CCCS NCE guide

Please read this Certified Classification and Coding Specialist (CCCS) national certification examination (NCE) guide in full before applying. 

Section 1: About the CCCS NCE 

The CCCS NCE consists of 45 questions* and is 132 minutes in duration. Each correct question is worth one mark. 

A passing grade is based on the following requirement: 

• An overall grade of 70% or higher 

The examination covers six practice areas: 

Practice Area
Fundamentals
General medicine
Neoplasms
Interventions
Obstetrics and newborns
Iatrogenic disorders, trauma, and other related conditions and disorders

*The examination includes 45 multiple questions total, including 3 case scenarios with 3 multiple choice questions per case scenario.

Re-examination 

A candidate who is unsuccessful in writing the CCCS NCE on the first attempt may re-write the examination twice more(for a total of three times). Regular pricing applies for subsequent attempts. The exam candidate must complete the entire examination each time. If a candidate has failed all three attempts, a further review will be conducted.

Section 2: Examination application  

Quick links 

Please review the following information before applying for the CCCS NCE: 

• About certification with the Canadian College of Health Information Management 
• NCE help centre
• Why certification matters 
• CCCS certification 
• National certification examination policies, rules & regulations 
• Canadian College of Health Information Management code of ethics 
• CCCS NCE eligibility and dates 

Submit application and payment 

In order to register for the CCCS NCE, candidates must submit an application and provide payment. Payment must be received on or before the application deadline. To access the CCCS national certification application, please follow these steps: 

1. Sign in to your CHIMA account, accessible in the top right corner of the screen
2. Click on your name to access your dashboard
3. Scroll down to ‘Canadian College of Health Information Management’ and select ‘Manage’
4. Navigate to ‘National certification applications’ and click learn more
5. Navigate to ‘CCCS’ and select ‘Apply here’

Applicants are responsible for reviewing all information to ensure it is correct in both the application and the CHIMA membership profile. 

Application supporting documentation requirement 

This is a one-time submission to the Canadian College of Health Information Management. 

Application supporting documentation is required to be received on or before the application deadline.  

Experienced professional	Classification and coding specialty program graduate
Current resume	Transcript
Reference letter from the current employer outlining the candidate’s classification and coding work experience
Submit documentation to exam@echima.ca

For transcript submission, choose from one of the following methods (Please note that electronic transcripts are preferred): 

CHIMA unable to request a candidate’s transcript from an institution as they contain personal information. It is suggested that candidates confirm their program’s policy for submitting transcripts to CHIMA. Candidates will not be notified of the receipt of their transcript. 

Section 3: Preparing for the examination

Studying

The following resources may help prepare candidates with writing the CHIM NCE:

Other study resources 

• ICD-10-CA/CCI Classification Primer by Joy Fletcher has practice questions with an answer key and highlights coding principles throughout the chapters 
• The Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) offers informational and educational resources on their website to assist coders

Meeting technology requirements 

Please read the NCE online proctoring guidelines to ensure the technology and testing environment requirements used during the examination are met before your scheduled appointment.

Section 4: Writing the examination 

Required resources

1. Canadian Coding Standards v. 2022: The Canadian Coding Standards will be accessible within the exam platform. Once you begin the CCCS NCE, the document will be accessible during the entire examination. External versions are no longer allowed.
2. ICD-10-CA/CCI Folio (v. 2022) software: Examination candidates are responsible for purchasing or arranging access to ICD-10-CA/CCI Folio software. The Folio software Standards must be preinstalled on the computer being used to access the examination. Examination candidates must not access any other websites or documents during the entire examination. 

Booking an examination date and time 

Exam candidates will receive an email from CHIMA to schedule an examination date and time. The time slots will be based on availability during eastern standard time business hours (Monday to Friday, with the exception of statutory holidays). This email is sent to all applicants prior to the application deadline.*

Once candidates book their time slot, an email will be sent out with additional details and reminders when preparing for examination day. Please check spam/junk folders for this email.

* At times, the College could run outside of these service level agreements due to extenuating circumstances. 

Section 5: Receiving results 

Candidates will be notified by email that their grades have been posted. Grades are posted approximately 20 business days* after the examination period ends. Candidates who passed will receive an official certificate from the Canadian College of Health Information Management and a welcome letter in the mail within 45 business days*. Successful candidates will be listed on the registry of certified professionals with their new professional designation.  

* At times, the College could run outside of these service level agreements due to extenuating circumstances.  

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Last updated 2023-05-12