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CPC Practice Test

CPC Anatomy Practice Questions

Anatomy makes up 2 of every 50 questions on a Tigertest CPC practice test. Here are 8 of the 8 questions on it, each with the answer and the reason.

Updated by the Tigertest team. Based on AAPC's published CPC exam areas, the ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines, CMS rules and CPT conventions. Original questions; no code-book lookups.

  1. 1. How many cervical vertebrae does the human spine have?

    • A.8
    • B.7
    • C.5
    • D.12

    Answer: B. There are 7 cervical, 12 thoracic and 5 lumbar vertebrae. There are 8 pairs of cervical spinal nerves, a common mix-up.

  2. 2. Which valve lies between the right atrium and the right ventricle?

    • A.Pulmonary valve
    • B.Aortic valve
    • C.Mitral valve
    • D.Tricuspid valve

    Answer: D. The tricuspid valve separates the right atrium and right ventricle. The mitral (bicuspid) valve is its counterpart on the left side.

  3. 3. The layers of the skin, from outermost to deepest, are:

    • A.Epidermis, dermis, subcutaneous
    • B.Epidermis, subcutaneous, dermis
    • C.Dermis, epidermis, subcutaneous
    • D.Subcutaneous, dermis, epidermis

    Answer: A. The epidermis is the surface layer, the dermis lies beneath it and the subcutaneous tissue is deepest. Repair and debridement codes depend on knowing these depths.

  4. 4. What is the order of the small intestine, starting at the stomach?

    • A.Duodenum, ileum, jejunum
    • B.Ileum, jejunum, duodenum
    • C.Duodenum, jejunum, ileum
    • D.Jejunum, duodenum, ileum

    Answer: C. Food leaves the stomach into the duodenum, then the jejunum, then the ileum, which joins the cecum of the large intestine.

  5. 5. The functional filtering unit of the kidney is the:

    • A.Alveolus
    • B.Renal pelvis
    • C.Nephron
    • D.Ureter

    Answer: C. Each kidney has about a million nephrons that filter blood and form urine. The renal pelvis collects urine and the ureter carries it to the bladder.

  6. 6. Which gland has both endocrine and exocrine functions?

    • A.Pancreas
    • B.Pituitary
    • C.Adrenal gland
    • D.Thyroid

    Answer: A. The pancreas releases insulin and glucagon into the blood (endocrine) and digestive enzymes into the duodenum (exocrine). The others are purely endocrine.

  7. 7. The meninges, from outermost to innermost, are:

    • A.Dura, pia, arachnoid mater
    • B.Pia, arachnoid, dura mater
    • C.Arachnoid, dura, pia mater
    • D.Dura, arachnoid, pia mater

    Answer: D. The dura mater is the tough outer layer, the arachnoid is in the middle and the pia mater lies on the brain and spinal cord.

  8. 8. Gas exchange in the lungs takes place in the:

    • A.Pleura
    • B.Alveoli
    • C.Bronchi
    • D.Trachea

    Answer: B. Oxygen and carbon dioxide cross between air and blood in the alveoli, tiny air sacs at the end of the bronchioles.

Practice all 8 anatomy questions, and the rest of the 200-question bank, in the free CPC training sets. Questions you miss come back until you have mastered them.

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