NCCPA CAQ Geriatrics
NCCPA Certificate of Added Qualifications (CAQ) in Geriatrics
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Cheat sheet
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ExploreCommon mistakes
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ExploreAbout this exam
The Certificate of Added Qualifications (CAQ) is an NCCPA specialty credential that a Board Certified PA can earn to demonstrate advanced expertise in a focused area of practice beyond the generalist certification. NCCPA describes the CAQ program as a way to "show your advanced expertise in your specialty." NCCPA is the only certifying organization for PAs in the United States, was established as a not-for-profit organization in 1974, and is accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA). A geriatrics CAQ is aimed at PAs whose practice centers on older adults - for example in primary care, hospital medicine, long-term care, house calls, or palliative and post-acute settings - and who want a credential that signals that focus to employers, credentialing bodies, and patients.
Content for a specialty CAQ is built around the knowledge and skills that distinguish that specialty, so geriatrics study should center on the conditions and care decisions that make older-adult care different: multimorbidity and polypharmacy, falls and gait instability, cognitive impairment and delirium, sensory and nutritional decline, continence, pressure injury, goals-of-care and advance planning, caregiver burden, and the atypical presentations common in advanced age. Preparation should combine a review of those domains with practice on applied, case-based questions that require clinical reasoning rather than recall alone, plus attention to the practical requirements for applying and testing.
Be aware that at the time of writing the NCCPA geriatrics CAQ page returned a 404 error, so this page cannot confirm item counts, time limits, fees, blueprint weights, eligibility rules, or the CAQ validity period. Verify all specifics directly with NCCPA before you register or schedule. This page is an independent study resource and is not affiliated with or endorsed by NCCPA.
What you'll study
About NCCPA CAQ Geriatrics preparation
What exactly is a CAQ, and how is it different from PA-C certification?
PA-C certification is the general credential NCCPA issues to PAs; a CAQ is an additional specialty certificate that NCCPA describes as showing "your advanced expertise in your specialty." It does not replace your PA-C status, and it does not create a new license - state practice acts still govern what you may do.
Who should consider sitting for the geriatrics CAQ?
PAs whose day-to-day practice is substantially focused on older adults: primary care with a large geriatric panel, hospital medicine, long-term care or post-acute settings, house-call practices, and palliative or serious-illness care. If older-adult care is a small slice of your work, weigh whether the study time pays off.
How much does the exam cost, how many questions are there, and how long is it?
We cannot state these from NCCPA's published material: the geriatrics CAQ page returned a 404 error when we checked, so item count, time limit, fee, and passing standard are unverified here. Treat any figure you see elsewhere as unconfirmed and check NCCPA's Specialty CAQ pages and Key Dates before you budget or schedule.
How hard is the geriatrics CAQ, and what trips candidates up?
Specialty CAQs are written for experienced clinicians, so the difficulty is in applied reasoning rather than obscure trivia. Common failure modes: over-studying rare diseases while under-preparing common geriatric syndromes; missing atypical presentations (delirium read as depression, infection without fever); and weak handling of goals-of-care, deprescribing, and functional assessment questions.
If I fail, can I retake it, and how soon?
Retake rules, waiting periods, and any fee for a subsequent attempt are set by NCCPA and were not verifiable from the source material retrieved for this page. Do not assume a fixed waiting period. Confirm the current retake policy through NCCPA's Specialty CAQ FAQs and Exceptions to Policy pages before you sit.
How long does the CAQ stay valid, and how is it maintained?
The validity period for a specialty CAQ is not confirmed here, and NCCPA's site references a "CAQ Online Maintenance Exam Agreement," which suggests ongoing maintenance requirements. Check NCCPA's Earn Specialty Certificates section for the current validity term and maintenance obligations rather than relying on secondhand figures.
What study order works best in the months before the exam?
Start with the geriatric syndromes you see most: falls, delirium and dementia, polypharmacy and deprescribing, incontinence, pressure injury, and nutrition. Then add complex decision-making - goals of care, advance planning, caregiver assessment, and atypical disease presentation. Finish with timed, case-based practice so you build reasoning speed, not just recall.
Does a geriatrics CAQ change how I'm listed when someone verifies my credentials?
NCCPA maintains a Verify Board Certification tool that employers and licensing boards use to confirm certification and any disciplinary actions issued by NCCPA. How a CAQ appears in that record, and whether it is displayed separately from PA-C status, should be confirmed with NCCPA directly.
Where do I find official dates, eligibility, and application steps?
NCCPA's site organizes this under Earn Specialty Certificates, with links to Key Dates, Specialty CAQ Resources, and Specialty CAQ FAQs. Because the dedicated geriatrics page was unavailable when we checked, start from the main Specialty Certificates section and confirm eligibility and deadlines there before applying.