5 Practical Tips for Passing Your Medical Coding Certification Exam
If you’re like the majority of Americans, you have plenty of fears. According to Inc., more than half of us fear not having enough money for the future and 25 percent of us are afraid of sharks. For medical coding students, certification exam day can cause a tremendous amount of anxiety. But it doesn’t have to be that way.
By being a little practical, you can set yourself up for success and turn your fears into freedom.
Fear Is a Good Thing
Just because you’re afraid of failing your exam doesn’t mean it’s a bad thing. In fact, it can be a very good thing as it shows you care about it. Here’s what author Seth Godin once had to say about fear:
“Being aware of your fear is smart. Overcoming it is the mark of a successful person.”
When it comes to your medical coding certification exam, what are you afraid of? Is it simply failing, or is it something different? Figure out what you need to do to overcome it and you’re sure to experience success.
Practical Tips
To get you started, here are some practical tips from our founder and lead instructor, Mrs. Delissa Ortega. These are tips that may seem obvious, but you need to write down or commit to memory so you won’t forget about them on exam day:
- Drive to the exam site the day before. Lots of times exams are held at colleges and hospitals and finding the actual exam site can be quite time-consuming. By scoping it out a day before, you’ll save yourself time and anxiety.
- Eat dinner for breakfast. Also, drink little water during the test. Staying full and hydrated will keep your focus on the task before you.
- Go to sleep early. Stop the Netflix show! Set an alarm reminder to go to bed if you have to, as lack of sleep can be one of the primary distractors on exam day.
- Take off the day before the exam. You can use it for extra study time or to simply decompress and eliminate stress before the exam.
- Bring a watch. It can’t have the Internet on it, but if you have a watch, it will help you keep track of time and pace yourself during the exam.
