Certified Billing and Coding Specialist (CBCS) Practice Test 2026
Free NHA Certified Billing and Coding Specialist (CBCS) practice β the entry-level medical billing and coding credential, a remote-work-friendly health care career. Covers all four official NHA domains: the Revenue Cycle and Regulatory Compliance (HIPAA), Insurance Eligibility and Payer Requirements, Coding and Coding Guidelines (ICD-10-CM, CPT, HCPCS), and Billing and Reimbursement (CMS-1500, denials and appeals). 400 original questions grounded in public standards (HHS HIPAA, CMS, NUCC, ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines), with Chinese, Spanish, Vietnamese and Korean study-aid explanations (the real NHA CBCS exam is administered in English: 100 scored items, 3 hours). Practice every question free, then sit a 100-question mock scored to the real 78% pass line.
π― Practice by Topic
The Revenue Cycle and Regulatory Compliance
The revenue cycle from registration to reimbursement, HIPAA privacy/security and covered entities, fraud and abuse (False Claims Act, Anti-Kickback, Stark), and regulatory compliance.
Insurance Eligibility and Other Payer Requirements
Payer types (Medicare, Medicaid, HMO/PPO/EPO/POS, workers' comp), eligibility and benefits verification, coordination of benefits, cost-sharing, prior authorization, and medical necessity.
Coding and Coding Guidelines
ICD-10-CM diagnosis coding structure and Official Guidelines (first-listed vs principal, Excludes1/Excludes2), CPT and HCPCS Level II concepts, modifiers, NCCI edits, and code linkage/medical necessity.
Billing and Reimbursement
The CMS-1500 claim, the claim life cycle (rejection vs denial, EOB vs remittance advice), denials management and appeals, reimbursement methodologies (fee-for-service, capitation, RBRVS, DRG), and patient collections.
π What to Bring
- β
Government-issued photo ID
A valid, unexpired government photo ID whose name matches your NHA registration.
- β
Your code books (open book)
The CBCS is open-book: bring your current-year ICD-10-CM, CPT and HCPCS Level II manuals. Confirm the exact allowed materials and any annotation rules with NHA before test day.
- β
NHA exam confirmation
Your scheduled-exam confirmation from your NHA account (nhanow.com).
π How to Schedule
- 1
Confirm eligibility with NHA
NHA requires a high school diploma or equivalent and, within the past few years, either completion of a billing-and-coding training program OR relevant supervised work experience. Verify the current eligibility routes on nhanow.com.
- 2
Register and pay the NHA fee
Create an account and register for the CBCS at nhanow.com, paying the NHA exam fee. Many test-takers apply through an NHA-approved training school. Check nhanow.com for the current fee.
- 3
Choose test center or online proctoring
Sit the exam at a PSI test center, an NHA-approved training site, or online with live remote proctoring. Results (pass/fail with a scaled score) are typically available shortly after you finish.
π‘ Test Day Tips
- β’The real exam is English-only. Use the Chinese, Spanish, Vietnamese and Korean explanations to understand each concept, then lock in the English billing term the exam actually uses.
- β’It is open-book, so practise LOOKING THINGS UP, not memorising codes. Tab your ICD-10-CM, CPT and HCPCS manuals and rehearse finding a code fast β speed of lookup is what the time limit tests.
- β’Nail the near-miss pairs the exam loves: rejection (never adjudicated β correct and resubmit) vs denial (adjudicated, payment refused β appeal); copay (fixed amount) vs coinsurance (percentage) vs deductible; fraud (intentional) vs abuse (not intentional); first-listed (outpatient) vs principal (inpatient) diagnosis; EOB (to the patient) vs remittance advice (to the provider).
- β’Budget your time: 125 questions in 3 hours is about 1.4 minutes each. 25 of the 125 are unscored pretest items (unlabeled), so answer every question β you cannot tell which ones count.
- β’The result is a scaled score (200β500; 390 to pass), not a raw percentage. There is no public raw-to-scaled conversion, so treat the practice score here as a study gauge, not the official number.
π Study Handbook
All practice questions are based on the sections below. Click any to read the official source.
π Official Resources
NHA β CBCS Certification β
The official NHA CBCS page β eligibility, exam format, scheduling, and the detailed test plan.
NHA Candidate Handbook (PDF) β
The official Candidate Handbook β the authority for scoring: scaled scores run 200β500 and 390 or higher passes any NHA exam covered by it.
β Frequently asked questions
How many questions are on the Certified Billing and Coding Specialist (CBCS) test, and how many do I need to pass?
The Certified Billing and Coding Specialist (CBCS) knowledge test has 100 questions. You must answer 78 correctly (78%) to pass.
How many questions can you miss on the Certified Billing and Coding Specialist (CBCS) test?
You can miss up to 22 of the 100 questions and still pass.
What should I bring to the Certified Billing and Coding Specialist (CBCS) test?
Government-issued photo ID β A valid, unexpired government photo ID whose name matches your NHA registration. Your code books (open book) β The CBCS is open-book: bring your current-year ICD-10-CM, CPT and HCPCS Level II manuals. Confirm the exact allowed materials and any annotation rules with NHA before test day. NHA exam confirmation β Your scheduled-exam confirmation from your NHA account (nhanow.com).
How do I schedule and take the Certified Billing and Coding Specialist (CBCS) test?
1. Confirm eligibility with NHA: NHA requires a high school diploma or equivalent and, within the past few years, either completion of a billing-and-coding training program OR relevant supervised work experience. Verify the current eligibility routes on nhanow.com. 2. Register and pay the NHA fee: Create an account and register for the CBCS at nhanow.com, paying the NHA exam fee. Many test-takers apply through an NHA-approved training school. Check nhanow.com for the current fee. 3. Choose test center or online proctoring: Sit the exam at a PSI test center, an NHA-approved training site, or online with live remote proctoring. Results (pass/fail with a scaled score) are typically available shortly after you finish.