PracticeVideosBlogFlashcardsEspañol
All Practice Exams

Free Practice Questions for CDIP

Exam-style questions and explanations by OpenExamPrep.

✓ No registration✓ No credit card
Exam pass rate: 68% first-time pass rate (2025)
100+ Questions
100% Free

Loading practice questions...

Same family resources

Explore More AHIMA Certifications

Continue into nearby exams from the same family. Each card keeps practice questions, study guides, flashcards, videos, and articles in one place.

AHIMA CCA Certified Coding Associate

Practice QuestionsStudy GuideCheat SheetFlashcards3 videos4 blogs

AHIMA RHIT Registered Health Information Technician

Practice QuestionsStudy GuideCheat SheetFlashcards1 video3 blogs

AHIMA RHIA Registered Health Information Administrator

Practice QuestionsStudy GuideCheat SheetFlashcards1 video2 blogs

AHIMA CCS-P Certified Coding Specialist Physician-based

Practice QuestionsStudy Guide1 video1 blog

AHIMA CCS Certified Coding Specialist

Practice QuestionsStudy Guide

AHIMA Certified Health Data Analyst

Practice QuestionsStudy Guide

More From This Family

Videos and articles for deeper review.

VideoAHIMA CDIP Exam Guide 2026: Eligibility, Blueprint, FeesThis examVideoAAPC CPB Exam Guide 2026: Pass Certified Pro Biller (FREE)VideoAHIMA CCA Exam Guide 2026: Format, Domains, Books, and Study PlanVideoAHIMA RHIT Exam Guide 2026: Pass the HIT Exam (FREE)ArticleAHIMA CDIP Exam Guide 2026: Eligibility, Blueprint, Fees13 min readArticleAHIMA CCA Exam Guide 2026: Format, Domains, Books, and Study Plan15 min readArticleRHIA Exam Guide 2026: 150 Questions, Fees, Domains & Study Plan17 min readArticleRHIT Exam Score Report and Retake Plan (2026)12 min read
Exam Review

Key Facts: CDIP Exam

140

Delivered Exam Items

AHIMA CDIP certification page

2h 55m

Exam Time After Agreement

AHIMA certification FAQ

300

Passing Scaled Score

AHIMA CDIP certification page

$259 / $329

Member / Nonmember Fee

AHIMA CDIP certification page

68%

2025 First-Time Pass Rate

AHIMA CDIP certification page

27-33%

Record Review Domain

AHIMA CDIP exam content outline

30 CEUs

Two-Year Single-Credential Renewal

AHIMA recertification guide

The current AHIMA CDIP exam delivers 140 items, including 106 scored and 34 unscored pretest items, in a three-hour appointment. Candidates qualify through one of three education-or-credential pathways; two years of CDI experience is recommended rather than required. The passing scaled score is 300, and the current fee is $259 for members or $329 for nonmembers.

Sample CDIP Practice Questions

Try these sample questions to review concepts for the CDIP exam. Each question includes a detailed explanation. Start the interactive quiz above for the full 100+ question experience with AI tutoring.

1What is the primary goal of a Clinical Documentation Improvement (CDI) program?
A.To increase the number of codes on each claim
B.To ensure clinical documentation accurately reflects the severity of illness, risk of mortality, and resource utilization of patient care
C.To reduce the number of physician queries
D.To eliminate all coding denials
Explanation: The primary goal of CDI is to ensure that the clinical documentation in the medical record accurately and completely reflects the severity of illness, risk of mortality, and resource utilization for each patient encounter. Accurate documentation supports appropriate reimbursement, quality reporting, risk adjustment, and continuity of care.
2What is the MS-DRG (Medicare Severity Diagnosis Related Group) system?
A.A physician credentialing system
B.A patient classification system that groups inpatient stays by diagnosis, procedures, and severity for prospective payment under Medicare
C.A nursing staffing model
D.A quality reporting framework
Explanation: MS-DRGs classify inpatient hospital stays into groups based on principal diagnosis, procedures, age, sex, discharge status, and the presence of complications or comorbidities (CC) or major complications or comorbidities (MCC). Each DRG has a relative weight determining Medicare payment. CDI specialists focus on ensuring documentation supports the most accurate DRG assignment.
3What is a physician query in the context of CDI?
A.A billing complaint filed by a physician
B.A communication to a physician requesting clarification, specificity, or additional documentation about a clinical condition or finding
C.A question on a medical licensing exam
D.A search query in the medical database
Explanation: A physician query is a written or verbal communication from a CDI specialist or coder to a physician requesting clarification, additional specificity, or documentation of a clinical condition supported by clinical indicators in the record. Queries must be non-leading, clinically relevant, and compliant with AHIMA and ACDIS guidelines to maintain documentation integrity.
4Which of the following is a CC (Complication or Comorbidity) under the MS-DRG system?
A.Essential hypertension
B.Acute renal failure
C.Type 2 diabetes without complications
D.Seasonal allergies
Explanation: Acute renal failure is classified as a CC (Complication or Comorbidity) under the MS-DRG system. CCs are conditions that, when present as secondary diagnoses, increase the severity of a patient's hospital stay and resource consumption. Essential hypertension and uncomplicated type 2 diabetes are typically non-CC conditions. Some conditions qualify as MCCs (major CCs) which have an even greater impact.
5What are the characteristics of a compliant physician query?
A.It should suggest the specific diagnosis the CDI specialist believes is present
B.It must be non-leading, based on clinical indicators, and provide multiple response options including the ability to document an alternative diagnosis
C.It should only be submitted after the patient is discharged
D.It must be submitted verbally with no written documentation
Explanation: A compliant query must be non-leading (not suggesting a specific diagnosis), supported by clinical indicators in the record, and provide the physician with multiple clinically valid response options including the ability to document a different diagnosis. Queries should be timely, relevant, and documented in the medical record. Leading queries that suggest specific diagnoses to maximize reimbursement are non-compliant.
6What is the difference between severity of illness (SOI) and risk of mortality (ROM) in clinical documentation?
A.They are the same measure
B.SOI reflects the extent of physiologic decompensation or organ system loss of function, while ROM reflects the likelihood of dying
C.SOI is a coding concept while ROM is a clinical concept
D.SOI applies only to surgical patients while ROM applies to all patients
Explanation: Severity of illness (SOI) measures the extent of physiologic decompensation or organ system loss of function, reflecting how sick the patient is. Risk of mortality (ROM) measures the likelihood of dying during the hospital stay. Both are assigned subclass levels (1-4: minor, moderate, major, extreme) in the APR-DRG system. CDI ensures documentation captures clinical indicators that accurately reflect both SOI and ROM.
7What is the principal diagnosis in an inpatient setting?
A.The most severe diagnosis
B.The condition established after study to be chiefly responsible for occasioning the admission of the patient to the hospital
C.The first diagnosis documented by the emergency physician
D.The diagnosis with the highest reimbursement
Explanation: According to ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines, the principal diagnosis is the condition established after study to be chiefly responsible for occasioning the admission of the patient to the hospital. It may differ from the admitting diagnosis. CDI specialists review documentation to ensure the principal diagnosis accurately reflects the reason for admission and that it is properly sequenced for DRG assignment.
8Which clinical indicator would support a query for sepsis documentation?
A.Normal vital signs and lab values
B.SIRS criteria (temperature, heart rate, respiratory rate, WBC) plus suspected or documented infection with organ dysfunction
C.Mild cough without fever
D.Stable blood pressure with normal labs
Explanation: Sepsis documentation queries are supported by clinical indicators including SIRS criteria (temperature >38.3 or <36, HR >90, RR >20, WBC >12,000 or <4,000) with suspected or documented infection and evidence of organ dysfunction (altered mental status, hypotension, elevated lactate, acute kidney injury, coagulopathy). Current Sepsis-3 criteria focus on infection with organ dysfunction measured by SOFA score.
9What is the impact of an MCC (Major Complication or Comorbidity) on DRG assignment?
A.MCCs have no impact on DRG assignment
B.MCCs typically shift the patient to a higher-weighted DRG, reflecting greater severity and resource consumption
C.MCCs always result in a lower DRG weight
D.MCCs only affect outpatient claims
Explanation: MCCs (Major Complications or Comorbidities) are conditions associated with the highest resource consumption and severity. When documented and coded as secondary diagnoses, MCCs typically shift the DRG assignment to a higher-weighted tier (e.g., from a base DRG to a DRG with MCC), resulting in higher payment reflecting the actual resource consumption. Examples include sepsis, respiratory failure, and acute organ failure.
10What is the difference between a concurrent and retrospective CDI review?
A.There is no difference
B.Concurrent review occurs while the patient is still admitted, allowing real-time queries; retrospective review occurs after discharge for coding accuracy
C.Concurrent review is performed by coders while retrospective is performed by CDI specialists
D.Concurrent review is mandatory while retrospective is optional
Explanation: Concurrent CDI review occurs while the patient is still hospitalized, allowing CDI specialists to review clinical indicators in real-time and query physicians for clarification or additional documentation before discharge. Retrospective review occurs after discharge and is primarily for coding accuracy, query reconciliation, and educational purposes. Concurrent review has greater impact because documentation can be improved during the encounter.

About the CDIP Exam

The AHIMA CDIP credential assesses clinical coding practice, education and leadership, record review and document clarification, CDI metrics and statistics, and compliance.

Exam sponsor: AHIMA; delivered through Pearson VUE test centers or OnVUE for candidates located in the United States. The requirements and fees below concern the certification or admission exam, separate from our free practice resources.

Assessment

140 delivered items: 106 scored and 34 unidentified pretest items

Time Limit

3 hours total: 5-minute agreement plus 2 hours 55 minutes for the exam; no planned break

Passing Score

300 scaled score

Exam / Certification Fees

$259 AHIMA member / $329 nonmember

Exam sponsor website

Reported exam pass rate: 68% first-time pass rate (2025). AHIMA reported 591 first-time testers and a 68% pass rate in 2025; the rates were 68% in 2024 and 65% in 2023. This describes exam candidates, not OpenExamPrep users or results from using our resources. Exam sponsor website

Fees, eligibility, and exam policies can change. Confirm them with the exam sponsor before applying or paying.

Our practice resources: topics covered

We aim to reflect publicly available exam outlines and topic information in our study resources. Coverage, format, and difficulty may differ from the actual exam, and we cannot guarantee that every detail is accurate or current. Confirm exam requirements, fees, and policies with the official exam sponsor.

15-18%

Clinical Coding Practice

Use coding resources, assign and sequence diagnoses and procedures, apply conventions and guidelines, evaluate DRGs, and resolve coding-CDI discrepancies

21-26%

Education and Leadership Development

Promote CDI, collaborate across disciplines, develop policies, use escalation processes, educate stakeholders, and explain organizational implications

27-33%

Record Review and Document Clarification

Review clinical documentation, prioritize records, identify gaps, use compliant queries, interact with providers, and manage post-discharge clarification

8-11%

CDI Metrics and Statistics

Use dashboards, audit quality, analyze query trends, benchmark providers, assess performance metrics, and adjust workflow

18-23%

Compliance

Apply ethical and regulatory standards, identify technology risks and noncompliant queries, conduct second-level review, and maintain query policies

Preparing for the CDIP Exam

What You Need to Know

  • Passing score: 300 scaled score
  • Assessment: 140 delivered items: 106 scored and 34 unidentified pretest items
  • Time limit: 3 hours total: 5-minute agreement plus 2 hours 55 minutes for the exam; no planned break
  • Exam / certification fees: $259 AHIMA member / $329 nonmember Official sources

Using Our Practice Resources

  • Work through all 100 available questions
  • Review every answer and explanation
  • Track weak areas and revisit them
  • Use our AI tutor for tough concepts

CDIP: Suggested Study Strategy

1Use the current AHIMA content outline as the scope boundary; AHIMA does not require or endorse a particular preparation product
2Give Record Review and Document Clarification the largest share of attention because its official range is 27-33%
3Practice Education and Leadership scenarios as well as coding because that domain carries a 21-26% range
4Evaluate queries for clinical support, neutrality, compliance, appropriate escalation, and defensible record documentation
5Practice dashboard, audit, response-trend, benchmarking, and workflow decisions for the CDI Metrics and Statistics domain
6Use timed mixed sets against the 175-minute exam period and review all items because pretest questions are unidentified

Frequently Asked Questions

How many items are on the current CDIP exam?

AHIMA delivers 140 items: 106 are scored and 34 are unidentified pretest items that do not affect pass or fail.

How long is the CDIP exam appointment?

The three-hour appointment includes a five-minute agreement and 2 hours 55 minutes for the exam. There is no planned break.

What score is required to pass CDIP?

The passing score is 300 on AHIMA's scaled score. AHIMA does not publish a raw percentage or universal number-correct equivalent.

What is the current CDIP exam fee?

The fee is $259 for AHIMA members and $329 for nonmembers. AHIMA membership is not required.

What are the CDIP eligibility requirements?

Meet one route: an associate degree or higher, the approved post-baccalaureate HIM certificate pathway, or a CCS, CCS-P, RHIT, or RHIA credential.

Is CDI work experience required for CDIP?

No. AHIMA recommends at least two years of CDI experience, but it is not a mandatory eligibility requirement.

Can I take CDIP through remote proctoring?

Yes, OnVUE is available to candidates located in the United States. Pearson VUE test-center delivery is also available.

How soon can I retake CDIP?

Submit a new application and full fee. AHIMA waits 90 days before approving another appointment; transcripts do not need to be resubmitted.

How many CEUs does CDIP renewal require?

A single CDIP requires 30 CEUs every two years, with at least 80% in HIIM domains. The fee is $100 for members or $249 for nonmembers.