AAPC certification
How to Become a Certified Professional Coder (CPC) in 2026
To become a Certified Professional Coder (CPC) you pass the CPC exam set by AAPC. The most widely requested coding credential in physician practices and outpatient settings.
On cost, exam vouchers start at $425, and AAPC's own prep course starts at $3,099.
There is no licence and no state board in medical coding, so the credential is the qualification. What follows is what the CPC covers, what it costs in total, who can sit it, what keeps it current, and when it is the right one to choose over COC or CIC.
Exam
exam vouchers start at $425
Awarded by
AAPC
Renewal
active AAPC membership plus 36 continuing education units every two years
What is the CPC certification?
The CPC, or Certified Professional Coder, is a certification awarded by AAPC that validates comprehensive knowledge of medical coding across outpatient and physician services, applying ICD-10-CM, CPT and HCPCS Level II codes. In practice it is the default first credential for physician-practice and outpatient work, and the foundation the other AAPC credentials build on.
AAPC points the CPC at three groups in particular:
- People launching a medical coding career who want the most recognised credential first
- Experienced but uncertified coders validating what they already do
- Administrative or clinical support staff moving into coding
What does the CPC exam cover?
The CPC exam covers 5 areas, as AAPC describes them:
- ICD-10-CM diagnosis coding across all body systems
- CPT and HCPCS Level II codes for procedures, services and supplies
- Evaluation and management coding for new and established patient visits
- Linking diagnoses to procedures to establish medical necessity
- Modifier use, and Medicare, Medicaid and commercial payer guidelines
What that means in practice: the breadth is the point. The CPC is deliberately general, covering every body system and both diagnosis and procedure coding, which is why it transfers to almost any coding job and why the exam is long. It is also why it is a weaker signal than a specialist credential once you know which setting you want.
How much does the CPC exam cost?
The CPC exam costs exam vouchers start at $425, and AAPC's own prep course starts at $3,099. That is the exam alone. Current code books, any programme tuition and, for AAPC credentials, annual membership all sit on top of it.
The CPC is taken online at home with a live remote proctor, or at a testing centre.
Weigh it against tuition rather than in isolation. Our ranked programmes run from about $1,100 to $10,100 a year, and the ones that fold the exam voucher into that figure are quietly cheaper than they look. See the ranked programmes.
Who can sit the CPC exam?
Anyone meeting AAPC's stated conditions can sit the CPC. AAPC sets no formal prerequisite, but expects high-level knowledge of medical terminology, anatomy and pathophysiology, and sells prerequisite courses to candidates without it.
Read that as the floor rather than the target. AAPC sets what it will let you attempt; employers set what they will hire, and those are two different bars. A programme built specifically around the CPC is worth more than one that merely leaves you eligible for it, which is why our ranked programmes record the exam each one names.
How do you keep the CPC?
Keeping the CPC takes an active AAPC membership plus 36 continuing education units every two years. Continuing education is an annual commitment, not a one-off, and it is the reason some coders hold fewer credentials than they could.
What sets the CPC apart
- AAPC calls it the most respected medical coding certification in the industry, and it is the one most physician-practice job postings name
- Its prep course is the most expensive AAPC sells, more than twice the price of the CDEO course
- Passing without documented experience yields CPC-A, the apprentice designation, until experience or approved training removes the A
How does the CPC compare with other coding certifications?
The CPC compares most directly with COC and CIC, and the choice between them follows the employer rather than the credential. The CPC is the default first credential for physician-practice and outpatient work, and the foundation the other AAPC credentials build on.
| Credential | Body | Where it fits |
|---|---|---|
| COC | AAPC | the facility-side counterpart to the CPC, for people whose employer is a hospital outpatient department rather than a practice |
| CIC | AAPC | AAPC's answer to the inpatient hospital market, where AHIMA's CCS has the longer history |
| CRC | AAPC | the specialism to take after a core credential, and the one most tied to how Medicare Advantage actually pays |
| CCA | AHIMA | AHIMA's entry credential, and the usual first exam for a graduate of a PCAP-approved certificate |
| CCS | AHIMA | the inpatient hospital standard, and the credential most worth working toward if acute care is the goal |
What jobs and pay does the CPC lead to?
The CPC leads to medical coder, medical billing and coding specialist roles. Those roles sit under Medical Records Specialists in federal wage data (SOC 29-2072), at a median of $51,140 , with the bottom tenth at $37,000 and the top tenth at $81,150, per the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics for May 2025. No credential guarantees a wage, and the tenth percentile is closer to what a first job pays than the median is.
Medical Coder
Translates diagnoses, procedures and services into ICD-10-CM, CPT and HCPCS codes for reimbursement and reporting.
Medical Billing and Coding Specialist
Does both jobs, the norm in small practices, where one person codes the encounter and then chases the claim.
Common questions about the CPC
How much does the CPC exam cost?
Who is eligible to sit the CPC exam?
How do you keep the CPC once you have it?
Is the CPC worth it?
Sources
- AAPC's own CPC certification page, read 2026-08-18. Every fee, coverage and renewal detail on this page comes from it.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Median and percentile pay for SOC 29-2072.
- Which programmes prepare you for the CPC: our ranked list and what accreditation actually means.
We re-read these pages periodically, but AAPC can change a fee or a CEU count at any time. Check before paying.