CBGC Genetic Counselling Certification (CCGC) study guide
CBGC Genetic Counselling Certification (CCGC) · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The Canadian Board of Genetic Counselling (CBGC) certification examination, often called the CCGC exam, is the credentialing assessment for genetic counsellors practising in Canada. It is intended for graduates of accredited genetic counselling training programs and for practitioners seeking formal recognition of the knowledge and judgement the profession expects. The CBGC Genetic Counselling Certification (CCGC) study guide has 8 sections and about 2,423 words.
01Genetic Counselling Process and Communication
Counselling is a structured, goal-directed conversation, not a lecture. Expect questions to test the sequence: establish rapport and contract (why are we here, what does the client hope to learn), gather history (pedigree, medical and reproductive history, prior testing), assess understanding and emotional state, educate with plain language, support decision-making, then document and arrange follow-up.
340 words, about 2 min02Clinical Genetics and Risk Assessment
Candidates must move fluently among inheritance patterns: autosomal dominant (vertical transmission, 50% per child, reduced penetrance, variable expressivity, new mutations), autosomal recessive (carrier parents, 25% recurrence, consanguinity), X-linked (no male-to-male transmission, carrier females), mitochondrial (maternal transmission, heteroplasmy, variable threshold), and multifactorial (empiric recurrence risks). Pedigree symbols and standard notation are fair game.
317 words, about 2 min03Prenatal and Reproductive Genetics
Screening estimates probability; diagnosis confirms. Know the difference between maternal serum screening, cell-free DNA screening, and diagnostic tests (chorionic villus sampling, amniocentesis).
299 words, about 1 min04Cancer Genetics
Know the hallmarks that raise suspicion of a hereditary syndrome: early age at diagnosis, multiple primaries, bilateral or multifocal disease, male breast cancer, ovarian cancer, Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry for BRCA, and clustering of related cancers across generations. Understand that hereditary cancer syndromes are often autosomal dominant with incomplete penetrance, so an unaffected carrier remains at elevated risk.
308 words, about 2 min05Laboratory and Genomic Testing
Know the main modalities: karyotype (large structural changes, aneuploidy), chromosomal microarray (copy-number variants, first-tier for developmental delay), targeted sequencing, gene panels, exome and genome sequencing, and methylation or repeat-expansion tests for specific disorders. Each has resolution limits and blind spots: karyotype misses small deletions, microarray misses balanced rearrangements and point mutations, and exome sequencing misses deep intronic and some structural variants.
283 words, about 1 min06Ethics, Legal, and Psychosocial Issues
Autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, and justice frame genetic counselling dilemmas. Key concepts include informed consent, confidentiality, privacy, duty to warn versus confidentiality, genetic discrimination protections, and the right not to know.
303 words, about 2 min07Professional Practice and Research Literacy
Know the scope of practice, supervision expectations, continuing education, and documentation standards. Records should be accurate, timely, and objective, capturing the counselling contract, information given, client decisions, and follow-up plan.
261 words, about 1 min08Treatment, Management, and Referral
Counsellors do not prescribe but must understand management pathways well enough to support informed decisions and appropriate referrals. Know the broad categories: enhanced surveillance, risk-reducing surgery, chemoprevention, enzyme or substrate therapies for selected metabolic disorders, and supportive and palliative care.
312 words, about 2 min