CGE – Comprehensive Graduation Exam

Eligibility

Students are required to pass the Comprehensive Graduation Exam (CGE) in order to graduate; they are eligible to take the CGE after they have completed 150 didactic units and 520 clinic hours. Students are strongly encouraged to take the CGE as soon as they are eligible in order to have sufficient time to practice and pass the exam. The passing score is 70%.

Effective from Summer 2019, DULA will implement mock questions system to the Institutional Exam (MCE and CGE). Mock questions are defined as but not limited to the new questions that have yet to be determined for their difficulty and appropriateness to the students’ capability in either MCE or CGE.

From 200 questions that will be tested in MCE and CGE, 20 questions will be considered as mock questions. These 20 questions will not be counted for credit to the final result of the exam. Therefore, only 180 questions in total that will be counted for credit and students have to score at minimum of 70% to pass the exam (Passing score is 126 for written exam).

The academic affairs department establishes the minimum acceptable level of competencies in each CGE, which students must possess in order to take the CALE.Students who do not pass the CGE may take it again in the following quarter (see rates below).

Scheduling

The exam is held on Sunday of the 7th week every quarter. Please check Academic Calendar to see when the exam will be held. Students take Part I (100 questions) of the CGE from 10:00AM-12:00PM. Part II (100 questions) is from 2:00PM-4:00PM the same day.

Special accommodations

Students requiring special accommodations must submit a doctor’s note to their program directors prior to registering for the exam. Students taking the CGE with special accommodations will take the exam in a separate room and will have an extra hour for each half of the exam. As such, they would take part I from 9:00AM-12:00PM and part II from 2:00PM-5:00PM.

Fees and registration

The fees for the exam are as follows:

Graduation exam, initial	: US$ 100
Graduation exam, retake	: US$ 100

Please refer to the academic calendar for registration for the initial and retake CGE and consult first with the MSOM program director for the graduation exam registration process.

Please also refer to MSOM Catalog regarding CGE information. Click here to download the exam registration form.

CGE Content

The CGE is a 200-question test based on the CALE. As such, it has the same breakdown of questions, namely:

1. OM (17%) – (developing a diagnosis impression):

The practitioner evaluates patterns of disharmony according to theories of oriental medicine to arrive at a final diagnosis.

• Form diagnosis impression (7%)
• Differentiation of syndrome (4%)
• Education and referral (4%)
• Treatment plan (2%)

2. Acupuncture (32%):

The practitioner implements knowledge of the therapeutic effects of points and combinations of points in modifying pain, normalizing functioning, and treating disharmonies. The practitioner uses anatomical landmarks and proportional measurements in locating points on or near body surfaces. The practitioner identifies clinical indications for using alternate treatment modalities.

• Point selection (8%)
• Point categories (8%)
• Point location and needling technique (5%)
• Provide auxillary treatment (8%)
• Microsystems (1%)
• Observation and modification (2%)

3. Herbs (11%):

The practitioner prescribes herbs and formulas based on diagnostic criteria. The practitioner modifies formulas and dosage of herbs according to the patient’s condition. The practitioner identifies situations and conditions where herbs and formulas would produce undesired effects.

• Identification of herbs (5%)
• Prescribing and administering herbs (6%)

4. Biomedicine (33%) – Patient assessment:

The practitioner obtains the patient’s history and performs a physical examination to determine presenting a complaint and interrelationship among symptoms. The practitioner determines the effects of western medications the patient is taking. The practitioner uses modern diagnostic testing procedures to augment traditional assessment methods.

• Patient history (15%)
• Physical exam (14%)
• Pharmacology (3%)
• Diagnosis testing (1%)

5. Regulations for public health and safety (7%):

The practitioner understands and complies with laws and regulations governing hygiene and the control of pathogenic contaminants. The practitioner applies legal guidelines for office practice and maintenance of patient records. The practitioner adheres to legal requirements for reporting known or suspected abuse.

CGE Instruction:

1. Cancellation: If students change their mind and decide to postpone their test, students must do so at least 48 hours prior to the test date and time. Please let the front desk know of your decision to postpone your exam.
2. Exam schedule: The exam consists of two halves, each with 100 questions. Combining parts 1 and 2, the exam has 200 questions. The first half of the exam is from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm. The second half of the exam is from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm. The exam is held in the lotus room on the 4th floor.
3. Students must arrive on time: The doors to the lotus room will be shut at 09:45AM and 01:45PM. Student will not be allowed to take the test if they arrive after this time. This is in keeping with the standards of the CALE.
4. Students cannot have anything with them at their desk other than a beverage: Students will be required to turn off their cell phone and leave it, with all of their other other belongings, in the back of the room. Any beverage students do have cannot have any sort of label.
5. Agreement: Once seated, all students must sign the examination taking agreement document before taking the exam. No talking is permitted at this time.
6. Students are allowed to write on your tests: This refers to the test itself, not the answer sheet. Do not write on the answer sheet (other than student’s answers and name, etc.).
7. Emergency: Students are only permitted to go to the outside of the lotus room in the event of an emergency, accompanied by one of the proctors the whole time until they are back to the inside the lotus room. While students are leaving, the test and the clock will still be counted, and students are not to be given any extra time. Students need to raise their hand during the test and they may leave the testing room with their proctor quietly.
8. Restroom: Students are permitted to go to the restroom, accompanied by one of the proctors the whole time until they are back to the inside the lotus room. While students are leaving, the test and the clock will still be counted, and students are not to be given any extra time. Students need to raise their hand during the test and they may leave the testing room with their proctor quietly.

Students will be informed of their score by email from the associate dean: If students do not regularly receive emails from the school, please make sure that the exam proctor has students email address. If a student does not use email, please provide the proctor with the student’s phone number.

After the CGE, students may not review the actual questions from the examination that they took. Instead, DULA will provide scores for each subject area for all test takers, so each student can assess their weak subject areas. If a student has concerns about the examination results, they can make an appointment with the associate dean and/or dean of academic affairs for further discussion.

When a student has any concern about any of these examination’s questions, DULA will provide a comment sheet on which the student may write any comments during examination. If a student needs further time for the comments on the question, DULA will provide 5 minutes extra time for writing the comments. The student’s comments will then be discussed and investigated internally with the program director, OMC director, and/or dean, as well as, (if needed) the academic committee meeting. The students will then be notified of the result of the discussion.

To also help the student in preparing CGE and MCE, students may practice the questions from these following books. These practice books are all available in DULA library to be borrowed. Please be noticed, these books only serve as self-study, therefore real question in CGE, MCE, CALE and/or NCCAOM may be different, however as for the MCE and CGE, at least 30% of the questions will be created in each quarter from these practice questions’ books:

1. Review and Pretest for NCCAOM and California Licensing Exams in TCM foundation, 2018, Dong Cheng Li
2. Review and Pretest for NCCAOM and California Licensing Exams in Chinese Herbology, 2018, Dong Cheng Li
3. Review and Pretest for NCCAOM and California Licensing Exams in Biomedicine, 2018, Dong Cheng Li
4. Review and Pretest for NCCAOM and California Licensing Exams in Acupuncture with Point Location, 2018, Dong Cheng Li

The remaining percentage of the questions will be taken from the DULA Exam Question Bank and from Didactic Faculty Final Exam questions. DULA updates its question bank in every quarter to maintain the current, new and updated questions to reflect what have been covered comprehensively from the classes, curriculum, and also to meet the MSOM program education objectives and the standard competency similar to the state board and national exam acupuncture and oriental medicine competency.

Acupuncture Point Abbreviations and Herbs

Please be noticed, the exam (MCE, CGE) will not provide the English definition of the points, the points will only cover with the abbreviation code that are mentioned in this page and as well as the chinese pinyin. The point in Chinese and Korean, will be provided in their own name in Chinese and/or Korean words.

For DULA CGE and MCE written exam, these are the abbreviation that will be used in the exam:

• Lung: L
• Large Intestine: LI
• Stomach: S
• Spleen: Sp
• Heart: H
• Small Intestine: SI
• Urinary Bladder: B
• Kidney: K
• Pericardium: P
• San Jiao: SJ
• Gall Bladder: G
• Liver: Liv
• DU Channel: Du
• REN Channel: Ren
• Extra Points will use their actual name, not the code

Note: For Student who took CGE in Chinese or Korean program, the acupuncture points will be using in their names in Chinese or Korean words, respectfully.

During exam, if students have any questions regarding acupuncture point abbreviation or others, they are always welcome to raise their hands and ask to one of the exam’s proctors.

The Exam (MCE, CGE) will provide the name of the herbs / formula both in chinese pinyin and the definition in English. The Korean and Chinese exam will use the name of the herbs / formula in Chinese and/or Korean own words respectively. The single herbs that are covered in MCE is not only from the CALE list but also from NCCAOM list. The same with CGE, the exam will cover single herbs and formula not only in CALE list but also in NCCAOM.

Study Aids

Please review the DULA webpage “study aids” to review the related information and also the textbook references. The webpage presents many important reference, study aids, how to prepare MCE / CGE, strategy, study time management and schedule, etc.

To access DULA webpage, go to Study Aids

DULA institutional exam review

After the DULA institutional exams, DULA will provide scores for each subject area for all test takers, so each student can assess their weak subject areas. If a student has concerns about the examination results, they can make an appointment with the associate dean and/or dean of academic affairs for further discussion.

When a student has any concern about the institutional examination’s questions, DULA also provides a comment sheet on which the student may write any comments during the examination. If a student needs further time for the comments on the question, DULA will provide 5 minutes extra time for writing the comments. The student’s comments will then be discussed and investigated internally with the program director, OMC director, and/or dean, as well as, (if needed) the academic committee meeting. The students will then be notified of the result of the discussion.

Students who have failed on their CGE will be asked to meet with the dean, program director or associate dean, to discuss about their recent exam and to help preparing them for their next CGE.

How to Study for the CGE

Time Table Tips for CGE