10 exam-style questions with answers and explanations, straight from our 1,030-question bank. Tap an answer to check yourself. When you're ready, take the scored version in the free practice test.
The CEMC exam has 100 questions and runs 4 hours.
These 10 free CEMC questions are organized by exam domain, so you can see how each part of the Certified Evaluation and Management Coder blueprint is tested. Reveal the answer and explanation under each question.
A nephrology record documents chronic kidney disease, with repeated estimated glomerular filtration rates between 37 and 41 mL/min/1.73 m² over seven months. Which KDIGO GFR category describes these measurements?
Correct answer: C - G3b - moderately to severely decreased filtration
The signed assessment for an office visit reads: 'Acute cough for five days. Possible pneumonia; chest radiograph ordered.' The radiograph will be performed tomorrow, and no definitive cause of the cough has been established. The encounter documentation is otherwise complete. How should the diagnosis portion of today's claim be handled?
Correct answer: A - Submit the claim with R05.1, acute cough, as the first-listed diagnosis.
An endocrinologist sees an established patient whose type 2 diabetes remains above the individualized treatment goal without acute complications. The physician increases basal insulin, assesses hypertension as controlled, and continues its prescription regimen. An A1c and a basic metabolic panel are ordered; no other data activities are documented. The visit is selected by medical decision making, not time. Which office code does this work support?
Correct answer: C - 99214 - moderate MDM
The data portion of an outpatient note documents review of four distinct, nonoverlapping laboratory tests ordered by an outside clinician, together with that clinician's external note. A daughter provides necessary history because the patient has advanced dementia. The physician does not independently interpret a study or discuss management with an external clinician. What classification is supported for the MDM data element?
Correct answer: B - Moderate, because one of the three data categories is satisfied.
For an established patient's chronic-disease follow-up, the nurse spends 11 minutes on intake. The physician separately records 11 minutes reviewing records, 17 minutes evaluating and counseling the patient, and 9 minutes documenting and coordinating care, all on the encounter date. The physician also spends 8 additional minutes performing separately billed wart destruction. None of these intervals overlap, and the problem-oriented E/M is separately identifiable. Which time-based E/M selection is correct?
Correct answer: C - 99214, based on 37 minutes of same-day physician E/M work.
While an ICU bed is being arranged, an emergency physician treats a 68-year-old Original Medicare patient with acute respiratory failure and impending cardiovascular collapse. The physician performs emergency endotracheal intubation and then actively manages ventilation and hemodynamics. The record documents 56 minutes of qualifying critical care, excluding the separately recorded intubation time. There was no earlier, separate noncritical E/M service. Which combination accurately represents the documented encounter?
Correct answer: D - 99291 and 31500
An established Original Medicare patient comes to a physician-owned office with a new ear-pain complaint. A practice-employed, Medicare-enrolled nurse practitioner independently evaluates the problem, diagnoses acute otitis media, and starts treatment. The physician is immediately available in the office but does not evaluate this new problem or establish its treatment plan. The NP's work is within scope and fully documented. Which billing approach is supported?
Correct answer: D - Bill under the NP's NPI; this new problem lacks a physician-established treatment plan.
A procedure note lists trigger-point injections at the following sites: right trapezius, three points; right rhomboid major, one point. All injections occur during a single session without imaging guidance. Select the procedure code and units.
Correct answer: A - 20552, 1 unit
Twelve days after a hernia repair with a 90-day global period, the operating surgeon evaluates the Original Medicare patient's superficial incisional infection in the office and prescribes an oral antibiotic. The infection is documented as related to the operation. No return to an operating or procedure room is required, and no unrelated condition is addressed. What is the correct treatment of this E/M service?
Correct answer: B - Include the E/M service in the surgical global payment.
A 73-year-old beneficiary attends a new primary care practice in August 2026. Original Medicare records confirm an initial annual wellness visit in February 2025 at the previous practice, no subsequent wellness visit, and continuous Part B enrollment since 2018. Today's service fulfills all required annual wellness visit components, including an updated health risk assessment and prevention plan; no separate problem-oriented service is performed. The appropriate wellness code is:
Correct answer: B - G0439 - subsequent annual wellness visit
The full bank has 1,020 more CEMC questions with explanations.
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