CPC Exam Study Materials: What You Actually Need
The CPC exam requires current calendar-year, AAPC-approved editions of the CPT, ICD-10-CM, and HCPCS Level II manuals, since it’s open-book and those are the only references allowed at the testing station (AAPC: Certification/CPC, approved exam manuals, accessed 2026-07-18). Certain enhanced editions, sometimes marketed as “expert” or “plus” versions with added interpretive content, and any outside study guides, are explicitly not approved for use during the exam itself. Beyond the required code books, most candidates also invest in a study guide and practice exams, which aren’t required but meaningfully shorten prep time.
Getting this list wrong is an expensive mistake to make close to test day. Showing up with last year’s code books, or with an unapproved “expert” edition, means either scrambling for an approved copy at the last minute or losing access to reference material you were counting on.
(CPC Prep is not affiliated with or endorsed by AAPC. This article does not reproduce any CPT code content; it describes which materials are approved for exam-day use, not what’s inside them.)
What are you actually required to bring?
Current-year, approved editions of three code sets: CPT, ICD-10-CM, and HCPCS Level II. “Current-year” matters because each set updates annually, and AAPC requires the calendar year’s edition that matches your exam date, not last year’s book even if you’ve highlighted and tabbed it extensively. Approved manuals can typically be marked up with highlighters and tabs, since coding guidelines distinguish between what can and can’t be reported, and organizing that visually during your prep pays off on exam day.
| Material | Required? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Current-year CPT manual | Yes | Approved standard edition only |
| Current-year ICD-10-CM manual | Yes | Approved standard edition only |
| Current-year HCPCS Level II manual | Yes | Approved standard edition only |
| “Expert” / “Plus” code book editions | No, not allowed at exam | Extra interpretive content disqualifies them |
| Outside study guides | No, not allowed at exam | Study-only, never permitted in the testing room |
| Study guide (for prep, not exam day) | Optional | Mapped to exam content domains |
| Practice exams | Optional | Best for finding weak domains before test day |
Why aren’t “expert” editions of code books allowed?
Because they include additional interpretive guidance, cross-references, or simplified explanations beyond the base code set, which would give a candidate an advantage the exam isn’t designed to test. The point of the open-book format is testing whether you can apply the actual coding guidelines correctly, not whether you can look up a publisher’s simplified explanation of them. Standard approved editions keep every candidate working from the same base material.
Do you need to buy new code books every year you’re planning to test?
Yes, if your exam date falls in a year with an updated edition, which is every year, since all three code sets update annually. A candidate who buys books early and then delays their exam date past the calendar year-end update will need to buy the new edition before test day; the old one won’t be accepted at the testing station regardless of how much work you’ve put into marking it up.
Are practice exams and study guides worth the extra cost?
For most candidates, yes, even though neither is required to sit for the exam. A study guide organized around the exam’s actual content weighting saves time versus building your own study plan from scratch, and practice exams are the only realistic way to find weak domains before you’re paying for a real attempt. See CPC exam study guide for what a good one covers, and try the free CPC practice exam before spending on a paid version.
How should you organize your materials once you have them?
Tab and color-code your approved manuals by section before you start timed practice, not after. Coding guidelines distinguish between what can and cannot be reported in a given scenario, and a well-organized set of highlighters, one color for inclusions, another for exclusions, cuts real seconds off every question during timed practice and on exam day itself. Building that system during untimed study, rather than discovering you need it mid-exam, is worth the extra prep-time investment.
Pair your organized code books with the CPC exam prep study-plan structure, and don’t skip foundational medical terminology and anatomy study before diving into the specialty sections your code books cover.
FAQ
What code books do I need for the CPC exam? Current calendar-year, AAPC-approved editions of the CPT, ICD-10-CM, and HCPCS Level II manuals.
Can I use last year’s code books if I already own them? No. The exam requires the current calendar year’s approved editions, since all three code sets update annually.
Are “expert” or “plus” code book editions allowed during the exam? No. Only standard approved editions are allowed; enhanced editions with added interpretive content are excluded.
Do I need a separate study guide, or are code books enough? Code books are reference material, not instructional material. A study guide organized around the exam’s content areas helps you learn to apply the books efficiently, which most candidates find worth the extra cost.
Can I highlight and tab my code books before the exam? Yes, approved manuals can generally be marked up with highlighters and tabs, which is a common and effective way to speed up navigation during the timed exam.
Bottom line: the only truly required materials for the CPC exam are current-year approved CPT, ICD-10-CM, and HCPCS Level II manuals, and the study guides and practice exams that go beyond that are optional but genuinely worth the cost for most candidates.