Core Revision
DGM 2027: the CGM written stage, the clinical exam, dates, fees and how to prepare
The Diploma in Geriatric Medicine is now a two-stage qualification. First comes the Certificate in Geriatric Medicine (CGM), a 200-question written assessment sat online, with one 2027 sitting on 24 February 2027 (applications 14 December 2026 to 18 January 2027). Only once you hold the CGM can you apply for the DGM itself, which is now a four-station clinical exam at the RCP’s assessment centre in Liverpool, run in June and November 2027. This post has every date the Royal College of Physicians has published, the fee, the format of both stages, and a plan for GPs who want the diploma without a geriatrics job. Checked against rcp.ac.uk on 24 September 2026.
Key dates
| Stage | Applications | Exam | Results |
|---|---|---|---|
| DGM OSCE, November 2026 | 1–14 September 2026 (closed) | 9–11 November 2026 | 16 December 2026 |
| CGM, February 2027 | 14 December 2026 – 18 January 2027 (11:00) | Wednesday 24 February 2027 | 31 March 2027 |
| DGM OSCE, June 2027 | 30 March – 12 April 2027 | 1–4 June 2027 | 7 July 2027 |
| DGM OSCE, November 2027 | 31 August – 13 September 2027 | 2–5 November 2027 | 8 December 2027 |
Sitting the CGM or the DGM clinical exam?
The DGM package has 1,000 best-of-five questions across fourteen modules, timed 50-question mocks, a revision guide and an OSCE module for the clinical stage. It is £49.99 for 12 months, which covers both stages. Try ten questions first, free and with no sign-up.
The sequence matters: pass the CGM in February, and the earliest DGM you can apply for is June. The RCP currently lists only one CGM sitting for 2027, so miss the January application deadline and, unless a second sitting is added, the next written paper is in 2028.
Who can sit it
The CGM is open to any statutorily regulated healthcare professional — doctors, nurses, pharmacists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, physician associates — with at least two years’ post-qualification experience including at least four months working with older people. That four months does not need to be in a geriatrics post; a GP registrar’s community and care-home work, or a partner’s frailty caseload, is exactly the experience the syllabus assumes. The DGM requires a CGM pass, current registration and no restrictions on practice. Both are RCP credentials developed in collaboration with the British Geriatrics Society.
Stage one: the CGM
- 200 best-of-five questions in four papers of 50, each 90 minutes, sat online from home or work with remote proctoring.
- Roughly six hours of examination in total. The RCP has not published the timetable, so plan for a full day and check the details when you book.
- The pass mark for the written paper is set by the Hofstee method, per the RCP’s DGM examination regulations (September 2024 — written for the previous 100-question paper, so check the RCP’s CGM page for the current version).
- Fee: £350.
Stage two: the DGM clinical exam
- Four live stations, each 15 minutes with five minutes’ reading time, two examiners per station, 80 minutes in total.
- Held in person at the RCP Assessment Centre, Liverpool, twice a year.
- The pass mark is confirmed for each diet by the examination board.
- Fee: £642 for the November 2026 sitting and £668 for the June and November 2027 sittings.
- You have four years from passing the CGM to pass the DGM, and a maximum of six attempts at each component under the RCP’s limit-on-attempts policy.
The curriculum
From 1 January 2027 both exams follow the RCP’s CGM & DGM curriculum (January 2027), so the February 2027 CGM is set against it. It has three domains: gerontology, the science of geriatric practice — epidemiology and demography, clinical physiology and biochemistry, frailty concepts, and medico-legal and social issues; clinical geriatric practice — older people living with multiple long-term conditions, the frailty syndromes, clinical medicine of old age, holistic and comprehensive geriatric assessment, communication and administration, subspecialty practice, and digital health and innovation; and additional key themes — cultural competence and health inequalities, and environmental factors. The CGM exam goes through what that means for the written paper. For revision we split the material into fourteen modules, from falls and syncope through polypharmacy, continence, Parkinson’s disease, capacity and advance care planning to bone health, nutrition and perioperative care. Most of it is the daily work of general practice with older patients, which is why GPs tend to find the CGM more familiar than they expect and the OSCE more exacting.
A realistic way to prepare
- October to January — the CGM: a module a week from the fourteen, with best-of-five practice throughout. Four papers of 50 is a lot of examination; do at least one full four-paper mock at 90 minutes each before February so the stamina is not a surprise.
- Apply for the CGM early in the window. It opens on 14 December and closes at 11:00 on 18 January, so apply before the Christmas break.
- March to June — the OSCE: the stations test what you do with a frail patient in front of you: a focused history, a capacity assessment, a medication review, a conversation about ceilings of care. Rehearse them aloud, timed, with a colleague as examiner. Reading about the Mental Capacity Act is not the same as applying it in fifteen minutes.
- Travel to Liverpool the night before. The exam runs over several days and you will be given one slot.
How this fits the platform
The DGM hub has the question bank (1,000 best-of-five questions across the fourteen modules), the revision guide, a dedicated OSCE module for the clinical stage, the exam trainer and the daily Core 10. The CGM comes first explains how we reorganised the material when the RCP split the exam. For each stage in detail, see the CGM exam and the DGM clinical exam. The package is £49.99 for 12 months, which covers both stages, and you can try ten questions free first.
Quick answers
When is the DGM in 2027?
The CGM written stage is on 24 February 2027 (applications 14 December 2026 to 18 January 2027). The DGM clinical exam runs 1–4 June 2027 and 2–5 November 2027.
Do I have to pass the CGM first?
Yes. The DGM clinical exam is only open to CGM holders, who then have four years to pass it.
What is the CGM format?
200 best-of-five questions in four 90-minute papers of 50, sat online with remote proctoring.
What is the DGM format?
Four live clinical stations of 15 minutes each, with two examiners per station, at the RCP Assessment Centre in Liverpool.
How much does it cost?
The CGM is £350 for the February 2027 sitting. The DGM clinical exam is £642 for November 2026 and £668 for the June and November 2027 sittings.
Can nurses and physiotherapists sit it?
Yes. The CGM is open to any statutorily regulated healthcare professional with two years’ experience including four months with older people.