What types of questions are on the CCDS examination?

The examination is an objective, multiple-choice test consisting of 140 questions. The examination questions are designed to test the candidate's multidisciplinary knowledge of clinical, coding, and healthcare regulations, as well as the roles and responsibilities of a clinical documentation specialist. The questions are updated on a continuous basis to keep them relevant to current realities in healthcare. Choices of answers to the examination questions will be identified as A, B, C, or D.

Each question on the examination is categorized by a cognitive level that a candidate would likely use to respond. These categories are:

• Recall questions test the candidate's knowledge of specific facts and concepts relevant to the day-to-day work of clinical documentation professionals.
• Application questions require the candidate to interpret or apply information, guidelines, or rules to a particular situation.
• Analysis questions test the candidate's ability to evaluate and integrate a range of information in problem solving to address a particular challenge.

The current examination is designed so that approximately 40% of the questions will be of the recall type, 40% of the application type, and 20% of the analysis type.

Interested in learning more about the certification process? Watch this free webinar with two of ACDIS' expert CDI education specialists on the topic!