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Certified Billing and Coding Specialist (CBCS) Exam
The Certified Billing and Coding Specialist (CBCS) exam is an NCCA-accredited national certification exam owned and administered by the National Healthcareer Association (NHA) that validates foundational knowledge of the healthcare revenue cycle, insurance and payer requirements, coding, and reimbursement for entry-level medical billing and coding roles. The exam is delivered at schools/institutions, PSI testing centers, or via live remote proctoring; the certification renews every two years with 10 CE credits.
Official exam siteJump to prep options ↓
Questions100 scored items plus 25 pretest items (125 total)
Testing time3 hours
ScoringScaled passing score of 390 or higher required (applies to all NHA exams)
Exam feeUSD 134 exam application fee (paid per attempt)
Prep options
Study resources for CBCS
Independent prep
Courses and study resources
Exam overview
What to know before choosing your prep
- Who runs it
- NHA
- Category
- Health Information & Coding
- Current version
- CBCS test plan published 2021, based on the results of a job analysis completed in 2020; this is the test plan currently linked from NHA's official exam preparation page
- Where it applies
- United States — national
- Exam languages
- English
- Score scale
- 200–500 scaled score
- Testing provider
- PSI (test centers) plus live remote proctoring; also administered on-site at schools and employer/institution test locations
- Format
- Computer-based exam taken at your school/institution, a PSI testing center, or through live remote proctoring; multiple-choice items
- Availability
- Exam application submitted online anytime through the NHA account portal; exam taken by appointment at a school, PSI testing center, or via live remote proctoring
- Results
- For online exams, official certification results posted to the candidate's NHA account page within two days of scoring the test
- Remote testing
- Available
Exam structure
100 scored multiple-choice items across four domains: The Revenue Cycle and Regulatory Compliance (15 items), Insurance Eligibility and Other Payer Requirements (20), Coding and Coding Guidelines (32), and Billing and Reimbursement (33); plus 25 unscored pretest items.
Where rules vary
A uniform U.S. national certification exam; individual employers and payer/state requirements may recognize the credential differently, but the exam itself is identical nationwide.
Eligibility
Possess (or be scheduled to earn) a high school diploma or GED/equivalency, plus either completion of a medical billing and coding training or education program within the last 5 years, or 1 year of supervised work experience in a medical billing and coding field within the last 3 years (or 2 years within the last 5)
Retake policy
May reapply to retest 30 days after a first or second failed attempt (paying the exam fee for each attempt); after a third failed attempt, must wait 12 months before taking the exam again