In order to earn certification from the AAPC, you need to have at least two years of professional coding experience. That would seem to preclude new coders from taking the CPC exam, but that doesn’t have to be the case. The AAPC helpfully offers an “apprentice” program attached to their CPC certification. If you complete the CPC exam with less than two years of professional experience, you get a CPC-A certification. The CPC-A certification allows you to work as a certified coder while working toward a full certification through either on-the-job experience or the completion of continuing education units (CEUs).