CRC (Other exams)

AAPC states you can schedule the exam to take it online at home with a live remote proctor or at a testing center, and that you purchase an exam voucher to view available dates and times. Pricing starts at $425. Exam prep training is a separate product, starting at $1,495, so budget for both if you need a course.

The AAPC pages available here do not publish a question count, time limit, or passing score for the CRC exam. Those logistics are set out in the official candidate handbook. Confirm current figures there (or with AAPC customer service) before you plan your sitting, rather than relying on secondhand numbers.

AAPC lists the expectation as a high-level knowledge of medical terminology, anatomy, and pathophysiology, plus an understanding of the proper application of ICD-10-CM diagnosis codes used in risk adjustment coding. If your ICD-10-CM foundation is weak, build that first; nearly every content area on the exam depends on it.

The source material available here does not state a retake policy, retake fee, or waiting period. AAPC's certification pages direct candidates to the official candidate handbook for exam administration details. Check that handbook or contact AAPC directly so you know the rules before your first attempt.

To maintain the credential you must keep your AAPC annual membership active and earn 36 continuing education units (CEUs) every two years. Plan your CEUs across the full cycle rather than scrambling at the deadline, and favor risk adjustment, ICD-10-CM, auditing, and compliance topics that reinforce what you practice daily.

They serve different jobs. The CPC is AAPC's core physician-office coding credential; the CRC is a specialty credential focused on risk adjustment and HCC coding in value-based care. AAPC lists certified coders expanding into risk adjustment as a CRC audience, so many coders add CRC after CPC rather than choosing between them.

Start with risk adjustment fundamentals and payment methodology, then HCC hierarchy and model logic, then ICD-10-CM code assignment for chronic conditions. Add documentation review and MEAT-style capture next, and finish with compliance/RADV concepts and auditing. Doing hierarchy logic before coding drills prevents the common mistake of coding conditions that cannot affect the score.

Recurring weak spots are hierarchy (assuming every documented condition raises the risk score), documentation that lacks specificity or linkage, and confusing querying rules with coding rules. Another is memorizing code lists instead of learning to read the record. Practice abstracting real notes and justifying each captured condition from documentation, not from memory.

The source material available here does not specify which references are permitted at the CRC exam. AAPC's candidate handbook is the authoritative place for exam-day rules on code books, notes, and prohibited materials. Verify the current policy before your sitting so nothing you bring is disallowed at check-in.