- What "CAEd Training" Actually Means
- The 35-Hour Dementia-Specific Training Requirement
- The Optional NCBAC Educator Course
- How Training Hours Fit Into Eligibility Paths
- Mapping Training to the Nine Exam Domains
- Exam Format and Remote Proctoring
- A Training-Aligned Study Timeline
- Continuing Education and Renewal Training
- FAQ
- NCBAC requires 35 dementia-specific training hours completed within the preceding 2 years.
- The optional educator course costs US$530 extra (US$895 combined with the exam) and gives 90 days of access.
- Behavior (18-22%) and Communication (15-20%) are the two heaviest exam domains - train there first.
- The exam is 100 questions in 150 minutes, delivered on NCBAC's remotely monitored browser platform.
What "CAEd Training" Actually Means
When people search "CAEd training," they're usually asking about one of two very different things: the formal dementia-specific training hours required for eligibility, or the exam-prep study process needed to pass the Certified Alzheimer Educator exam itself. Both matter, and they're governed by different rules under the National Certification Board for Alzheimer Care (NCBAC).
This is worth clarifying up front because several unrelated credentials share the "CAEd" acronym. This article covers Certified Alzheimer Educator training exclusively - the training hours, the optional NCBAC educator course, and the exam-preparation work tied to NCBAC's nine-domain outline. If you're still sorting out the basics of the credential itself, start with What Is CAEd Certification? or CAEd Certification before diving into training logistics.
The 35-Hour Dementia-Specific Training Requirement
The current live requirement from NCBAC is 35 hours of dementia-specific training completed in the preceding 2 years. This is separate from your work experience and separate from any optional course you purchase through NCBAC. It's a training-hours ledger you build through employer in-services, continuing-education seminars, conferences, or coursework focused specifically on dementia and Alzheimer's care - not general caregiving CEUs. Note that the September 30, 2019 handbook referenced an older 30-hour training figure; current NCBAC web instructions supersede that and set the live number at 35 hours. Always confirm against the current instructions rather than relying solely on the archived handbook PDF.
- Hours must be dementia-specific, not generic elder-care or general CNA continuing education.
- The 2-year window is rolling from your application date, not a calendar year.
- Documentation (certificates, sign-in sheets, CE transcripts) should be kept in case NCBAC requests verification.
For a full breakdown of how this training requirement interacts with the experience-based eligibility tiers, see CAEd Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify.
The Optional NCBAC Educator Course
NCBAC offers an optional educator course that can be purchased alongside the exam. It is not mandatory, but it is the most direct path to accumulating structured, verifiable dementia-specific hours toward the 35-hour requirement while also previewing exam content.
| Item | Cost | Access Window |
|---|---|---|
| Exam only | US$365 | Single sitting |
| Educator course add-on | +US$530 | 90 days or until exam, whichever comes first |
| Exam + Educator course combined | US$895 | 90 days or until exam |
Because the course access expires either after 90 days or once you sit the exam - whichever happens first - pace your study so you don't lose access before you're ready to test. A full cost breakdown, including how this compares against skipping the course entirely, is covered in CAEd Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown.
Key Takeaway
If you're already meeting the 35-hour training requirement through employer in-services, the educator course is optional polish, not a prerequisite - weigh the US$530 add-on against how much structured exam-content review you actually need.
How Training Hours Fit Into Eligibility Paths
Training hours are one piece of a larger eligibility puzzle. NCBAC requires candidates to be at least 21 years old and to satisfy one of several education-plus-experience combinations:
- High-school diploma plus a CAC credential and 4 years of qualifying experience.
- 2 years of college, or an LPN license, plus 3 years of experience.
- A bachelor's degree, or RN license, plus 2 years of experience.
- A graduate degree plus 1 year of experience.
- A stated 5-year experience/teaching exception for candidates who don't fit the above tiers.
The handbook is specific that qualifying experience must be direct-care or supervisory work of at least 25 hours weekly - part-time or occasional caregiving hours below that threshold won't count toward the experience side of eligibility. Layer the 35-hour dementia-specific training requirement on top of whichever experience tier applies to you, and you have your full eligibility checklist.
Because eligibility rules have several moving parts, cross-check your specific situation against CAEd Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify before you register or pay for the educator course.
Mapping Training to the Nine Exam Domains
Once eligibility is squared away, training attention should shift to the nine content domains NCBAC uses to build the exam. Published weights are ranges, and two domains clearly dominate:
Domain 4: Behavior (18-22%)
The single largest domain. Expect questions on interpreting behavioral expressions of unmet needs, de-escalation approaches, and distinguishing behavior driven by disease progression from behavior driven by environment or pain.
- Highest-weighted domain - schedule the most training hours here.
Domain 2: Communication (15-20%)
Covers verbal and non-verbal communication strategies across dementia stages, including techniques for reducing agitation during conversation and adapting communication as language ability declines.
- Second-largest domain by weight.
Domain 9: Adult Learning Theory & Techniques (12-17%)
Because CAEd holders are educators, this domain tests how you teach others - staff, families, peer caregivers - using adult learning principles, not just what you know about dementia clinically.
- Distinct from clinical content; focuses on instructional methods.
Domain 1: Knowledge of Disease (12-16%)
Foundational disease-process content: types of dementia, progression stages, and the physiological basis for symptoms you'll later teach others to recognize.
- Pairs naturally with Behavior and Health domains in study sessions.
The remaining five domains - Patient Rights (5-8%), Activities (10-14%), Health (5-10%), Caregiver Needs (2-5%), and Safety (4-6%) - carry smaller but still testable weight. For the complete breakdown of every domain with subtopics, review CAEd Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 9 Content Areas.
Exam Format and Remote Proctoring
All that training feeds into a single, fixed test format: 100 multiple-choice questions in 150 minutes. There's no separate "training test" or practical skills demonstration - everything is assessed through the written exam.
- Delivered on NCBAC's remotely monitored browser platform; no advance appointment booking is required.
- Requires a camera-enabled PC, laptop, or Chromebook - tablets and phones are not permitted.
- Reliable internet and a valid photo ID are required at check-in.
- Browser and camera activity are monitored throughout the session.
- Books, notes, and calculators are prohibited during the exam.
- Results normally follow recording review within 2 business days of your session.
The passing standard is a scaled score of 664 on a 300-900 scale, not a percentage of questions answered correctly. If you want the full mechanics of how scaled scoring works and what it means for your study targets, see CAEd Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass. For scheduling specifics tied to the remote-proctoring model, check CAEd Exam Dates 2026: Testing Windows, Deadlines & Scheduling.
Key Takeaway
Because there's no advance appointment requirement, you can align your exam sitting precisely with the end of your training window instead of booking around a testing center's calendar.
A Training-Aligned Study Timeline
Generic study techniques only go so far here - what matters more is sequencing review around domain weight and your training-hour documentation deadline. A sample eight-week structure:
Behavior + Knowledge of Disease
- Review behavioral expression frameworks and disease-stage progression together, since they overlap heavily on the exam.
Communication + Adult Learning Theory
- Practice both clinical communication techniques and how you'd teach those techniques to a caregiver audience.
Activities, Health, Safety
- Cover the mid-weight domains together; use spaced repetition on terminology you're likely to mix up across domains.
Patient Rights, Caregiver Needs, Full Review
- Finish the lowest-weighted domains, then run full-length timed practice sessions to simulate the 150-minute format.
For a more detailed week-by-week plan with specific practice question targets, see CAEd Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt. If you're still deciding how much study time to budget realistically, How Hard Is the CAEd Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide 2026 walks through the factors that make this exam more or less challenging depending on your background. You can also run timed practice sets on our practice test platform to get comfortable with the 100-question, 150-minute pacing before exam day.
Continuing Education and Renewal Training
Training doesn't stop once you pass. CAEd certification requires annual renewal consisting of US$65 plus 12 continuing-education hours. Unlike the initial 35-hour eligibility requirement, this is a smaller, recurring annual obligation designed to keep certified educators current on dementia care practice.
- Track CE hours annually rather than letting them lapse near your renewal date.
- CE content should stay dementia-specific, similar in spirit to the original 35-hour eligibility training.
- Renewal fees and CE hours are separate from - and much smaller than - the original exam and course costs.
For details on how renewal fits into the total cost of holding the credential long-term, see CAEd Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown, and for context on whether the ongoing commitment pays off professionally, review Is the CAEd Certification Worth It? Complete ROI Analysis 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. The 35-hour requirement is a general eligibility rule you can satisfy through any dementia-specific training - employer in-services, seminars, or the NCBAC educator course. The educator course is one optional way to accumulate structured hours and review content, priced separately at US$530 as an add-on.
Yes. Access to the educator course lasts 90 days or until you sit the exam, whichever comes first. Plan your study pace so you use the access window fully before it lapses.
Behavior, weighted at 18-22%, is the largest domain, followed by Communication at 15-20%. Prioritize dementia-specific training and study hours in these two areas before spending equal time on lower-weighted domains like Caregiver Needs (2-5%).
No advance appointment or physical testing center is required. The exam is delivered on NCBAC's remotely monitored browser platform using a camera-enabled PC, laptop, or Chromebook with reliable internet and photo ID.
Once your 35 hours of dementia-specific training and experience requirements are documented, you register for the exam directly through NCBAC. There's no separate training certification step - the hours simply establish eligibility to sit the 100-question exam.
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