Look at the CCS certification guidelines located on the AHIMA and PRG Publishing website (see Resources for links). The certification guideline gets you started by providing instruction and examination deadlines. Guidelines also give an idea of how questions on the exam will be formatted.
Attend a review seminar. By attending a review seminar you can get a taste of what the actual exam will be like. A pre-examination seminar can be a refresher before the test. Review seminars are available online through the AHIMA website. Standard fees apply.
Obtain the appropriate code books. Write directly in the code books or attach notes permanently inside the code book. Do not use encoders--a device, sometimes a software program, used to interpret and record coding information. Encoder devices are not allowed during the actual exam.
Review hard copies of coding resources and online encoding systems. These may be some of the same systems and resources used during employment. Coding resources show how diseases and conditions are coded in a particular system. See the Center for Disease Control and Prevention link to access resources on these systems.
Time yourself for individual coding cases. It is beneficial to time yourself in a variety of code cases to see where there could be room for improvement. Each coding question should not take you more than 13 to 15 minutes to complete, according to study guidelines. If completing a question takes longer than this, work toward increasing your speed.
Stick to the principles. Review the principles related to coding before the exam. Do this a few times before the exam. During this process of the exam coding books are not allowed--as this part of the exam is usually the multiple choice portion.
Plan ahead. With taking any exam there will come a time when you face a question that cannot be answered easily. Plan how to handle these questions--come back to them later or spend extra time on that particular question.