The eligibility criteria to sit for the BCGP exam is changing in 2023. There will be a higher bar for candidates to hurdle to be able to complete the application process and take the exam. Essentially, BPS has added another 2 years of geriatric practice experience (based upon the 2023 BCGP content outline) for those candidates who do not have a residency. The 2022 candidate guide only required 2 years of geriatric practice (with the 50% requirement) while the 2023 candidate guide requires 4 years for those who do not have a residency. Full details on the BCGP 2023 changes quoted from BPS are as follows.

2022 BCGP Content Outline

The following information is quoted from the 2022 BCGP Content Outline from BPS. Eligibility requirements:

  • “Graduation from a pharmacy program accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) or a program outside the United States that qualifies the individual to practice in the jurisdiction
  • Current, active license or registration to practice pharmacy in the United States or another jurisdiction
  • At least 2 years of specialty area practice with at least 50% of time spent in the scope defined by the exam content outline“

2023 BCGP Content Outline

The following information is quoted from the 2023 BCGP Content Outline from BPS. Eligibility requirements:

  • “Graduation from a pharmacy program accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) or a program outside the United States that qualifies the individual to practice in the jurisdiction
  • Current, active license or registration to practice pharmacy in the United States or another jurisdiction
  • One of the following, within the past 7 years:
    • At least 4 years of specialty area practice with at least 50% of time spent in the scope defined by the exam content outline
    • Completion of PGY-1 pharmacy residency and at least 2 years of specialty area practice experience with at least 50% of time spent in the scope defined by the exam content outline
    • Completion of PGY-1 pharmacy residency and PGY-2 pharmacy residency in Geriatric Pharmacy“

2023 Changes to BCGP Exam

If you’ve figured out if you are eligible or not, your probable next objective is to understand what I need to study to pass the BCGP exam. I went through the 2023 BCGP content outline line by line and compared it to the 2022 BCGP content outline, and I did not identify any differences. Other than trying to stay up to date with clinical practice guidelines and new medications, I would not anticipate dramatic changes in the content of the BCGP exam for 2023. However, the historic pass rate has been extremely low, often less than 50% over the last few years so be sure to take studying seriously.

If you are looking for some guidance and BCGP study strategies based on my experience in taking this exam twice as well as obtaining feedback from others, this video will still be very relevant for those taking this challenging exam in the fall of 2022 or in 2023.

We work on updates to our content annually and have added a ton of content over the last 2-3 years to make this one of the best BCGP prep packages out there! You can find all of our BCGP Study Materials here.

Eric Christianson, PharmD, BCGP, BCPS