The 2024 BCGP Exam is changing and I wanted to highlight some of the important information that you should know when planning to take this challenging exam. One of the biggest changes is that the exam was actually shortened. It has been shortened from 175 questions to 150 questions. It is important to note that 25 questions are NOT graded within your exam. My advice is to not get discouraged by getting a few questions wrong early. You don’t know for sure if they will be graded or not.

When setting up a study plan for the 2024 BCGP exam, I strongly recommend to look at the non-pharmacotherapy sections in the content outline first. The geriatric related knowledge may really throw you for a loop as it has for many candidates. You need to know terminology like elder abuse, neglect, ADLs, IADLs, capacity, conservatorship and many more!

When planning and preparing for the pharmacotherapy section, please remember to focus on your areas of weakness. This is a very broad exam and 150 questions is not a lot given all the potential information you could (or should) be tested on. I typically recommend a 3-6 month study period but have known plenty of candidates who have done it in more or less time than that window.

Do you have to know brand names? This is a question I get frequently and for the BPS exams like BCGP, you do NOT need to know brand names.

Pass rates from 2023 remain low. I discuss those pass rates in the video. The most recent release of the pass rates were below 50% for the BCGP exam for all candidates but 61% for first-time candidates in the fall of 2023. It is a difficult exam and you should not feel defeated if you don’t pass it and you should feel very happy if you do!

If you have any other questions about this exam, feel free to drop a comment below or shoot me an email at [email protected]

Our BCGP Study Materials get updated on an annual basis! You can check them out below!

Best wishes on your preparations!

Eric Christianson, PharmD, BCPS, BCGP