UUS Practice Tests⌕ Search
Allied Health Certification · CBCS

NHA Certified Billing and Coding Specialist Certification Examination Practice Test

The NHA Certified Billing and Coding Specialist Certification Examination practice page focuses on the administrative and coding work involved in preparing, correcting, and following up on healthcare claims. Practice-bank questions address patient billing requests, payment posting, privacy during account discussions, provider identification, referral checks, duplicate-claim review, and missing claim information.

Exam overview

Exam providerNational Healthcareer Association
Exam codeCBCS
CategoryAllied Health Certification

About the NHA Certified Billing and Coding Specialist Certification Examination Exam

Billing specialists turn encounter and account information into claims that payers can process. This work calls for checking patient and provider details, confirming that referrals or other plan-related information are current, and identifying missing or inconsistent fields before submission. Coding knowledge supports accurate communication of services and diagnoses, while attention to claim edits helps distinguish a correctable data-entry problem from a potential duplicate or other issue requiring review. Specialists also post patient payments so balances remain accurate, handle requests for statements or account records with appropriate identity and privacy safeguards, and respond to payer questions using relevant records. These tasks connect revenue-cycle accuracy with confidentiality and clear documentation; an error in one field can delay processing or lead to rework.

Sample Practice Questions

Review a selection from this exam's published US Practice Tests practice bank.

Question 1

A patient asks the billing office to send an itemized statement to their home address. Before mailing it, what is the most appropriate step?

  1. AVerify the patient’s identity and confirm the address on file
  2. BSend the statement to the most recent address found in an online directory
  3. CInclude the statements of other family members on the same mailing
  4. DAsk the patient to provide a complete medical history first
Show answerCorrect answer: A

Verifying identity and the intended mailing address helps protect confidential billing information and reduces the risk of misdirected disclosures. The office should follow its established privacy and account-verification procedures.

Question 2

A patient requests a copy of their billing statement. Which practice is most appropriate before releasing it?

  1. AVerify the requester’s identity using the organization’s established procedures
  2. BSend it to any email address the requester provides without confirmation
  3. CAsk another patient in the waiting room to confirm the requester’s identity
  4. DRefuse all requests for billing statements
Show answerCorrect answer: A

Verifying identity through established procedures helps protect sensitive patient information while allowing appropriate access to billing records.

Question 3

A billing office receives a paper check from a patient. What should staff generally do to ensure the payment is applied correctly?

  1. APost it to the oldest open account without checking the remittance details
  2. BMatch the payment to the patient account and applicable invoice or service information before posting
  3. CHold it indefinitely until the patient calls
  4. DApply it to the account with the largest balance in the practice
Show answerCorrect answer: B

Matching a payment to the correct account and supporting details helps prevent misapplied payments and inaccurate account balances.

Question 4

Which practice best supports the confidentiality of patient billing information when discussing an account by telephone?

  1. AProvide account details to anyone who knows the patient’s date of birth
  2. BVerify the caller’s identity and authority before disclosing protected details
  3. CLeave detailed account information in a voicemail for any caller
  4. DDiscuss the account where other patients can hear
Show answerCorrect answer: B

Verifying identity and authority helps prevent unauthorized disclosures. Billing staff should limit disclosures to what is permitted and use reasonable safeguards when communicating protected information.

Question 5

A claim is awaiting review, and the payer asks the billing office to confirm the rendering provider’s credentials. Which record is most directly useful?

  1. AThe provider’s credentialing and enrollment information on file
  2. BThe patient’s appointment reminder
  3. CThe office’s monthly supply order
  4. DA list of the patient’s previous addresses
Show answerCorrect answer: A

Credentialing and enrollment records document provider information relevant to payer participation and claim review. The office should verify that these records are current and consistent with the claim.

Question 6

A payer requests a corrected claim after the billing office identifies a data-entry error on the original claim. Which action is generally appropriate?

  1. ASubmit the corrected claim using the payer’s required correction indicator or resubmission process
  2. BSend the patient a statement for the full billed charge immediately
  3. CSubmit the same claim again without indicating it is corrected
  4. DDelete the original claim from all records
Show answerCorrect answer: A

When correcting a previously submitted claim, follow the payer’s process for identifying a replacement or corrected claim. This helps the payer distinguish the updated submission from a duplicate.

Question 7

A claim is being prepared for a patient who received care from a physician in a group practice. Which identifier is commonly used to identify the individual clinician who rendered the service on a professional claim?

  1. AThe clinician’s National Provider Identifier
  2. BThe patient’s medical record number
  3. CThe facility’s tax identification number alone
  4. DThe insurer’s group number
Show answerCorrect answer: A

The National Provider Identifier is commonly used to identify health care providers in standard transactions. The patient’s record number and insurance group number serve different purposes, while a tax identification number identifies a tax entity rather than the individual clinician.

How to use this practice test

Work through up to 20 randomly selected questions from the available 50-question practice bank in each free session. After submitting, review the results to identify which billing, claim-preparation, privacy, and account-handling scenarios need further attention.

Preparation tips

  • Practice tracing a claim from encounter details through provider identification and required claim fields; flag missing information before submission.
  • Compare scenarios involving corrected claims and possible duplicate submissions, and identify what should be verified before further billing action.
  • Review how referral validity and payer requests for provider credentials affect claim follow-up, including which records can support a response.
  • For billing-statement and telephone scenarios, identify the appropriate identity, authorization, and confidentiality checks before disclosing account information.
  • Work through payment-posting examples by matching each paper check to the correct patient account and documenting the allocation.
Official sourceOfficial exam page ↗Official exam guide ↗