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Certified Risk Adjustment Coder (CRC)®
The Certified Risk Adjustment Coder (CRC) is AAPC's risk adjustment coding certification; the exam validates proficiency in applying ICD-10-CM diagnosis codes to capture the complete health status of patients in value-based care models such as Medicare Advantage and ACA marketplace plans, including HCC and other risk adjustment models, documentation and compliance standards, and coding of chronic and complex conditions.
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Questions100 multiple-choice questions
Testing time4 hours, administered in one sitting
ScoringOverall score of 70% or higher required to pass (at least 70 of 100 questions correct)
Exam feeUSD 425 for one exam attempt, or USD 499 for two exam attempts
Prep options
Study resources for CRC
Independent prep
Courses and study resources
Exam overview
What to know before choosing your prep
- Who runs it
- AAPC
- Category
- Health Information & Coding
- Current version
- Current specification; no public version label
- Where it applies
- United States — national
- Exam languages
- English
- Score scale
- Percentage score
- Format
- Open-book, computer-based: taken online at home with a live remote proctor or on a computer at a testing center; one ICD-10-CM code book (current or preceding year, print or eBook, any publisher) is the only permitted reference and an online calculator is provided in the testing platform
- Availability
- Year-round by appointment; at-home proctored exams offer flexible 24/7 scheduling and testing centers have hundreds of locations worldwide
- Results
- Results posted online in the My AAPC account dashboard within 7-10 business days after taking the exam; certificate mailed after passing
- Remote testing
- Available
Exam structure
100 multiple-choice questions across 8 areas: Compliance (15 questions), Diagnosis coding (30), Documentation improvement (12), Pathophysiology/medical terminology/anatomy (5), Purpose and use of risk adjustment models (10), Quality of care (3), Risk adjustment models (15), and 10 medical-record coding cases at the end (1 question each)
Where rules vary
U.S.-focused healthcare reimbursement credential built on U.S. risk adjustment payment systems and compliance rules (HCC models, Medicare Advantage, ACA marketplace plans, CMS standards, RADV audits, HEDIS and STAR ratings); AAPC also serves international students and offers testing centers worldwide, but the credential itself is a U.S. coding credential.
Eligibility
No formal eligibility requirements to sit the exam; AAPC recommends completing its CRC Training Course and a high-level knowledge of medical terminology, anatomy, pathophysiology and the proper application of ICD-10-CM diagnosis codes used for risk adjustment coding
Retake policy
Retake priced via the two-attempt voucher option (USD 499 for two attempts vs USD 425 for one); unsuccessful candidates receive category sub-scores of 65% or less to guide retesting