Becoming a Certified Professional Coder: Your Guide to CPC Certification (CPC-A)

Key Insights:

• Certified Professional Coders (CPCs) are medical coders who’ve passed AAPC’s CPC certification exam and have at least 2 years of experience. Those having less than 2 years of experience earn the CPC-A certification, which stands for apprenticeship.
• Reasons to pursue a CPC certification include those related to the job search (i.e., wanting to show employers you have the skills they need, or to stand out as a competitor), as well as enhancing your career by providing access to networking and training opportunities.
• If you’re interested in the CPC career path, completing a medical billing and coding program like the ones offered at UMA can help prepare you for this role.

Many positions within the healthcare field involve direct patient care. However, if you’d rather pursue a more behind-the-scenes position, one option is medical coding. Specifically, you can become a Certified Professional Coder or CPC.

Ultimate Medical Academy’s online Medical Billing and Coding programs include preparation to sit for the CPC exam.¹ But if you’re unsure whether this is the right career path with you, let’s talk about what it means to be a CPC, reasons you may want to pursue CPC certification, the job outlook for this career path, and more.

What Is a CPC (Certified Professional Coder)?

A CPC is a medical coder who has passed the AAPC’s certification exam. But what is a medical coder? This healthcare professional is tasked with translating patients’ medical records into codes so services and tests can be billed to insurance providers.

Earning the title of CPC tells prospective employers you have met a minimum level of proficiency with medical codes commonly used in the healthcare field. This includes:

• CPT (Current Procedural Terminology) codes
• ICD (International Classification of Diseases) codes
• HCPCS (Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System) codes

What’s the difference between CPC certification and CPC-A certification?

The CPC credential tells employers you have at least two years of experience. If you complete the CPC exam prior to having this experience, the AAPC grants the CPC-A designation, with the “A” standing for apprenticeship.²

The CPC-A credential allows you to work as a certified coder while fulfilling the requirements needed to become a full CPC. This involves either obtaining two years’ experience (which is verified via the submission of two letters of recommendation) or by obtaining one year of experience and showing proof that you completed a minimum of 80 contact hours in a medical coding course.²

What’s the job outlook for medical coders?

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that jobs in the medical secretary and administrative assistant field, which is where medical coders fall, are projected to grow 5% from 2023 to 2033.³ This translates into roughly 41,300 openings during this 10-year timeframe.

The BLS indicates that the projected growth of these jobs is largely due to the healthcare industry’s growth overall. Additionally, one factor driving this growth is that as baby boomers get older, their medical needs increase. This creates a need for more healthcare professionals to handle billing and insurance claims processing tasks.

How much do certified professional coders make?

This isn’t an easy question to answer because CPC pay can vary based on a variety of factors. Your level of education, experience, and geographic location all play a role, along with several others. That said, AAPC’s 2025 Medical Coding and Billing Salary Report shares that certified medical records specialists earn 8.5% more than their noncertified colleagues, on average.⁴

To learn what a Certified Professional Coder earns in your area, look at local job posts to see what they pay. You can also utilize online sources that provide wage information for this type of role, such as the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

8 Reasons to Pursue Certified Professional Coder Certification

Why take the additional steps as a medical coder and pursue your certification? Here are six reasons you might want to earn your CPC or CPC-A:

1. Industry recognition. AAPC calls the CPC certification the “gold standard” for medical coding professionals in doctor’s office settings.
2. Differentiation. Getting your CPC certification may help you differentiate yourself from job applicants who lack this credential.
3. Resume enhancement. Some employers use applicant tracking system (ATS) software to find qualified candidates, inputting keywords to look for on applicants’ resumes. Indicating CPC certification on your resume may satisfy this keyword requirement, potentially taking you to the next step in the hiring process.
4. Job qualification. Some employers require CPC certification. Earning this credential can help you meet these requirements.
5. Skillset building. Continuing education credits are required to maintain your CPC certification, helping you keep your skillset up to date.
6. Income potential. Earning a medical coding certification may potentially lead to greater earning potential, depending on the employer type, location, and other wage-influencing factors.⁴

How to Become a Certified Professional Coder

Becoming a Certified Professional Coder requires that, after completing your medical coding education, you take and pass the CPC certification exam administered by AAPC.⁶

CPC exam basics

The CPC exam consists of 100 multiple-choice questions. You can either take it online, from home, or at a designated testing center. You have four hours to complete the test, and you need a 70% or higher to pass.

You are allowed to use three medical code books (published either in the current year or one year prior) when taking the test:

• AMA’s CPT Professional Edition
• ICD-10-CM
• HCPCS Level II

You can earmark pages in these books to find the information more quickly, but you cannot write on the book pages to add to the information provided. If you take the exam at home, you must position an external webcam to show your face, hands, and keyboard, as well as showing roughly 10 inches around the keyboard.

What does the CPC certification exam cover?

The CPC exam tests your knowledge in 17 areas related to medical coding:

Knowledge Area	# of Questions	Knowledge Area	# of Questions
Medical terminology	4	CPT 10000 series codes	6
Anatomy	4	CPT 20000 series codes	6
Compliance and regulatory	3	CPT 30000 series codes	6
Coding guidelines	7	CPT 40000 series codes	6
ICD-10-CM	5	CPT 50000 series codes	6
HCPCS Level II	3	CPT 60000 series codes	6
Medicine	6	Radiology codes	6
E/M	6	Pathology and laboratory codes	6
Anesthesia	4	Cases	10

Earn a score of 70% or higher and you’ve passed the CPC exam, earning full CPC status if you have 2+ years of experience or the CPC-A apprenticeship status if you have not yet met the experience requirements.

Prepare to Become a CPC With Medical Coding Training

Several types of training can better prepare you for a career as a Certified Professional Coder. One is to obtain a diploma or degree in medical billing and coding. Ultimate Medical Academy (UMA) offers both — and both are available online.

At UMA, we offer two online Medical Billing and Coding program options:

• A Medical Billing and Coding Diploma program which can be completed in 11 months or more⁷
• A Medical Billing and Coding Associate of Science Degree program, which can be completed in 18 months or more⁷

Both programs cover important topics such as diagnostic and procedural coding, billing and coding application, healthcare communication, medical terminology, medical records management, and more. Both also include preparation to sit for the CPC certification exam.¹

Contact us to learn more about these programs or to discuss which may be a good fit for you given your career goals. Our caring and compassionate team members are here to assist you in any way we can, so we look forward to your call!

FAQs

• How much does a certified medical coder make? Actual pay can vary based on your level of education, experience, certifications, geographical location, and a variety of other factors. Look at local job listings to learn more about CPC pay in your area. You can also obtain earnings information from other sources, like the BLS.
• How do you become a Certified Professional Coder? After you learn the information needed to work as a medical coder, you must take and pass the CPC certification exam. Provide proof of at least 2 years of experience before taking the test, and you earn the CPC designation once you pass it. If you have less than 2 years of experience, you are granted the CPC-A designation once you pass, which stands for apprenticeship. The “A” can be dropped by submitting proof of 2 years' experience once you’ve obtained it.²
• What does a medical coder do? A professional medical coder translates a patient’s medical records into the appropriate codes so services and tests can be billed to the insurance provider.
• Which medical coding certification is best? You can obtain various medical coding certifications through AAPC. The best coding certification depends, in part, on the type of facility you’d like to work in. AAPC reports that a CPC certification is designed for coders in medical offices, walk-in clinics, telehealth groups, and labs, whereas other coding certifications may be more appropriate for those who work in insurance companies, hospitals, surgical centers, or other settings.⁸
• Is CPC certification worth it? Only you can decide whether it is worth it to obtain your CPC certification. That said, if your goal is to show prospective employers that you have the skills and knowledge necessary to provide medical coding services, a CPC certification can help achieve this goal.