Castleport Test Prep

AAPC Exam Retake Policy

The AAPC exam retake policy depends on what you bought. A 2-attempt voucher covers your first sitting plus one retake, subject to its validity and purchase terms.

AAPC retake options by situation and what to do next
Your situation Retake included? What to do next
Failed, and you bought a 2-attempt voucher Yes, one if unused and valid Wait for your result to release. Your second voucher then becomes available automatically. Schedule it through Meazure Learning for a testing date within the voucher's validity.
Failed, and you bought a 1-attempt voucher (or used both attempts) Not from that purchase Check for another existing entitlement. If none applies, buy a new exam voucher when you're ready. A new standard voucher comes with its own one-year window.
Your training package came with Unlimited Exam Attempts Yes, if you qualify; requested one at a time Use any included attempts first. Additional attempts require course completion and must be used within 12 months of finishing the course. The cited benefit is for qualifying U.S. students. Request the next attempt through AAPC.
Your retake is missing, expired, or about to expire Depends on your voucher Check Purchases in your AAPC account. Ask AAPC Support about the missing attempt or extension eligibility before you buy anything.
You missed the exam or it wouldn't start A no-show or unmet testing requirement can forfeit the attempt; technical incidents require review For a live technical problem, contact Meazure Learning immediately. For policy review, contact AAPC Support with documentation. A replacement is not automatic.

Scope: U.S. AAPC certification exams. International purchases and special promotions may have different terms.

Sources: Attempt options · Retake scheduling · Voucher deadlines · Unlimited-attempt terms · Missed or interrupted exams.

Four rules that catch people out:

  • Your included second voucher becomes available once your first failed result releases (AAPC). Results usually take 7–10 business days, and CIC may take 10–15 (AAPC Help Center).
  • The one-year clock on a standard voucher starts on your purchase date, not your exam date. Both attempts have to fit inside it (AAPC).
  • A retake in a new calendar year means the new year's exam. Check the code-set and reference rules for that exam date. Testing pauses from December 30 until the second Monday of January (AAPC).
  • Your membership must be active when results post. If it isn't, AAPC holds your results until you renew (AAPC Help Center).

By Castleport Test Prep Editorial Team · Last verified October 20, 2026

Find your retake deadline

Use your AAPC account and purchase terms to complete this check.

Six account checks to find your AAPC retake deadline
What to check What to record or do
Exam and purchase Record the exact credential, package, and included attempt count.
Remaining entitlement Confirm an unused, valid attempt or a separate qualifying benefit before paying again.
Result status Check whether your first failed result has actually been released. A processing estimate is not an unlock date.
Expiration Copy the expiration shown in your account, including any approved extension. If it is missing or conflicts with your purchase terms, ask AAPC to resolve it.
Unlimited Exam Attempts, if applicable Check your original terms and course-completion date against the separate 12-month window.
Appointment Choose an available appointment within the confirmed validity period, allowing for your exam's registration requirements and the year-end blackout.

The exam appointment itself must fall within the voucher's validity; booking before expiration is not enough (AAPC Help Center).

Not sure what you bought? Sign in to your AAPC account and open Purchases. If you bought two attempts, a second voucher appears after your first failed result releases.

Worked examples

These are hypothetical examples. Use your own account's expiration and the appointment actually offered.

Hypothetical AAPC retake worked examples
Situation What happens
Bought a 2-attempt CPC voucher March 15, 2026. Tested October 20, 2026, and failed. The account shows a March 15, 2027 expiration. The second voucher becomes available after the actual failed result releases. Choose an eligible appointment within the account's confirmed window. A retake in 2027 will be on the 2027 exam.
Bought a 2-attempt voucher November 20, 2025. Tested October 20, 2026. The account shows a November 20, 2026 expiration. Check your actual result status, remaining validity, and available appointments together. A failed attempt does not restart the one-year clock. If that's too tight, ask AAPC whether your voucher can be extended. Do that before you schedule.
Took the CIC December 10, 2026. CIC results can take 10–15 business days, so they may arrive after testing pauses on December 30. If the result or the next eligible appointment comes too late to test by December 29, the next testing period begins January 11, 2027, under AAPC's annual blackout rule. An appointment on that date is not guaranteed.
Bought a 1-attempt voucher and failed. Nothing more is included in that voucher. Check for another existing entitlement; if none applies, buy a new voucher when you're ready.

How soon can you retake an AAPC exam?

AAPC says your included second voucher "will automatically become available" after your first failed attempt's results release (AAPC). Your test date also depends on voucher validity, registration requirements, and available appointments.

What controls the timing:

  • Results usually take 7–10 business days. CIC can take 10–15 (AAPC Help Center). That's processing time, not a required waiting period, and it can vary by volume and time of year.
  • You can only book one attempt at a time. You can't reserve your retake before you've tested and received the unsuccessful result (AAPC).
  • CPC registration has a separate lead-time instruction. AAPC's CPC registration FAQ says to register three weeks before the exam date. Allow for that instruction when planning your retake; it is not a universal three-week waiting period after failing.
  • Open slots in Meazure Learning determine which eligible appointments you can choose.

You may have seen a "45-day" or "30-day" wait mentioned elsewhere. The cited retake scheduling instructions do not state either as an extra waiting period after a failed result.

How to schedule your AAPC retake

  1. Check your result. It posts in your AAPC account under MyAAPC > Exams. AAPC doesn't give results by phone (AAPC).

  2. Find your available voucher or retake option. Depending on your account, an included retake appears under your open exam vouchers, on your exam results page, or as a Schedule Retake option. If it isn't there yet, allow processing time before contacting support (AAPC Help Center).

  3. Confirm you're eligible to sit (AAPC).

  4. Redeem the voucher, then book in Meazure Learning. Redeeming doesn't book anything. You pick the date, time, and format (live remote proctor at home, or a testing center) in Meazure Learning, using the login from your Notice to Schedule email.

  5. Pick a date inside your voucher window and save the confirmation. Check the time zone and testing format before you close it. For a U.S. testing center, print the Meazure Learning admission ticket.

  6. Leave yourself room to change it. Changes are unavailable less than 48 hours before the exam. AAPC's main-site published cancellation rules are:

AAPC appointment change rules by format and timing
Format 10+ days before 48 hours to 9 days before Under 48 hours
Testing center Free $25, paid to Meazure Learning No changes allowed; a no-show forfeits the attempt
Live remote proctor Free Free No changes allowed; a no-show forfeits the attempt

Sources: AAPC's testing center and live remote cancellation policies.

AAPC's International Exams help page uses a different window. Confirm the precise deadline and fee shown for your own appointment before making a change, especially near a cutoff.

Is the retake the same test? AAPC's Unlimited Exam Attempts guidance says retakes may contain different questions. Study the skills, not the items you remember.

If your second attempt is missing

Run through these before you buy anything:

  • Has your first result actually been released?
  • Does your purchase include a second attempt?
  • Is the voucher still within its validity?

Look under both Purchases and your exam results. If it still doesn't show, contact AAPC Support or call 1-800-626-2633. Have ready:

  • The exam name
  • Your order or voucher details
  • Your result status
  • Any error message

The year-end trap: retaking across January

This is the rule most likely to change your plans this time of year.

  • AAPC describes January exam updates, with code-set-specific exceptions. Its 2026 HCPCS Level II exam update took effect March 2 (AAPC).

  • If your second attempt falls in the next calendar year, you take that year's exam. You can't choose the previous year's version (AAPC).

  • Testing pauses every year. No exams run from December 30 until the second Monday of January (AAPC). By that rule, the 2026–27 break runs December 30, 2026 through January 10, 2027, with exams resuming Monday, January 11, 2027. Check actual openings in Meazure Learning before you count on a date. AAPC doesn't say the pause extends your voucher.

  • Books:

    • December retake: next year's books (for example, 2027 manuals in December 2026) are not allowed.
    • January retake: last year's print books are allowed, but older editions are not. AAPC strongly recommends current-year books.
    • Check the allowed reference materials for your exam. If you use platform eBooks, AAPC's instructions say they are current-year editions.

The practical decision. If you can still take an eligible retake by December 29, weigh that preparation time against a January retake on the 2027 exam. Check your voucher expiration, registration lead time, and allowed references before you choose.

What an AAPC retake costs

If you have an unused, valid second attempt on a 2-attempt voucher, the retake is already paid for. If not, check for another existing entitlement before buying a new exam voucher. Do not assume you can upgrade a used 1-attempt purchase by paying the original package-price difference; ask AAPC whether any account-specific option applies.

AAPC's own pages currently list different prices for a single attempt:

AAPC exam prices published by the main cost FAQ and Help Center
Exam group Main AAPC cost FAQ: 1 / 2 attempts AAPC Help Center, August 24, 2026: 1 / 2 attempts
Core exams (CPC, COC, CIC, CRC, CPB, CPMA, CPCO, CPPM, CDEO, CDEI) $425 / $499 $399 / $499
Specialty exams $325 / $399 $299 / $399
Student pricing $400 / $475 $349 / $449

These are the prices shown by AAPC's main cost FAQ and Help Center, not a confirmed quote for your purchase. The price shown at checkout for your exam is the one that applies, and promotions change prices.

The math, if you're buying again. For core exams, the difference is $74 using the main FAQ's prices ($499 − $425), or $100 using the Help Center's prices ($499 − $399). These are package-price comparisons, not an after-failure upgrade fee. If you need and use both attempts within their validity, a two-attempt package at these listed prices costs less than two separate single attempts. If you pass first time, the single-attempt option costs less.

Other costs that can come with a retake:

  • Membership. An active AAPC membership is required. AAPC's membership page lists $229 for individual membership and $164 for qualifying new student memberships; its Help Center still lists $157 for students. Check the price and eligibility shown in your account, especially if you are renewing. If it has lapsed when results post, your results are held until you renew (AAPC Help Center).

  • A voucher extension, if your voucher qualifies.

    • AAPC describes a paid extension of $100 that adds 90 days to the voucher's expiration date. Ask AAPC to confirm that the extension preserves your remaining retake (AAPC Help Center).
    • Courtesy extensions may be granted for documented emergencies, such as a hospital note or doctor's letter. Text messages aren't accepted.
    • Eligibility depends on your voucher's status and AAPC's current rules, so confirm with AAPC Support before paying (AAPC Help Center). Extending your course access does not automatically extend your exam voucher. An exam-voucher extension does not renew membership or extend study materials.
    • Check what happens to any existing appointment before you change it.

  • New code books, if you replace permitted older editions or need different allowed references for your exam.

Refunds and transfers. Exam vouchers are non-refundable and can't be given to someone else (AAPC Help Center). If you pass on the first try, the unused second attempt can't be moved to a different exam (AAPC). If you purchased a voucher by mistake, contact AAPC Support; exceptions are reviewed individually.

Missed your exam, or it wouldn't start?

A no-show usually costs you the attempt. AAPC treats missed appointments and certain unmet testing requirements as no-shows or forfeitures:

  • Not showing up without cancelling or rescheduling in time
  • An ID that doesn't match
  • Bringing materials that aren't allowed
  • Failing the security check
  • Not meeting requirements, such as an approved external webcam for remote exams, that keep the exam from starting

Under the standard no-show rule, the voucher is forfeited. You then use your second attempt if you have one, or buy a new voucher (AAPC). If your first voucher is forfeited this way, AAPC's testing-center FAQ says your second attempt becomes available after 5:30 p.m. EST, two days after the scheduled exam date and time (AAPC).

Technical problem during your exam window. Contact Meazure Learning immediately, while the window is still open, to try to get in and avoid a no-show marking (AAPC Help Center). Then report the incident to AAPC with error details and other permitted documentation for review.

Emergency or medical issue. Contact AAPC Support as soon as you can.

  • Send documentation that shows what happened and when, such as hospital discharge papers or a medical certificate.
  • Approved medical documentation can preserve the voucher even after the system marks a no-show.
  • Documentation is still reviewed if your cancellation was late.

Technical issues and missed exams don't automatically earn another attempt. AAPC reviews each case and emails you its decision (AAPC Help Center).

Unlimited Exam Attempts: the rules

Some AAPC training packages bought during a promotion include Unlimited Exam Attempts. The published terms list select CPC, CPB, CPC + CPB, CRC, CIC, and COC packages. This benefit has stricter rules than a standard voucher (AAPC Help Center):

  • Finish the course first. You need the certificate of completion before additional attempts are issued.
  • Use any included attempts first. If you don't pass, request the next attempt through AAPC's Unlimited Exam Attempts process.
  • Request attempts one at a time, after each unsuccessful attempt. The formal terms say to call AAPC; use 1-800-626-2633.
  • The window is 12 months after course completion, and it can't be extended.
  • A no-show forfeits Unlimited Exam Attempts status under the formal terms. AAPC says approved medical documentation may restore the attempt. Ask AAPC to confirm the status of the remaining benefit.
  • It's for students in the United States only. AAPC can revoke the benefit for fraud or rule violations.

Whether your package qualifies depends on the terms at the time you bought it. If you're unsure, contact AAPC Support with your member ID and package name.

What to study before your next attempt

Your results include Areas of Study to help you plan your review. Find it in MyAAPC > Exams > exam details (AAPC). Use the reported areas with your own practice error log.

First 72 hours after a fail

  • Write down every area of study listed in your results.
  • Check your voucher expiration under Purchases and work out your real window with the account check above.
  • Decide which calendar year you'll retake in, and confirm the permitted references for that exam date.
  • Make sure your membership stays active through your next result date.
  • Note what went wrong on test day. Did you run out of time, struggle to find information in permitted references, or misread long questions? Fixing pacing is different from filling a knowledge gap.

This is a manual list to work through on your own; nothing on this page is saved, submitted or checked against your AAPC account.

An example four-week retake plan

This example is for CPC candidates using print books. For another AAPC exam or reference format, use that exam's content areas, allowed references, and timing.

This is our editorial suggestion, not an AAPC requirement. Stretch it if you have more time. If you have less, use the compressed version below.

Example four-week AAPC retake study plan
Week Focus What to do
1 Diagnose Use the reported areas and your practice error log to choose two priorities. Re-read the guidelines for those areas in your CPT (AMA Professional Edition), ICD-10-CM, and HCPCS Level II manuals. Take one full timed practice exam under real conditions to check your pacing. Once your retake is available, arrange an appointment with the required registration lead time and within your voucher's validity.
2 Rebuild the two weakest areas Each day, read the guidelines and parenthetical notes for one area, then work practice questions in it. For every miss, write down the rule or concept you missed and, when it applies, where in the book you found it.
3 Next areas, now timed Move to your next weak areas. Switch to timed mixed sets so you practice deciding when to skip a question and come back.
4 Simulate and confirm Take one more full timed practice exam and review your misses and any answers you guessed. Tidy your book tabs and notes within AAPC's rules on what's allowed. Confirm the appointment you arranged within the valid voucher window.

Compressed (two weeks, deadline close):

Use this study block before an appointment already arranged with the required registration lead time.

  • Days 1–3: your single weakest area.
  • Days 4–10: timed mixed practice.
  • Days 11–14: one full timed exam and a review of your misses and any answers you guessed.

If two weeks feels too short, ask AAPC about extension eligibility and check the rescheduling deadline before changing your appointment.

Practice scores show how you did on those questions. They don't predict an official result.

AAPC retake FAQs

How many times can you retake an AAPC exam?
AAPC's current retake help article doesn't state a numeric lifetime limit. A standard voucher purchase includes one or two attempts. Once they're used, you can buy another voucher, or request more attempts if you qualify for Unlimited Exam Attempts (AAPC Help Center).

Is the AAPC retake free?
There is no additional voucher charge if you have an unused, valid included retake. Standard 2-attempt purchases and qualifying Unlimited Exam Attempts are examples. AAPC membership alone does not provide another exam attempt.

Does my deadline start from my exam date?
No. Standard vouchers must be used within one year of the purchase date, and that year covers both attempts. Your exact expiration is listed in your account.

Can I schedule my retake before I get my results?
No. You can book only one attempt at a time, and the second voucher becomes available after your first failed result releases.

Can I use my unused second attempt for a different AAPC exam?
No. If you pass the first time, the second attempt can't be moved to another exam.

Do I need new code books for my retake?
Not automatically. If you use print books, AAPC permits the exam year's books and the immediately preceding year's editions; older and upcoming-year books are not allowed. A new-year retake uses the new year's exam, so check the date-specific guidance and allowed references for your exam.

Sources and verification

Last verified October 20, 2026. We checked AAPC's public pages and linked terms on attempts, vouchers, scheduling, cancellation, results, membership, prices, refunds, extensions, reference-book years, the year-end blackout, and Unlimited Exam Attempts. We did not inspect any individual account or test the signed-in booking process. Your purchase terms, your voucher's status, and AAPC's decisions determine your options.

AI tools assisted drafting and source checks. This is not credentialed subject-matter review. See our editorial standards.

Attempts, deadlines, and costs

Scheduling and results

Exceptions and the year boundary

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Castleport Test Prep is an independent exam prep publisher, not affiliated with, endorsed by, or approved by AAPC. Exam and credential names identify the subjects discussed; trademarks belong to their respective owners. This guide explains AAPC's published policies. It is not official guidance and does not guarantee passing, certification, employment, or income.