- Where Hand Surgery CAQ Exam Dates Stand in 2026
- Eligibility Comes Before the Calendar
- Registration Mechanics and the $3,000 Fee
- What Remote Test Day Looks Like
- Exam Format: 100 Questions in Two Hours
- Planning Backward from a Sitting
- Mapping the Blueprint onto Your Calendar
- Scoring and What a 500 Means
- After You Pass: The Ten-Year Clock
- Frequently Asked Questions
- The September 25, 2026 sitting has already passed, so plan around the next AOBOS-announced window.
- The exam is 100 Type A questions in two hours, with no scheduled break.
- Initial fee is $3,000; the passing score is 500 on a 200-800 scale.
- Arthritis (13-15%), Nerve (12-14%) and Infection (11-13%) carry the heaviest blueprint weight.
Where Hand Surgery CAQ Exam Dates Stand in 2026
Subspecialty Certification in Hand Surgery, still widely labeled the Hand Surgery CAQ, is administered through the American Osteopathic Board of Orthopedic Surgery (AOBOS) under the AOA certification framework. Unlike large-volume primary board exams that run across many weeks, this subspecialty exam is a low-volume sitting offered at specific, announced times. That makes the calendar a genuine strategic variable, not an afterthought.
The most important fact for anyone searching for 2026 dates: the September 25, 2026 sitting has passed. If you were hoping to target that date, you will need to watch for the next window announced by AOBOS and the AOA. This article deliberately avoids inventing future dates or deadlines that have not been confirmed. Always verify the current schedule, application cutoff and any late-registration rules directly with AOBOS before committing to a study timeline.
For a broader orientation to the credential itself, see What Is Hand Surgery CAQ Certification? and the overview at Hand Surgery CAQ Certification.
Eligibility Comes Before the Calendar
The single biggest scheduling trap is assuming you can pick a test date first and sort out eligibility later. The pathway has two distinct gates: the requirements to sit for the exam and the additional requirements to be awarded certification. These do not happen at the same moment, and confusing them leads to mistimed applications.
Requirements to sit for the exam
- Completion of a one-year ACGME hand fellowship, with program verification
- Active licensure in good standing
- Satisfaction of ethics requirements
Additional requirements for the award
- Qualifying AOBOS or AOBS primary certification
- Two years of active practice
- Appropriate privileges
- 125 major hand cases logged within a consecutive 12-month period, completed within the preceding three years
- At least 50% of your operative caseload devoted to hand surgery
Because the case-volume rule is tied to a consecutive 12-month window inside a three-year lookback, timing your log matters. If you are close to the threshold, a delayed sitting can actually help by letting you complete a stronger qualifying year. Our full breakdown is in Hand Surgery CAQ Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify.
| Milestone | What It Requires | Calendar Implication |
|---|---|---|
| Sit for the exam | One-year ACGME hand fellowship, licensure, ethics requirements | Eligible shortly after fellowship verification |
| Receive the award | Primary AOBOS/AOBS certification, two years of practice, privileges, 125 cases, 50% hand caseload | Passing alone does not complete certification |
| Case-log window | 125 major hand cases in a consecutive 12-month period within three years | Start documenting cases early; do not reconstruct from memory |
Registration Mechanics and the $3,000 Fee
The initial examination fee is $3,000. That figure is large enough that it changes how you should think about timing: a failed attempt means paying again, so rushing into an early window with incomplete preparation is expensive. The cleaner approach is to register only when your practice performance across the weighted domains is consistently above where you need to be.
When you plan your application, assemble these items well ahead of any deadline:
- Fellowship verification from your ACGME-accredited hand program
- Proof of current licensure
- Documentation addressing the ethics requirements
- Evidence of your primary board certification status
- Your case log, organized to demonstrate the 125-case threshold and 50% hand caseload
Verification steps are where delays most often occur, because they depend on third parties such as program directors and licensing boards rather than on you. Start these requests months before you intend to apply. For the full financial picture beyond the exam fee, including how to think about recertification costs, see Hand Surgery CAQ Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown.
What Remote Test Day Looks Like
The exam is delivered through MonitorEDU remote proctoring, and AOA guidance references the PARADIGM practice interface, which lets you become familiar with the testing environment before your sitting. Taking the exam from a private remote setting changes the logistics of scheduling in ways that an on-site test center does not.
Remote proctoring readiness
Treat the technical setup as part of your preparation, not a last-minute chore.
- Complete the required equipment and system checks well before test day
- Secure a genuinely private room where you will not be interrupted for the full two hours
- Confirm which tools are authorized, including any approved whiteboard, before you sit
- Practice in the PARADIGM interface so navigation is automatic
Because there is no scheduled break, think about the practical side too: plan your meal, hydration and clinic coverage so that nothing pulls you away. A hand surgeon who normally operates through mid-day should not schedule the exam on a call day or immediately after a long case list.
Exam Format: 100 Questions in Two Hours
The exam consists of 100 Type A single-best-answer multiple-choice questions delivered in one two-hour block with no scheduled break. The arithmetic is straightforward: roughly 72 seconds per question on average. In hand surgery, that pace is tight for items built around clinical vignettes, imaging descriptions or operative decision-making.
Type A questions present a stem and ask for the single best answer. That wording matters in a surgical subspecialty where several options may be defensible; your task is to identify the most appropriate next step, the most likely diagnosis, or the preferred technique given the specific scenario. Candidates who know the content but read hastily often miss the qualifier that makes one answer better than another.
To gauge realistic difficulty before you commit to a date, read How Hard Is the Hand Surgery CAQ Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide 2026, and review the scoring mechanics in Hand Surgery CAQ Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass.
Planning Backward from a Sitting
Once you have confirmed an upcoming window, work backward. The following sequence is anchored to hand-surgery-specific tasks rather than generic study habits.
Paperwork and baseline
- Request fellowship verification and confirm licensure documentation
- Audit your case log against the 125-case and 50% hand caseload thresholds
- Take a diagnostic question set to find weak blueprint areas
Heavy-weight domains
- Concentrate on Arthritis, Nerve and Infection first, since together they carry the largest blueprint shares
- Fold in Joint and Osseous for steady, high-yield coverage
Mid and lower-weight domains
- Cover Tendon, Tumor, Microsurgery, Vascular
- Skim Amputation, Pediatrics and Soft Tissue for recall of core facts
Timed simulation
- Complete full 100-question, two-hour sessions without breaks
- Run your equipment and room checks for the remote proctoring
If you need a fuller preparation framework, our Hand Surgery CAQ Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt goes deeper. You can also work through realistic items on the Hand Surgery CAQ practice test site.
Mapping the Blueprint onto Your Calendar
The official 12-category blueprint is undated and uses ranges rather than fixed percentages, so treat the weights as approximate guides to relative emphasis. Allocating study time roughly in proportion to these ranges is the most defensible use of a limited calendar.
| Domain | Blueprint Range | Scheduling Priority |
|---|---|---|
| Arthritis | 13-15% | Highest; schedule earliest and revisit often |
| Nerve | 12-14% | Very high |
| Infection | 11-13% | Very high |
| Joint | 10-12% | High |
| Osseous | 9-11% | High |
| Tendon | 8-10% | Moderate-high |
| Tumor | 7-9% | Moderate |
| Microsurgery | 6-8% | Moderate |
| Vascular | 5-7% | Moderate |
| Amputation | 3-5% | Lower, but quick to review |
| Pediatrics | 3-5% | Lower, but quick to review |
| Soft Tissue | 1-3% | Lowest; light-touch review |
Arthritis (13-15%)
The largest domain deserves the most calendar time. Expect questions that test recognition and management across the spectrum of hand and wrist arthritis.
- Distinguish degenerative, inflammatory and post-traumatic patterns and their treatment implications
- Know indications and limits of operative options versus nonoperative care
Nerve (12-14%)
Compressive neuropathies, nerve injury and reconstruction principles are staples of a hand subspecialty exam.
- Be fluent in clinical localization and electrodiagnostic reasoning
- Understand timing and technique considerations for repair versus reconstruction
Infection (11-13%)
Hand infections are time-sensitive, and exam items often hinge on recognizing the urgent scenario.
- Recognize presentations that demand prompt drainage or debridement
- Match organism patterns and host factors to appropriate treatment
A detailed look at all twelve areas is in Hand Surgery CAQ Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 12 Content Areas, and a compact recall aid is the Hand Surgery CAQ Cheat Sheet 2026.
Scoring and What a 500 Means
The passing score is 500 on a 200-800 scale. Scaled scoring means the number is not a simple percent-correct, so avoid trying to reverse-engineer how many of the 100 questions you must answer correctly. Instead, aim for broad competence across the weighted domains, with extra margin in the heavy categories where a single weak area could cost the most.
If you are weighing whether to pursue the credential at all, the pass-rate discussion in Hand Surgery CAQ Pass Rate 2026: What the Data Shows and the broader ROI analysis can help frame the decision.
Key Takeaway
Do not schedule your sitting until timed, full-length practice sessions leave you comfortably above your target on the Arthritis, Nerve and Infection domains. Those three alone account for a large share of the blueprint.
After You Pass: The Ten-Year Clock
Certification is valid for ten years and is maintained through Osteopathic Continuous Certification (OCC). For the 2025-2027 cycle, requirements include 60 CME hours, of which 15 must be Category 1-A, along with a quality-improvement attestation and demonstration of professional standing. Hand surgery retains the long-form ten-year OCC exam, so the long-range calendar includes a second major assessment a decade out.
Build your recertification into your career planning from day one. Logging CME consistently across the cycle is far easier than compressing it into a final year. If you are exploring where the credential can take you professionally, see Hand Surgery CAQ Jobs and Hand Surgery CAQ Salary Guide 2026: Complete Earnings Analysis.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. That sitting has passed, so candidates should look for the next window announced by AOBOS and the AOA and confirm application deadlines directly with the board.
The exam is 100 Type A single-best-answer multiple-choice questions in one two-hour block. There is no scheduled break, so plan for continuous testing.
The initial fee is $3,000. Because a retake would mean additional cost, it is wise to register only when your timed practice results are consistently strong. See our cost breakdown for more detail.
Not necessarily. Sitting requires a one-year ACGME hand fellowship with verification, licensure and ethics requirements. The award additionally requires primary certification, two years of practice, privileges, 125 major hand cases in a consecutive 12-month period within three years, and at least 50% hand operative caseload.
It uses MonitorEDU remote proctoring from a private setting, with equipment checks required and authorized whiteboard or tools permitted. AOA guidance references the PARADIGM practice interface for familiarization.