1.3 Allowed Resources and Test-Day Rules
Key Takeaways
- Optional CCDS books are Optum DRG Expert (any year) plus one listed drug handbook; they are not required
- Tabs and pre-existing handwritten margin notes are allowed; inserted pages, loose notes, and writing in books during the exam are not
- Bring one valid government-issued photo ID with signature in Latin characters; name must match registration or the appointment is missed without refund
- Test centers issue an analog whiteboard with eraser and up to three dry-erase markers; remote candidates use an online scratch pad
- One unscheduled 10-minute break is allowed; the 3-hour timer does not stop, and test-center candidates must re-screen
1.3 Allowed Resources and Test-Day Rules
Quick Answer: For the inpatient CCDS sitting you may bring two optional paper resources: DRG Expert published by Optum (any year) plus one drug handbook from the published list (Lippincott Nursing Drug Handbook, Mosby’s Nursing Drug Reference, Physicians’ Desk Reference or PDR Nurse’s Drug Handbook, Pearson’s Nurse’s Drug Guide, Saunders Nursing Drug Handbook, or Davis’s Drug Guide). Tabs and pre-existing handwritten margin notes are allowed. Inserted pages and loose notes are not, and you may not write in the books during the exam. Arrive with a valid government-issued photo ID with signature. Test centers give an analog whiteboard; remote ProProctor candidates get an online scratch pad. You may take one unscheduled 10-minute break; the timer does not stop.
This independent OpenExamPrep section teaches published test-day mechanics so learners do not lose a non-refundable sitting to a book, ID, or break mistake. CCDS-O uses different optional resources; do not pack outpatient-only materials for this inpatient exam.
Why resource rules are scoring rules
The CCDS sitting is not an open-library test and not a closed-book trivia contest. Two named references are permitted if you want them. They will not answer analysis items for you. They will help you confirm an MS-DRG family, a CC/MCC listing as printed in that DRG Expert year, or a drug class that supports a clinical indicator. Candidates fail the logistics, not the medicine, when they bring a second drug book, a printed query brief, encoder screenshots, or a DRG Expert stuffed with sticky packets. Prometric will inspect the books. Extra pages stay out; in some cases the sitting is refused.
The resources are optional. The handbook states they are not required. If you have never used DRG Expert at work, test day is a poor first encounter. If you use it daily, practice with the same copy you will carry, including your tabs, under timed conditions.
Allowed optional books (CCDS only)
| Resource | Rule | Common fail |
|---|---|---|
| DRG Expert (Optum) | Any year; optional | Assuming only the newest year is legal, or bringing a different publisher’s DRG book |
| One listed drug handbook | Lippincott, Mosby’s, PDR or PDR Nurse’s, Pearson’s, Saunders, or Davis’s | Bringing two drug books, or a hospital formulary printout |
| Markings | Tabs allowed; pre-existing handwritten margin notes allowed | Inserted pages, loose notes, glued packets |
| Writing | No writing in books during the exam | Adding DRG notes or query outlines once the clock starts |
An older public FAQ that says DRG Expert “must be an ICD-10 edition” and that both volumes of a two-volume set are permitted is describing edition mechanics. The May 2024 handbook’s controlling phrase for year is any year. Do not discard a marked ICD-10 DRG Expert you already own just to buy a newer unused copy on the way to Prometric. Do not bring an ICD-9 relic and hope; the examination content is current IPPS/ICD-10 practice, and an unusable book still occupies your optional slot.
Practice a lookup path before test day: how you find an MS-DRG in DRG Expert, how you check a CC/MCC list in that edition, and how you confirm a drug indication in your chosen handbook. Speed comes from tabs you placed weeks earlier, not from a first-time index search at item 90.
Identification, arrival, and remote versus center
Arrive 30 minutes before the appointment. Bring the confirmation email with your confirmation number and Prometric ID. You must present one valid, government-issued photo ID with a signature (examples: driver’s license, passport). The name on the ID must match the name used to register. The document must be in Latin characters and contain your photograph and signature. If you test outside your country of citizenship and are not a permanent legal resident there, you must present a valid passport. If you test within your country of citizenship or permanent legal residence, a valid passport, driver’s license, national ID, or military ID is acceptable. If the ID is missing, expired, or the name does not match, Prometric treats the visit as a missed appointment and the fee stays paid.
Test-center candidates are assigned a locker for belongings. Eating, drinking, and smoking are not permitted in the testing room. You may not ask the administrator questions about examination content. Personal electronics are misconduct, not a convenience.
Remote ProProctor candidates install the ProProctor application and complete a system check from the appointment email. The workspace must be clean and clutter-free: no extra papers, extra books beyond the allowed CCDS resources, second monitors, or wall notes. The proctor will inspect the room by camera, including desk, chair, sleeves, pockets, and behind the ears for devices. Allowed paper resources still have to survive the same page-insert rules as at a center. Read Prometric’s ProProctor user guide before you pick remote just because it is geographically convenient; a cluttered kitchen table is a failed environment check.
Scratch tools, the untimed tutorial, and the break
Test-center candidates receive a physical, analog hand-held whiteboard, one eraser/cloth/tissue, and up to three dry-erase markers of any color. That board is the scratch paper. Remote candidates receive an online scratch pad. No documents or notes of any kind leave a test center. Do not copy items onto the board with the idea of photographing them later; recording questions is misconduct and can void the sitting without a refund.
Before the timed examination, you may run an untimed practice session on the computer. When you are comfortable with navigation, quit the practice session and start the 3-hour clock. During the timed exam you can bookmark items, view a progress bar and time remaining, open a grid of unanswered or bookmarked questions, and leave a comment on an item. Comments are reviewed later; you will not receive an individual reply, and comments are not a scoring protest.
Break rule: you may take one unscheduled 10-minute break. The timer does not stop. Test-center candidates must go back through security screening before continuing. Use the break only if you need it; the 10 minutes come out of the same 180. Eating is still not a test-room activity when you return.
Appointment changes that affect test day
Reschedule or cancel through ACDIS/HCPro Customer Care, not by ignoring the appointment. If the exam is 30 or more days away (not counting the exam date), Prometric does not charge a reschedule/cancellation fee. If it is 7–29 days away, Prometric charges $35. If it is 7 days or less away, examination fees are not refundable; sitting later means reapplying and repaying. Center closures for weather or power are handled by Prometric rescheduling; keep the contact data on the file accurate. Unscheduled walk-ins are not seated.
Exam-style scenarios
Scenario: two drug books and a query packet. A candidate brings Davis’s Drug Guide, Lippincott’s Nursing Drug Handbook, and a stapled hospital query policy inside DRG Expert. The published allowance is DRG Expert plus one listed drug handbook. Inserted pages are not allowed. At inspection, the extra book and the packet are unauthorized aids. Pack the pair you practiced with; leave policies at home.
Scenario: writing the working DRG in the book. Mid-exam, a candidate starts listing MS-DRG numbers in the DRG Expert margin because the whiteboard feels small. Pre-existing margin notes are allowed; writing in books during the exam is not. Use the issued whiteboard or online scratch pad for working notes. The book is a reference, not a worksheet.
Scenario: remote desk with a second monitor. A ProProctor candidate leaves a dual-monitor coding setup in place because “that is how I work.” Remote rules require a clutter-free station without second monitors and extra papers. The environment inspection happens before the items appear. Rehearse the room the night before: one screen, allowed books only, camera able to pan the room.
Scenario: 8-minute identification failure. A recently married candidate’s driver’s license still shows a prior surname that does not match the ACDIS/Prometric registration. That is a missed appointment without refund under the identification rule. Check name match when you apply, not at minute minus five.
Scenario: a long hall-walk break. A test-center candidate takes 18 minutes because restroom plus re-screening ran long. Only 10 unscheduled minutes are described, and the clock never stopped. Budget break time as scored time. If you do not need the break, stay in the item grid and use leftover minutes to clear bookmarks.
How to practice the logistics
Do at least one full 140-item, 3-hour sitting with the actual DRG Expert year and the actual drug handbook you will carry, tabs already placed, writing only on a small whiteboard or a blank on-screen pad. Practice a 10-minute stand-up that costs clock time. Practice opening the grid and answering every item. Books do not replace Domain II analysis or Domain VII ethics judgment; they support lookups. Unauthorized paper turns a prepared specialist into a candidate who never sees item 1.
Which book practice is not allowed on the inpatient CCDS examination?
Which pair of optional resources may an inpatient CCDS candidate bring into the examination?
What is true of the unscheduled break during the 3-hour CCDS examination?