• 55 questions

RHIT Practice Exam

Unofficial practice for the Registered Health Information Technician exam, in the six domains of AHIMA's published outline.

In a SOAP note, where is the patient's chief complaint recorded?

Pick an answer, then press Check answer. Then you see Correct or Not quite, with the reason. Keys: A to D pick, Enter checks.

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Exam mode: 50 questions, 70 minutes.

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Unofficial practice questions, not affiliated with the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA). Bank checked October 15, 2026.

The real exam, as AHIMA describes it

Questions
150
Time limit
210 minutes
Retakes
A new application, then 30 days
Scored
130 count; 20 are pretest
Passing score
300 on AHIMA's scale
Books
None needed on exam day
Where
Pearson VUE, on a computer

Checked October 15, 2026 against AHIMA, Registered Health Information Technician (RHIT) page, Exam Specifications, with the RHIT Content Outline (effective 10/01/2022) and the Candidate Guide. Rules change, so confirm with the agency itself before your test.

AHIMA's own RHIT page

Next step Medical terminology practice testRHIA exam questions

All 55 questions

Data content, structure and information governance 11

  • A physician gives a verbal order. Besides that physician, who may authenticate it under the Medicare conditions of participation? 42 CFR 482.24, paragraph (c)(2)
  • Ambulance services and prosthetic devices are reported with alphanumeric codes from which code set? Wikipedia, "Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System", section "Levels of codes"
  • For a covered health care provider, which records does the Privacy Rule name first in its definition of the designated record set? 45 CFR 164.501, definition of "Designated record set"
  • In a SOAP note, where is the patient's chief complaint recorded? Wikipedia, "SOAP note", section "Subjective component"
  • One patient is found under two medical record numbers in the same hospital. Which master patient index error is this? Wikipedia, "Enterprise master patient index", introduction
  • Under 42 CFR 482.24, for whom must a hospital maintain a medical record? 42 CFR 482.24
  • Under the Medicare conditions of participation, by when must a hospital medical record be completed with the final diagnosis? 42 CFR 482.24, paragraph (c)(4)(viii)
  • Under the Medicare conditions of participation, within what window must a hospital history and physical examination be completed and documented? 42 CFR 482.24, paragraph (c)(4)(i)(A)
  • Which federally mandated assessment is completed for all residents of Medicare- or Medicaid-certified nursing homes? Wikipedia, "Minimum Data Set", introduction
  • Which health record is maintained by the patient rather than by a provider institution? Wikipedia, "Personal health record", introduction
  • Which online application lets patients interact and communicate with their health care providers? Wikipedia, "Patient portal", introduction
Show all 55 questions (44 more)

Access, disclosure, privacy and security 9

  • A caller the staff does not know asks for protected health information. What must the covered entity do before disclosing it? 45 CFR 164.514, paragraph (h)(1)
  • A patient asks in writing to amend an entry in her record. How long does the covered entity have to act, before any extension? 45 CFR 164.526, paragraph (b)(2)(i)
  • A patient pays in full out of pocket for a service and asks that it not be disclosed to her health plan for payment purposes. What must the provider do? 45 CFR 164.522, paragraph (a)(1)(vi)
  • A practice cannot act on a records request within the 30-day limit. How may it extend the time? 45 CFR 164.524, paragraph (b)(2)(ii)
  • A state law protects the privacy of health information more strictly than the HIPAA Privacy Rule. Which one governs? 45 CFR 160.203, paragraph (b)
  • A visitor asks for an inpatient by name. Which item of facility directory information may not be given to the visitor? 45 CFR 164.510, paragraph (a)(1)
  • On which ground may a covered entity deny a request to amend a record? 45 CFR 164.526, paragraph (a)(2)
  • Which cost may be included in the fee for a patient's copy of her own record? 45 CFR 164.524, paragraph (c)(4)
  • Which of these is a core element of a valid HIPAA authorization? 45 CFR 164.508, paragraph (c)(1)

Data analytics and use 8

  • A patient is admitted on March 3 and discharged on March 9. What is the length of stay? Wikipedia, "Length of stay", introduction
  • Turnaround times for five release-of-information requests were 2, 3, 4, 6 and 15 days. What is the median? Wikipedia, "Median", introduction
  • What is a notifiable disease? Wikipedia, "Notifiable disease", introduction
  • What was the Medicare Recovery Audit Contractor (RAC) program created to do? Wikipedia, "Recovery Audit Contractor", introduction
  • Which chart is often used to show a trend in data, such as monthly discharges, over intervals of time? Wikipedia, "Line chart", introduction
  • Which chart presents categorical data, such as discharges by service line, with rectangular bars whose lengths are proportional to the values? Wikipedia, "Bar chart", introduction
  • Which data source is a systematic collection of data about cancer and tumor diseases? Wikipedia, "Cancer registry", introduction
  • Which federal database holds medical malpractice payment and adverse action reports on health care professionals? Wikipedia, "National Practitioner Data Bank", introduction

Revenue cycle management 13

  • A hospital's case mix index rises from 1.20 to 1.45. What does the index reflect? Wikipedia, "Case mix index", section "Hospital CMI"
  • A hospital's utilization review plan must review Medicare and Medicaid patients for the medical necessity of admissions, professional services and what else? 42 CFR 482.30, paragraph (c)(1)
  • A provider expects Medicare to deny payment for a Part B service. Which written notice is given to the fee-for-service beneficiary in advance? CMS, Medicare Claims Processing Manual, Chapter 30, section 50
  • In the usual order of revenue cycle stages, which stage comes directly after charge capture? Wikipedia, "Revenue cycle management", section "Overview"
  • In which payment model is a provider paid for each service rendered, regardless of the outcome? Wikipedia, "Fee-for-service", introduction
  • Medicare Advantage plans, offered by private companies, are which part of Medicare? Wikipedia, "Medicare Advantage", introduction
  • Under the resource-based relative value scale, the relative value of a service is multiplied by what to give the payment amount? Wikipedia, "Resource-based relative value scale", introduction
  • What is a charge description master (CDM)? Wikipedia, "Chargemaster", introduction
  • Where no national coverage determination exists, who decides Medicare coverage through a local coverage determination? Wikipedia, "National coverage determination", introduction
  • Which claim form is the uniform institutional provider bill, used by hospitals to bill multiple payers? CMS, Medicare Claims Processing Manual, Chapter 25, section 70.1
  • Which classification does Medicare use to pay hospitals for facility outpatient services? Wikipedia, "Ambulatory Payment Classification", introduction
  • Which program provides civilian health benefits for military personnel, military retirees and their dependents? Wikipedia, "Tricare", introduction
  • Which statement does a health insurance company send to a covered person to explain what services were paid for on that person's behalf? Wikipedia, "Explanation of benefits", introduction

Compliance 8

  • A clerk faxes a record to the wrong office. What does the Privacy Rule require as to any harmful effect of the disclosure that the covered entity knows of? 45 CFR 164.530, paragraph (f)
  • A coding audit reviews 250 codes and finds 235 correct. What is the coding accuracy rate? Own question; the answer is arithmetic on the numbers in the question. Outline: Domain 5, Compliance, maintain standards for Health Information functions (coding accuracy)
  • A patient files a privacy complaint. Under the Privacy Rule, what may the covered entity not do to her for exercising that right? 45 CFR 164.530, paragraph (g)
  • A provider bills Medicare for a service that is more costly than the one actually performed. What is this called? Wikipedia, "Upcoding", section "Upcoding of items and services"
  • A workforce member repeatedly breaks the privacy policies. What does the Privacy Rule require the covered entity to have and apply? 45 CFR 164.530, paragraph (e)(1)
  • How often does OIG recommend that an entity review its compliance policies and procedures? HHS Office of Inspector General, General Compliance Program Guidance (November 2023), section "Policy Maintenance"
  • How often does screening staff against OIG's exclusion list best limit overpayment and penalty liability, by OIG's guidance? HHS Office of Inspector General, General Compliance Program Guidance (November 2023), section "Exclusion Authorities"
  • Which Security Rule specification ends an electronic session after a set time of inactivity? 45 CFR 164.312, paragraph (a)(2)(iii)

Leadership 6

  • During an EHR upgrade, new requests keep being added after the project has begun, without control. What is this called? Wikipedia, "Scope creep", introduction
  • The laboratory and health information departments plan an interface between their systems. Which set of technical standards covers health information exchange between software applications? Wikipedia, "Health Level 7", introduction
  • Under the Privacy Rule, when must a new member of the workforce be trained on the privacy policies and procedures? 45 CFR 164.530, paragraph (b)(2)(i)(B)
  • What does span of control measure? Wikipedia, "Span of control", introduction
  • Which document is a written narrative of the general tasks, duties and responsibilities of a position? Wikipedia, "Job description", introduction
  • Which project tool breaks the total scope of work into smaller, manageable components in a hierarchy? Wikipedia, "Work breakdown structure", introduction

How this list was compiled: Our own questions, written to the six domains of the Registered Health Information Technician (RHIT) Content Outline of the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA), effective 10/01/2022 (https://www.ahima.org/media/x3opwug4/rhit_contentoutline_09_2023_final-1.pdf, linked as "Exam Content Outline" from https://www.ahima.org/certification-careers/certifications-overview/rhit, read 2026-10-15). Its domains and their shares of the exam: Data Content, Structure, and Information Governance 19 to 25%, Access, Disclosure, Privacy, and Security 14 to 18%, Data Analytics and Use 12 to 18%, Revenue Cycle Management 19 to 25%, Compliance 13 to 17%, Leadership 9 to 12%. The bank holds 11, 9, 8, 13, 8 and 6 questions in that order. Every fact was read on 2026-10-15 in the public source the question names: the Code of Federal Regulations on ecfr.gov (45 CFR parts 160 and 164; 42 CFR part 482), the CMS Medicare Claims Processing Manual (chapters 25 and 30), the HHS Office of Inspector General's General Compliance Program Guidance, and Wikipedia articles on health records, registries, charts, payment systems and project management. Licence: Questions, choices and explanations are original work of this site.

How it works

This free RHIT practice exam has 55 questions of our own in the six domains of the Registered Health Information Technician exam. It is unofficial and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA).

Read the full guide

What the exam covers

AHIMA's RHIT Content Outline, effective October 1, 2022 and read October 15, 2026, has six domains: data content, structure and information governance (19 to 25%); access, disclosure, privacy and security (14 to 18%); data analytics and use (12 to 18%); revenue cycle management (19 to 25%); compliance (13 to 17%); and leadership (9 to 12%).

Where the answers come from

Each answer names its public source: federal rules on ecfr.gov (the HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules and the Medicare conditions of participation for hospital records), the CMS Medicare Claims Processing Manual, the Inspector General's compliance guidance and Wikipedia.

Timing

Exam mode asks 50 questions in 70 minutes, the pace of the real exam: 150 questions in 3 hours 30 minutes.

  • RHIT is the associate-degree credential. The RHIA outline, for bachelor's-level graduates, gives more room to analytics, management and leadership.

Questions and answers

How many questions are on the AHIMA RHIT exam?

The exam has 150 questions. 130 are scored and 20 are pretest questions that are not counted, placed at random through the exam, and the time allowed is 3 hours 30 minutes, by AHIMA's RHIT page.

What is the passing score on the RHIT test?

300, as AHIMA states it. That figure is on AHIMA's score scale, so the number right that this page reports cannot be turned into it.

Are these RHIT practice questions free?

Yes. This RHIT exam prep is free and there is no sign-up. Each question gives the right answer, a short reason and the rule or page it was read on.

Is this the AHIMA RHIT study guide?

No. AHIMA has its own RHIT exam preparation. This page is a separate bank of practice questions, not a guide, and none of its questions was taken or reworded from AHIMA's exam or products.

Who can take the RHIT certification test?

AHIMA lists two routes: completing an associate-degree health information management program accredited by CAHIIM, or graduating from a program approved by a foreign association with which AHIMA has a reciprocity agreement.

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