For the new pathway from January 2027, the Certificate in Geriatric Medicine is the knowledge credential, while the Diploma in Geriatric Medicine adds a clinical assessment after the certificate. CGM and DGM should therefore not be treated as two interchangeable names for the same examination or as competing question banks.
There is also a transition to navigate. On 6 September 2026, information about the forthcoming CGM sits alongside remaining 2026 DGM clinical arrangements. Candidates with an existing examination history should identify their route before applying the new requirements to an old pass.
What changes in the 2027 pathway
The British Geriatrics Society's CGM page, checked on 6 September 2026, describes the certificate as a standalone knowledge credential developed with the Royal College of Physicians. A successful candidate can then pursue the clinical diploma.
That distinction matters to preparation. Someone seeking to demonstrate knowledge of older people's healthcare needs written assessment preparation. Someone proceeding to a clinical assessment also needs to show how that knowledge is used in an encounter, including assessment, explanation and decisions.
This article is published by iatroX and discusses its learning resources alongside the official assessment routes. The qualification requirements come from the RCP and BGS, not from a commercial question-bank label.
The published CGM format and dates
The RCP's CGM page, checked on 6 September 2026, lists an online knowledge assessment of 200 best-of-five questions, arranged as four papers of 50 questions. Each paper lasts 90 minutes.
The published examination date is 24 February 2027. Applications run from 4 January to 18 January 2027, closing at 11am UK time; results are listed for 31 March 2027. These are the stated dates, not a confirmation that a particular applicant is eligible or has a place.
The RCP opens the certificate to statutorily regulated healthcare professionals in good standing without practice restrictions. It also states that applicants should have at least two years' post-qualification experience, including at least four months with substantial exposure to older people's care. Check both the eligibility section and the experience expectations, rather than reading the qualification as doctors-only or open without conditions.
The DGM adds clinical assessment
For the new route, the RCP DGM page describes clinical assessment after successful completion of CGM. Its published format is an OSCE of approximately one and a half hours with four live stations at the RCP assessment centre in Liverpool.
The same page, checked on 6 September 2026, lists a November 2026 clinical administration with applications from 1 to 14 September and planned examination dates from 9 to 11 November, with possible additional dates in that week. That is a current transition-period opportunity, not the first clinical sitting after the February 2027 certificate.
The BGS comparison explicitly includes a CGM or DGM Part 1 pass within the preceding four years among the routes to DGM eligibility. A candidate with a legacy pass should still confirm the applicable conditions with the RCP, but the new heading should not be read as automatically invalidating that pass.
Use the assessment distinction to choose the learning task
For knowledge preparation, begin with the relevant official curriculum and sample questions. Test whether you can identify the important information, distinguish competing explanations and justify the best answer. Merely remembering that a fact appeared in a resource is not the same as applying it.
For clinical preparation, add observed case discussion, communication practice and appropriate hands-on assessment. A question bank can identify weak topics, but it cannot establish whether a candidate can examine someone, respond to an unexpected concern or communicate a workable plan.
The difference is not that one route requires facts and the other requires none. Both require knowledge. The clinical task asks the candidate to demonstrate its use in a richer and less predictable setting.
An original case to expose the difference
Consider a fictional older person whose family reports increasing difficulty managing daily tasks. The person is concerned about losing independence and does not agree with every part of the family's account. No diagnosis or management decision is supplied in this exercise.
For a written learning task, ask which additional information would most help clarify the problem, and why. The candidate should distinguish reported change, functional impact and competing explanations rather than attaching a diagnosis to age alone.
For a clinical task, ask the candidate to begin the conversation, establish the person's perspective and explain what further assessment would involve. A fluent list of questions may still fail if it ignores the patient's concerns or treats the relative's account as the only relevant evidence.
The feedback should match the task. In the written exercise, examine the reasoning behind the selected information. In the encounter, examine how information was gathered and used. This is an authored teaching example, not an official CGM question or DGM station.
Review older resources without discarding everything
A resource labelled DGM may contain useful knowledge material while describing a previous assessment structure. Check its syllabus date, format assumptions and intended component before deciding whether to keep it.
Create a simple record of what the resource covers and what remains unverified. For example, an explanation of a clinical topic may be relevant, while the suggested examination timetable is no longer applicable. Preserve the explanation and replace the obsolete planning information.
Where a question bank claims current alignment, look for sample content and a clear description of the route. Do not infer complete coverage from the qualification name alone. A revised title on a webpage is not an independent mapping audit.
Where iatroX fits, without inventing a new credential
As of September 2026, its learning tools include exam-specific questions, Socratic Tutor, adaptive sequencing, spaced repetition and study planning. For this audience, the existing geriatric medicine knowledge material can be assessed against the candidate's relevant curriculum.
This article does not claim an independently audited, complete CGM mapping or a dedicated DGM clinical simulation track. Nor does it suggest that success in a private learning activity awards either RCP qualification.
A useful question-bank session should produce a specific next action: revisit a misunderstood concept, explain why another answer was less appropriate, or seek supervised practice for a clinical skill. The study plan should reflect the actual assessment component and date, rather than combining all activity under a vague geriatric medicine target.
For a clinician seeking the standalone knowledge credential, prioritise CGM requirements and written practice. For a clinician pursuing DGM, add the official clinical guidance and supervised assessment. For a legacy candidate, resolve the route first. Each scenario needs a different resource mix, not a universal winner.
Frequently asked questions
Is CGM simply a new name for the whole DGM qualification?
No, the new pathway distinguishes a standalone knowledge certificate from the subsequent clinical diploma. Prepare for the component that matches the intended credential.
Can someone with a legacy DGM knowledge pass assume the new rules apply unchanged?
Check the transition rules for the individual history: the BGS includes a DGM Part 1 pass within the preceding four years in its eligibility comparison. Confirm the applicable conditions with the RCP before applying.
Does a geriatric medicine question bank prepare every part of the clinical assessment?
No, it can support knowledge and reasoning but not establish hands-on or consultation performance. Clinical preparation needs appropriate observed and practical learning.