AAPC Evaluation and Management (CEMC) Examination Practice Test
Evaluation and management coding turns encounter documentation into a service level that reflects the care provided. The available practice material samples decisions involving patient status, care setting, medical decision making, prescription management, critical care, and telehealth. It also addresses how clinicians document symptoms, diagnoses, treatment plans, and work performed during an encounter.
Exam overview
About the AAPC Evaluation and Management (CEMC) Examination Exam
E/M work requires matching the encounter setting and patient circumstances to an appropriate service family, then assessing the documented elements that support code selection. Medical decision making involves the problems evaluated, information reviewed or analyzed, and management risk; documentation of a worsening chronic condition, differential diagnosis, or prescription management can affect that assessment. Other relevant decisions include distinguishing new from established patients, selecting home or observation services, evaluating whether critical care criteria are met, and considering how same-day services or real-time audio-video delivery affect reporting. These tasks support accurate professional claims and clear records of clinical work. The practice bank's questions use short scenarios to test how those documentation details influence E/M coding decisions.
Sample Practice Questions
Review a selection from this exam's published US Practice Tests practice bank.
A patient returns to the same physician in the same specialty and group for evaluation of a condition previously treated by that physician. For office/outpatient E/M purposes, how is the patient generally classified?
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Correct answer: BThe new-versus-established distinction generally depends on whether the patient has received professional services from the physician, or another physician of the same specialty in the same group, within the past three years. It does not depend on the diagnosis or a one-year interval.
A clinician is selecting an E/M code for a service furnished in a patient's home. Which consideration is most relevant to choosing the applicable E/M code family?
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Correct answer: BE/M code families are organized in part by setting. The clinician should identify the actual service setting and applicable code family before selecting a level; unrelated characteristics of the home do not determine the family.
A clinician considers two possible diagnoses for a patient’s new symptom and documents the differential diagnosis and the clinical reasoning used to narrow it. How may this work contribute to the problems-addressed MDM element?
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Correct answer: AA problem whose diagnosis is uncertain may be considered in the problems-addressed element when the documentation supports the applicable descriptor, such as an undiagnosed problem with uncertain prognosis. A differential diagnosis alone does not automatically determine the overall MDM level.
A clinician reviews a medication list during an encounter and discovers that the patient is taking a different dose than the one previously prescribed. The clinician reconciles the list and updates the plan. What is the main purpose of medication reconciliation documentation?
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Correct answer: AMedication reconciliation helps maintain an accurate medication record and communicate discrepancies, changes, and clinically relevant decisions. It does not by itself determine the E/M level.
A patient is evaluated by a clinician in an observation unit after being placed in observation status. Which E/M service family is generally used for the clinician’s services in that setting?
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Correct answer: BObservation care is addressed within the hospital inpatient or observation care E/M service family. The specific code selection depends on the service and circumstances documented.
A clinician documents that a patient has a condition requiring immediate attention to prevent serious deterioration, and the clinician provides intensive management. Which factor is central to determining whether a critical care service may be appropriate?
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Correct answer: ACritical care reporting depends on the patient’s condition and the qualifying services furnished under applicable criteria. A location or a particular word in the note alone does not establish eligibility.
A patient receives a professional E/M service in an office and a separate professional service from another clinician during the same date. Which statement is generally accurate?
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Correct answer: BSeparate clinicians may report their own medically necessary, independently performed services when documentation and applicable coding and payer rules support them. A shared date or diagnosis alone does not automatically bundle all professional services into one claim.
How to use this practice test
The free practice session draws up to 20 random questions from the available 50-question bank. Answer each scenario by identifying the setting, relevant documentation, or MDM factor, then review the results shown after the session to locate decisions that need further study.
Preparation tips
- For each scenario, identify the care setting first—such as office, home, or observation—before considering the applicable E/M service family.
- Separate the MDM elements: list the problems addressed, data reviewed or analyzed, and management risk supported by the documentation.
- Compare stable chronic disease management with a documented exacerbation, and note how medication decisions affect the risk assessment.
- Practice distinguishing established-patient status from a new visit by checking the clinician's specialty, group, and prior care relationship described in the scenario.
- For critical care and telehealth examples, focus on the documented intensity and circumstances of the service rather than relying on the setting or communication method alone.