bathroom, etc.!

[@emigliori1]

Thank you!

[@kaedidishen8235]

Did they allow you to bring a Medical Dictionary? I know it says they do on AHIMA website but I'm nervous they will tell me it is not allowed when I show up to take the test. This video is very helpful! Thanks!

[@jenni8075]

I have watched your video so many times in hopes I will feel better about taking my exam on Jan. 7th and I am still nervous. I want to reschedule I do not feel ready. I graduated from DeVry in June and waited too long to schedule now I am nervous as my weakness is everything that does not have to do with actual coding Dx and procedures =(. I wish everyone luck. Might just pay the $30 to reschedule with Pearson VUE due to my nerves.

[@Chorkymom]

How did you do? My test anxiety is awful too.

[@fuckfreg]

I have plastic tabs I had to buy because my tabs were destroyed by my sweet minions( kids). Are tabs allowed... I have conflicting answers now I’m overthinking😫😫

[@belaomari]

Hello, thank you for all this info. I am planning to take my test this month. I have a question, do they check for notes on the books? I have a few and I am concerned about it. Thank you.

[@kompheakphann3435]

Congrats Katie I'm nervous to take the exam. I'm not even sure what to study for. How many questions were on the test

[@codingwithkate3792]

Kompheak Phann don’t be nervous, check out my new video on my tip, technique, example for test taking. Also, check out my other CCA videos that cover prepping for it, etc. also, here’s the link to AHIMAs breakdown of what’s on the exam, etc! www.ahima.org/~/media/AHIMA/Files/Certification/CCA_Content_Outline.ashx?la=en. Don’t worry, if you are concerned take the practice exam to see where you’re at and you’ll get a very good idea of what difficulty level the CCA is!

[@kamifreitas5517]

Hi Kate. When they say you need to score a 300 to pass, is that about a 70%? How many can you get wrong out of 100 to pass?

[@tammyhayden3520]

Hi Kate, Thank you for the informative video! Is it okay to have personal notes in the coding books? (examples: written definition next to an entry, "Agenesis: lack or failure of development" or "streptococcus pneumonia=pneumococcus") I only have a few notations, but would hate to have to purchase new books! ~T

[@codingwithkate3792]

Tammy Hayden yup! You can write all you want in your codebooks!

[@FlamingoKicker]

That's great to hear. I've tested for other things in the past (years ago and nothing to do with medical coding). What's the point of the palm scanning and why do you think they do it so many times? Seems a tad obsessive.

[@codingwithkate3792]

Phil Adams I really wanted to ask but I completely forgot while I was there! Honestly, I think it’s for internal use, it seems they needed to do the palm vein capture at every point of the process (arriving, entering the test room, and exiting) so I think its needed to complete the testing process to ensure it’s the same testing candidate at every point since you are able to leave the office space to use the bathroom, etc? I’m not really sure and I wish I would’ve asked!

[@FlamingoKicker]

So it's like taking your fingerprints (sort of) except in a dystopian weird world? But in this case it seems like ICD is alittle OCD (if you know what I mean) cause why scan you and then scan you again and then scan you again? You are standing right there in front of the tester, right? And could a person actually cut someone else's hands off and attach them to their own arms and heal so they could sneak in and take someone else's place? Seems like they really value their security techniques.

[@codingwithkate3792]

Phil Adams lol I have no idea but I’m assuming they’ve had issues in the past where people try to switch places with someone in the middle of the exam (when palm vein capture was not in use) because they allow you to leave the office to use the bathroom etc so it’s plausible someone could change spots with you especially if the Procter isn’t paying attention, etc. who knows!

[@gabz24etcetera]

Congrats!🎈🎉 I have 2 questions for you.Have they updated their web rules where the results are not shown until 12-24 weeks? And how many “theory questions?” Would you say are out of the 100

[@codingwithkate3792]

gabz24etcetera thank you!!! I’ve never heard of the results not being shown for 12-24 weeks, AHIMA has always given the results immediately after completing the exam. Are you talking about AAPC, 5th law results take a couple weeks. I’m not sure of the exact number of theory questions because they had some coding questions phrased more like theory and not actually picking/applying codes. But I’d say about 50/50 or 40/60 (applying codes/theory)!

[@gabz24etcetera]

Coding With Kate ok thx. Here’s the info I got from the site www.ahima.org/certification/CCA

[@gabz24etcetera]

Coding With Kate look under international exam

[@codingwithkate3792]

gabz24etcetera ah I don’t have any experience with the international exam! The website says results are ready 12-24 weeks after the exam so I’m assuming that hasn’t changed!

[@mariamoore5148]

I have tried to get a part time job where I can get coding experience but have been unsuccessful. I have a job at this time and I want to be employed with my present employer. The position came open on 2016 and at that time they rejected my application because I was not certified yet. So, I practice as much as I can to keep up. I take webinars for CEU s

[@codingwithkate3792]

Maria Moore put yourself out there and ask about volunteer opportunities and ask about getting hands-on training with other coders!!!

[@renapatel9699]

im taking my exam tomorrow at noon and I hadn't come across any information if the exam is multiple choice or we type the codes... also I have a few classmates who already took the exam and they all said they didn't have enough time for the exam so how did u have more then enough extra time ? I mean like how did you go through the questions so quickly ?

[@codingwithkate3792]

Rena Patel the CCA (and I believe the CCS) is entirely multiple choice. I flagged all questions I was unsure about and moved on to make sure I answered all questions no matter what, then when I finished all questions I went back and took time to go over all flagged questions. I’d also recommend looking at my Vito, technique, example video on taking the exam (I’ll link it in another comment) where I show you how I get through questions quickly and efficiently!

[@codingwithkate3792]

Rena Patel kzbin.info/www/bejne/p5aUm4Rol92efZY

[@renapatel9699]

ok thank you so much thats the technique I used mainly for my coding classes since our tests were timed so that helps another question I have for you is how do you just by looking at a question know which book to go to I always get myself confused?

[@renapatel9699]

also is it like you answer one question and go to the next one at a time or do you get them in like pdf form where you can skip and come back or is it how you said you flag and go back

[@codingwithkate3792]

Rena Patel the three types of codes are easy to discern once you familiarize yourself: diagnosis coding always starts with a letter and will have decimal points included and a mic of numbers and letters but keep in mind some codes may be 3 characters long or up to 7 characters (ICD-10-CM codebook), inpatient procedure coding will be predominantly starting with a number and have both letters and numbers mixed in and will ALWAYS be 7 characters long (ICD-10-PCS codebook), outpatient/physician coding will predominantly be all numbers and they will ALWAYS be 5 characters long but keep in mind HCPCS and CPT category 2&3 will start with a letter (CPT codebook). So in general: diagnosis is 3-5 characters and starts with a letter, inpatient procedure (PCS) is 7 characters long with a mix of numbers and letters, and outpatient/physician (CPT) is 5 characters and numbers!

[@auroraperez3559]

Hi, Kate Congrats on passing your exam.i just have two questions-1. Do they allow plastic tabs ? 2.Was there a large percentage of questions on reimbursement methodologies, I hope you can answer without violating any rules.

[@codingwithkate3792]

aurora perez I actually forgot to ask about tabs, I suggest contacting ahima/Pearson Vue about the specifics on tabs (if the ones provided from your book are okay or not). There weren’t too many, look at the percentages of each domain and that will be the number of questions (since there’s only 100 questions) but some were hard to distinguish between reimbursement and compliance.

[@priyankamody9768]

Thanks for the reply

[@kozmicbluescali1]

Hi Kate. Thank you for all the information you put out there. Do they ask anatomy and physiology questions in the CCA exam? Medical Law? thanks again Rafael

[@jakermeister]

Congratulations! Can you tell us whether it was multiple choice or not?

[@codingwithkate3792]

Jakermeister2005 oh I completely forgot about that! It’s all multiple choice and I suggest using process of elimination: read the question and then go directly to the code for option A and see if it matches, move on to B and check, and repeat that process until you’ve found your answer. It’s a much quicker way to find the answer and if you are still unsure or there’s multiple codes per option then pick an answer, flag it, and move on (and then check it at the end).

[@jakermeister]

Coding With Kate thanks for the info and advice! I'll be taking my CCA exam around June or July. It's been great watching you progress! I look forward to the future content.

[@codingwithkate3792]

Jakermeister2005 good luck and keep me posted on how your exam went!!!!

[@nathantaylor2956]

Kate thanks for sharing all this info! Were there any questions on there asking the DRG's or APC codes? Some practice tests I have taken have had these on them.

[@briannapotter537]

How did you prepare for the exam?

[@kseniajayne9358]

Any tips I am taking my CCA exam February 16th!

[@sharnabling]

Ksenia Jayne how did it go?

[@harvardvillegas4470]

How did it take you to study everything?

[@purpleice7277]

Is CCA the same as CPC?

[@janiebabin9693]

How many questions was it?

[@codingwithkate3792]

janie touchet 100 questions

[@chilixification]

Yeah, but what kind of questions you got???

[@codingwithkate3792]

chilixification I can’t give you verbatim questions from the exam!

[@priyankamody9768]

What is the difference between CPC and CCA exam..?

[@codingwithkate3792]

Priyanka Mody the only difference is the CCA covers ICD-10PCS coding and the CPC does not, I’ve also been told the CPC is very CPT heavy and they have a set amount of questions for each series of codes within the CPT codebook.

[@marielgozon8757]

100 questions for 1 hour, that seems like a good strat then go back for another hour....hmmm Congrats!!!