ICD-10 Coding Certification 2026: Two Certifying Bodies, Not One — and AHIMA Publishes Its Exam Specs
ICD-10-CM is not a certification. It is one of the code sets tested by the credentials coders actually hold, and there are two major certifying bodies rather than the one most guides describe. AAPC awards the Certified Professional Coder. AHIMA awards a family of credentials including the Certified Coding Associate and the Certified Coding Specialist. The practical difference for someone choosing right now is transparency. AHIMA publishes its exam specifications openly — question counts, scored versus pretest items, time limits, passing scores, fees, and eligibility routes are all on its public credential pages, and they are reproduced below. AAPC does not expose the equivalent detail on pages that can be read without an account, so any CPC specification you find on a third-party site cannot be checked against the source. That asymmetry is worth knowing before you commit several hundred dollars, and it is the honest reason this page leads with AHIMA.
Two bodies certify medical coders. AHIMA’s entry-level Certified Coding Associate is 105 questions in two hours — 90 scored and 15 pretest — passing at 300, costing $199 for members and $299 for non-members, and requires only a high school diploma. Its Certified Coding Specialist is 107 questions in four hours — 97 scored and 10 pretest — also passing at 300, costing $299 for members and $399 for non-members, and requires coding experience or a prior credential. AAPC awards the CPC but does not publish comparable specifications on publicly readable pages.
Practice code-set and documentation decisions
Start the 20-question ICD-10 practice quiz for immediate explanations. Review CM versus PCS if you confuse diagnosis and inpatient procedure coding, or work through five diagnosis-coding examples to practice interpreting documentation.
Last updated on August 30, 2026
Practice code-set and documentation decisions
Start the 20-question ICD-10 practice quiz for immediate explanations. Review CM versus PCS if you confuse diagnosis and inpatient procedure coding, or work through five diagnosis-coding examples to practice interpreting documentation.
How we verified this page
AHIMA’s CCA and CCS specifications — question counts, scored and pretest splits, time limits, passing scores, fees, and eligibility routes — were verified against AHIMA’s own credential pages on August 30, 2026. AAPC’s CPC exam specification could not be verified: its certification pages render only behind a session check and the server-side HTML contains no question count, time limit, passing score, or open-book policy. Rather than repeat unverifiable figures, this page states what AAPC publishes and points readers to AAPC directly. ICD-10-CM update-cycle details were not included because the CDC and CMS pages that carry them were not retrievable during verification. Wage data comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook, May 2025 figures.
What the certifying bodies publish
| Fact | Current detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| What ICD-10-CM is here | A code set tested within coding credentials, alongside CPT and HCPCS Level II — not a standalone certification you can sit | AHIMA certification exams |
| AHIMA CCA — entry level | 105 questions in two hours: 90 scored items and 15 pretest items. Passing score 300. $199 for AHIMA members, $299 for non-members | AHIMA Certified Coding Associate |
| AHIMA CCA — eligibility | A high school diploma is required. AHIMA recommends but does not require six months of direct coding experience, an AHIMA-approved coding programme, or other training covering anatomy, physiology, medical terminology, and basic ICD and CPT coding | AHIMA Certified Coding Associate |
| AHIMA CCS — experienced level | 107 questions in four hours: 97 scored items and 10 pretest items. Passing score 300. $299 for AHIMA members, $399 for non-members, with retakes at the same cost | AHIMA Certified Coding Specialist |
| AHIMA CCS — eligibility routes | One of: coursework across anatomy and physiology, pathophysiology, pharmacology, medical terminology, reimbursement methodology, intermediate or advanced ICD coding and CPT/HCPCS, plus one year of direct coding experience; or two years of related coding experience; or the CCA credential plus one year of experience; or another organisation’s coding credential plus one year; or an existing CCS-P, RHIT, or RHIA credential | AHIMA Certified Coding Specialist |
| The wider AHIMA family | Beyond CCA and CCS, AHIMA offers CCS-P for physician-based coding, plus RHIT and RHIA for health information roles | AHIMA Certified Coding Specialist |
| AAPC CPC — what can be confirmed | AAPC awards the Certified Professional Coder, the most widely held coding credential. Its exam specification is not published on pages that render without an account, so question count, time limit, passing score, and code-book policy should be confirmed with AAPC directly rather than taken from a third-party summary | AAPC CPC certification |
| Pretest items on both AHIMA exams | CCA includes 15 unscored pretest items and CCS includes 10. They are not identified during the exam, so every question should be treated as scored | AHIMA Certified Coding Associate |
Medical coding salary benchmark
Coding credentials map most directly to the records role below. Note that BLS lists a postsecondary nondegree award as typical entry, not a degree.
| Role / benchmark | Pay | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Medical records specialists | $51,140 median annual wage | May 2025 figure; typical entry is a postsecondary nondegree award rather than a degree BLS Medical Records Specialists |
Related jobs for this exam path
Use the exam-specific jobs page to see the role families, live search links, and hiring context tied to this certification or study path.
Is there an ICD-10 certification?
No. ICD-10-CM is a code set tested inside coding credentials, not a certification of its own.
Searching for "ICD-10 certification" returns credentials that test ICD-10-CM alongside CPT and HCPCS Level II. The real decision is which body to certify with — AAPC, which awards the CPC, or AHIMA, which awards the CCA, CCS, and CCS-P. Nobody sits an exam in ICD-10-CM alone.
Should I take the CCA or the CCS?
CCA if you are starting out — it needs only a high school diploma. CCS if you already have coding experience or another credential.
The two exams are priced and shaped for different stages. CCA is 105 questions in two hours at $199 for members and $299 for non-members, and AHIMA requires only a high school diploma, treating coding experience or training as a recommendation rather than a gate.
CCS is 107 questions in four hours at $299 for members and $399 for non-members, and it is genuinely gated: you need coursework plus a year of direct coding experience, or two years of related experience, or an existing credential such as CCA, CCS-P, RHIT, or RHIA plus a year.
Both pass at 300. The practical read is that CCA is the on-ramp and CCS is the credential that assumes you have already been coding — and CCA itself is one of the routes that makes you eligible for CCS later.
Why does this page not list the CPC exam details?
Because AAPC does not publish them on pages that can be read without an account, and unverified figures are not worth repeating.
The CPC is the most widely held coding credential and belongs in any serious comparison, so it is named here. But its question count, time limit, passing score, and code-book policy could not be confirmed against AAPC’s own pages during verification — they render only behind a session check. Third-party sites publish specific numbers confidently; none of them can be checked against the source from outside an AAPC account. Get those figures from AAPC directly before you budget.
Do the pretest questions count?
No. CCA carries 15 unscored pretest items and CCS carries 10.
On CCA that means 90 of the 105 questions are scored; on CCS, 97 of 107. Pretest items are not identified while you are testing, so there is no strategy available beyond treating every question as if it counts.
How to use these guides
Free quiz
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Open →Best guide article
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Open →AI tutor
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Open →Jobs page
See the related role families, live search links, and hiring intent connected to this exam cluster.
Open →Complete article library
Every article below belongs to the ICD-10-CM/PCS Coding cluster. The grouping is by funnel stage so the page works both as a study hub and as a cleaner internal-link destination.
Consideration
Practical preparation for the code-set work both certifying bodies test, whichever credential you end up choosing.
Official resources
The entry-level credential, with its full published specification: 105 questions, two hours, passing score 300.
The experienced-level credential: 107 questions, four hours, and five distinct eligibility routes.
Go here directly for CPC specifications and pricing — they are not reliably reproduced elsewhere.
External resources and benchmarks
Neutral wage and employment data for the role coding credentials lead into.
Next move
Use the quiz, the guide, and the tutor as one study loop
These pillar pages are meant to reduce scattered browsing. Start with the quiz, move into the article that matches your weakness, then use the tutor to get targeted feedback until the mistake pattern changes.
Frequently asked questions
Is ICD-10 a certification?
No. ICD-10-CM is a code set tested within coding credentials alongside CPT and HCPCS Level II. The credentials themselves come from AAPC, which awards the Certified Professional Coder, or AHIMA, which awards the CCA, CCS, and CCS-P.
What does the AHIMA CCA exam involve?
105 questions in two hours, of which 90 are scored and 15 are pretest items. The passing score is 300, and the exam costs $199 for AHIMA members and $299 for non-members. Only a high school diploma is required.
What does the AHIMA CCS exam involve?
107 questions in four hours, of which 97 are scored and 10 are pretest items. The passing score is 300, and the exam costs $299 for AHIMA members and $399 for non-members. Retakes cost the same as the initial attempt.
Which coding certification should a beginner choose?
AHIMA’s CCA has the lowest barrier — a high school diploma, two hours, and $199 for members. CCS requires coding experience or an existing credential. AAPC’s CPC is the most widely held credential, but confirm its current requirements and pricing with AAPC directly.