AAPC Certified Professional Coder (CPC) guideThe CPC in 2027
CPC Exam Day in 2027: Your Books, ID and Setup Checklist
Prepare for a 2027 CPC appointment with a final-week checklist for code-year books, the 48-hour book-format deadline, matching photo ID, and home or testing-center setup.
Short answer
Before your 2027 CPC exam, verify your government-issued photo ID and appointment confirmation, approved code books, and testing setup; AAPC requires your print or eBook selection at least 48 hours before the exam. Its current policy updates U.S. exams each January 1, so check the resource year again if you prepared or booked during the previous year. These rules were checked November 3, 2026; confirm the current instructions before your 2027 appointment, and log in 15 minutes early if testing at home.
What should you recheck for a 2027 appointment?
For your 2027 CPC exam day, check your photo ID, confirmation, approved books and testing setup; AAPC requires you to finalize print or eBook selection at least 48 hours before testing. AAPC's Exam Agreement also updates U.S. exams each January 1, making a fresh book-year check essential if your preparation began the previous year.
The policies below were checked November 3, 2026. This is a preparation checklist for a future appointment, not an announcement of new 2027 security rules. Recheck AAPC's current exam-day instructions and your confirmation before relying on a requirement you read when you booked.
Use this illustrative schedule for a Saturday, April 17, 2027 appointment. It does not represent an available seat; replace the dates with your confirmed booking.
| Checkpoint | Action | What should be settled afterward? |
|---|---|---|
| Start of the final week, April 12 | Compare the confirmation, ID, book years and chosen format; rehearse your setup | A short list of any unresolved requirements |
| Before the 48-hour cutoff | Finalize the print/eBook choice in your AAPC account | The account selection matches what you will use |
| April 15, at the appointment's scheduled time | This is exactly 48 hours before the example exam | Treat it as the published book-choice boundary, not your planned starting time for changes |
| April 16 | Recheck instructions, prepare materials and review the home setup or center route | Everything needed for check-in is ready |
| April 17 | Follow the applicable check-in steps below | ID and resource checks can proceed |
Aim to resolve problems before the final week when possible. For earlier booking steps, use the 2027 CPC registration timeline.
Which books and book format must be settled before the deadline?
AAPC's exam-day pages allow current- or previous-year print books, one of each, and current-year eBooks supplied inside the testing platform. Applied to a U.S. appointment in 2027 under the policy checked November 3, 2026, that means 2027 or 2026 print books, with 2027 books recommended, or 2027 platform eBooks. Confirm the rule again before buying or selecting resources.
Your final audit is practical:
- CPT: check that the cover identifies the AMA CPT Professional Edition.
- ICD-10-CM and HCPCS Level II: any publisher is allowed; verify each book's year and title. ICD-10-PCS is not on the CPC list.
- Print resources: have one of each approved book and review the contents before inspection. AAPC permits notes concerning daily coding work, but prohibits copied practice or exam questions.
- eBooks: verify the account selection and use AAPC's available exam demo to prepare for the testing environment. Do not assume a personal digital reference is the platform resource.
The CPC code-book and code-year guide explains the wider resource rules. Here, the goal is to make the resources you actually use match your appointment and account choice.
Rehearse several lookups after switching from earlier study books to your selected exam resources. If the new material exposes a knowledge gap, full CPC prep planned for launch includes 540 flashcards for review; keep any study materials separate from the references permitted during testing.
What ID and confirmation should you prepare?
AAPC requires government-issued photo ID whose first and last names exactly match the exam confirmation. Its exam-day instructions do not accept temporary, copied, paper or digital IDs. Compare the actual ID with the confirmation early enough to contact AAPC about a mismatch.
For a testing-center appointment, print the email confirmation as AAPC instructs. For an at-home appointment, have the Notice to Schedule credentials available for the login process. Re-read the confirmed date, time, format and location rather than relying on a calendar entry made weeks earlier.
As a personal preparation step, put the ID and permitted print books together the evening before. For an eBook appointment, check your account selection again instead of packing study books as an assumed backup. Keep the confirmation's support instructions accessible before check-in so you know whom to contact if something is wrong.
How does the checklist differ at home and at a center?
The ID and book-choice checks apply to both formats. The main difference is who provides and prepares the testing equipment. These requirements come from AAPC's two exam-day pages, checked November 3, 2026.
| Check | At home | At a testing center |
|---|---|---|
| Computer | Powered laptop or desktop with the secure Guardian browser | Meazure Learning supplies the computer |
| Internet | Reliable connection; minimum 5 Mbps upload and download, with 10 Mbps preferred | Use the center's testing equipment |
| Camera | External camera showing face, hands, keyboard and surrounding desk; built-in camera alone is insufficient | Follow the center's check-in instructions |
| Technical preparation | AAPC says to pass Test It Out before scheduling; use the available demo | Confirm the address and instructions for your particular center |
| Testing area | No additional monitor, other people or pets; no scratch paper, whiteboard or writing utensils | No personal electronic devices or study guides in the exam |
| Water | A clear, unlabeled water container is permitted | Check your center's instructions rather than assuming the at-home allowance applies |
If you booked long before the exam, our recommendation is to check the home equipment again after any changes to the computer, camera or connection. Keep study sheets and other extra references out of the testing area. The approved-book list does not make every official coding PDF an allowed exam reference.
Use the online-versus-testing-center comparison if your chosen arrangement no longer fits. For rehearsal material, full CPC prep planned for launch includes a 100-question mock. Use AAPC's own technical checks to verify the testing setup.
What should you do on the morning of the exam?
For an at-home appointment, AAPC instructs candidates to log in 15 minutes before the scheduled time. Complete the required identity, photo, room and book checks, then follow the proctor's directions. Tell the proctor when you have finished.
At a center, follow the arrival and check-in instructions in your confirmation. Bring the matching ID, printed confirmation and approved print books if that is your selected format. Do not borrow the remote exam's 15-minute login instruction as a center arrival rule.
Your final preparation sequence can be simple:
- Read the confirmation once more and check the required materials.
- At home, power the computer and prepare the cleared room and external camera; at a center, leave time for your planned journey.
- Follow the proctor's instructions for inspecting your identity and resources.
- Raise any unresolved requirement with the proctor before proceeding.
Complete any content warm-up before check-in and clear it away. The 20 free CPC practice questions can support a short review, while the CPC section overview can remind you what you have prepared. Neither belongs among extra exam references.
What should you do if a requirement is not met?
Contact AAPC or the testing provider through your booking instructions as soon as you discover an ID, book-selection or equipment problem. Ask what correction is possible; do not assume the proctor can waive a requirement.
AAPC's current cancellation policy says failure to meet testing requirements can forfeit the voucher. Its Exam Agreement also treats changes less than 48 hours before testing as a no-show and forfeiture. These policies were checked November 3, 2026; recheck the terms for your appointment. The book-selection deadline is not a promise that last-minute rescheduling will be free or possible.
If your date changes, move the checklist with it and repeat the code-year audit if the new date crosses into a different exam year. Use the free CPC study plan for the revised preparation period. For further content practice, full CPC prep planned for launch has 1,100 questions across 18 sections.
Your next step is to compare your confirmation with your ID and selected resources today, then put the book-format deadline and the appropriate check-in time on your calendar.
Trust the source
Official sources
Exam policies can change. Use these primary sources for the most current details.