NCCPA Geriatric Medicine CAQ Examination Practice Test
Geriatric medicine focuses on health care for older adults, with attention to function, cognition, mobility, medication effects, and goals of care. Practice questions sample decisions involving activities of daily living, fall prevention, osteoporosis, dry mouth, swallowing pills, vaccination, and advance care planning.
Exam overview
About the NCCPA Geriatric Medicine CAQ Examination Exam
Older-adult care often requires distinguishing basic activities of daily living, such as bathing and dressing, from instrumental activities such as managing finances, shopping, preparing meals, and organizing medicines. Clinical assessment also considers how pain, frailty, falls, and chronic disease affect independence. Medication review can identify anticholinergic effects contributing to xerostomia and practical barriers such as difficulty swallowing tablets. Cases may call for nonpharmacologic adaptations for hand osteoarthritis, environmental changes to reduce fall risk, or exercise approaches that support strength and mobility. Advance care planning involves eliciting a patient’s values and preferences, discussing who could make decisions if capacity is lost, and documenting those choices. The practice bank’s scenarios provide opportunities to apply these concepts to brief clinical presentations rather than recall isolated definitions.
Sample Practice Questions
Review a selection from this exam's published US Practice Tests practice bank.
An 80-year-old man with advanced heart failure says he is unsure whom he would want to make medical decisions if he later could not speak for himself. Which response best supports planning?
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Correct answer: AWhile the patient has decision-making capacity, clinicians can support him in identifying a trusted surrogate and documenting that designation through the appropriate process. The patient’s own choice should guide planning rather than assumptions based on family relationships or attendance.
An 83-year-old woman with osteoporosis asks how to reduce her risk of a wrist fracture after a recent fall. Which recommendation addresses an important modifiable environmental risk?
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Correct answer: AReducing tripping hazards and improving lighting are practical home-safety measures that can lower exposure to fall hazards. Recommendations should be tailored to the person's mobility and living environment.
A 82-year-old woman has difficulty opening jars and fastening buttons because of painful, enlarged finger joints. She asks about a nonmedication measure to make daily tasks easier. Which suggestion is most appropriate?
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Correct answer: AAdaptive equipment, such as larger-handled utensils or jar openers, and occupational therapy can support function and teach joint-protection strategies. Prolonged disuse may worsen stiffness and function.
A 80-year-old woman with advanced illness asks to discuss her preferences for future medical care while she can participate in decisions. What is the best next step?
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Correct answer: AAdvance care planning is most useful when the patient can express goals and preferences. Discussion can include values, a chosen surrogate, and documentation of preferences while respecting the patient's autonomy.
An 85-year-old man who lives alone has progressively worsening difficulty managing bills and has missed several utility payments. He remains independent with bathing, dressing, and eating. Which type of function is primarily affected?
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Correct answer: AManaging finances is an instrumental activity of daily living, which includes more complex tasks needed for independent community living. Basic activities of daily living include self-care tasks such as bathing, dressing, and eating.
A 79-year-old woman reports that her mouth feels persistently dry and she has difficulty eating crackers. She takes several medicines, including one recently started for bladder symptoms. Which initial step is most appropriate?
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Correct answer: ADry mouth can be related to medications and other health conditions, and it should not automatically be attributed to aging. Reviewing medicines and assessing for oral or systemic contributors can identify modifiable causes and guide symptom management.
A 74-year-old man with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease asks whether an influenza vaccine is appropriate for him. Which response is best?
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Correct answer: AAnnual influenza vaccination is generally recommended for older adults and is particularly important for people with chronic lung disease, who are at increased risk of complications. A specific contraindication or prior serious reaction should be reviewed, but COPD alone is not a reason to avoid vaccination.
How to use this practice test
Access is free. The bank contains 50 questions, and each practice session presents up to 20 random questions. After completing a session, review the results to identify which clinical decisions or geriatric concepts merit further study.
Preparation tips
- For each case about independence, classify the affected task as a basic or instrumental activity of daily living and note how the finding changes the care plan.
- When reviewing falls or fracture scenarios, separate patient-level risks from modifiable environmental hazards and identify a practical intervention for each.
- For dry mouth or pill-swallowing complaints, consider medication effects and formulation or administration barriers before assuming a new neurologic disorder.
- Practice advance care planning conversations that clarify the patient’s values and preferred surrogate while preserving the patient’s role in decisions.
- Connect reduced grip strength, slow gait, and difficulty rising from a chair with functional assessment and interventions aimed at strength and mobility.