FREE CHEAT SHEET · 7-DAY FREE TRIAL

Certified coders average $64,712 a year. See why — free for 7 days.

Grab a free CPC cheat sheet below, then try the full R3 platform for a week at no cost. No $800+ bundle, no big commitment — just 7 days free, then $9/month, cancel anytime.

to start your trial

cheat sheets waiting for you

per month after — cancel anytime

Same exam. A fraction of the risk.

Leading provider — full bundle$1,207.80non-member

Leading provider — study guide only$149.95non-member

R3 — free cheat sheet$0no card required

R3 — full platform trialFree 7 daysthen $9/mo

Bundle pricing shown is the leading provider's current published 2026 rate. R3 requires no upfront purchase — just a free trial you can cancel before day 8.

FIRST CHEAT SHEET, FREE

5 of 10 ICD-10-CM rules — no email needed to read these

This is the exact cheat sheet R3 students use to stop missing Excludes1/2 and etiology-sequencing questions. Unlock the other 5, and we'll send you a new cheat sheet every week until you're exam-ready.

CHEAT SHEET — ICD-10-CM

1. Guidelines

5 of 10 unlocked

The conventions students confuse most often on the CPC exam.

1. Excludes1 vs. Excludes2 — Excludes1 means the two codes are never reported together, unless the conditions are truly unrelated. Excludes2 means both CAN be reported together.

2. Etiology/Manifestation convention — "Code first" and "in diseases classified elsewhere" notes mean the underlying condition is sequenced first, the manifestation code second — always.

3. The word "With" — ICD-10-CM presumes a causal link between two conditions connected by "with," even without an explicit provider statement linking them.

4. NOS vs. NEC — NOS means not enough information was given. NEC means information was given, but no specific code exists for it.

5. Signs/Symptoms/Unspecified codes — It's fully acceptable — sometimes required — to code a symptom or "unspecified" code when a definitive diagnosis hasn't been established.

6. Combination codes — one code that captures two diagnoses, a diagnosis with its manifestation, or a diagnosis with its complication...

7. Acute vs. Chronic — when a condition is documented as both acute and chronic, and the Alphabetic Index lists separate...

8. 7th character & placeholder "X" — the 7th character must always sit in the 7th position of the code...

9. Laterality — code the affected side. If no bilateral code exists and the condition is bilateral...

10. Level of specificity — every code must be reported to the highest number of characters available...

🔒

5 more rules, plus 7 more cheat sheets

Unlock the rest of this sheet instantly, and get a new CPC cheat sheet emailed to you every week — Sequencing, Bundling, E/M, Radiology, and more.

$64,712^*

What a certified coder earns, on average

Certification is the credential that opens remote and flexible coding roles. Before you spend anything on a bundle, see if R3's approach actually clicks for you — that's what the free cheat sheet and free trial are for.

*Per industry salary survey data, certified coders vs. non-credentialed billing staff, 2025.

What you get during your free trial

Every feature is built around one idea: you don't fail because you didn't study, you fail because you never learned why the wrong answers were wrong.

Rationale for every distractor

Not just the correct answer — a full breakdown of why each wrong choice fails, so you stop repeating the same mistake pattern.

Fatigue detection

R3 flags when your retention is dropping mid-session — before it costs you points on exam day, not after.

Timed simulation

Paced to match the real exam experience, so test-day pressure isn't the first time you've felt it.

✓

Built around real exam weighting

Question distribution mirrors how the exam is actually structured — no wasted time on topics that barely appear.

↻

Study anywhere, anytime

No scheduled cohort, no login window. Fit prep around your job, your shift, your life.

Cancel anytime, no penalty

Try it free for 7 days. If it's not for you, cancel before day 8 and you're never charged.

Start your free 7-day trial

Full platform access, no upfront cost. See if R3 works for you before spending anything.

Typical "best value" bundle

$799–$1,207.80

Full price due upfront, before you know if it works for you
Requires a paid membership to unlock member pricing
Static study guide, same for every learner
No retention or fatigue tracking

NO RISK

R3 Free Trial

$0for 7 days

Full access to every cheat sheet and every feature, immediately
$9/month after your trial — cancel anytime before day 8, no charge
Full rationale for every distractor, not just the right answer
Fatigue detection flags dropping retention before exam day

Comparison based on publicly listed 2026 pricing for a leading certification provider's flagship study guide and "best value" exam bundle. A payment method is required to start your R3 trial; you won't be charged until day 8, and you can cancel anytime before then from your account.

Questions, answered

Do I need a credit card for the free cheat sheet? +

No. The cheat sheet only needs your email. A payment method is only required if you choose to start the separate 7-day free trial.

How does the free trial actually work? +

You get full access for 7 days at no cost. If you don't cancel before day 8, it becomes $9/month. You can cancel anytime from your account, including during the trial, with no charge.

How do I get more cheat sheets faster? +

You'll get one automatically every week. Or share your referral link — every classmate who requests a cheat sheet through it unlocks your next one immediately.

What if I don't pass? +

You keep access to R3 for as long as your subscription is active, so you can keep studying and retake with the same materials.

Free CPC cheat sheet + 7-day free trial — no $800 bundle required.