As part of our mission to maintain standards of pharmacy education and training in Australia, we offer several examinations. Our exams include the:
These exams assess the knowledge and competencies of pharmacists who want to register to practise in Australia.
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During the pandemic, you must bring and wear your own face mask while you’re in the test centre and throughout your exam. Read the latest health & safety requirements at Pearson VUE-owned test centres.
Candidates must comply with State and Territory COVID-19 requirements. During check-in, you may need to provide evidence of:
For recent updates relating to COVID-19, see APC's Novel coronavirus (COVID-19) response.
Back to topIf you're in Australia, you can sit our exams in the following cities.
Test centres can reach full capacity or may not be available for certain sessions. Ensure you book your exam early.
Test centre |
Adelaide |
Brisbane |
Canberra |
Darwin |
Hobart |
Melbourne |
Perth |
Sydney |
Townsville |
If you're outside of Australia, check the specific exam details below for test centre locations.
The Intern Written exam assesses your ability to practise pharmacy in Australia. You can sit it if you:
You can choose to sit the Intern Written exam in one of 2 delivery modes:
You cannot change delivery mode after you've confirmed your appointment. To be sure of which delivery mode to choose, please see a comparison between test centre and online proctored exams.
Learn more about OnVUE online proctored exams.
Exam dates |
Registration period |
Results released |
19 - 20 June 2023 |
7 Feb - 22 May 2023 |
4 July 2023 |
23 - 26 October 2023 |
30 May - 18 September 2023 |
14 November 2023 |
Scheduled dates and exam availability may vary due to the COVID 19 pandemic.
For registration details, see the Intern Written Exam step-by-guide
For reference materials and resources, see the Intern Written exam guide and sample paper.
If you're in Australia, see our list of Australian test centres. Seat availability varies between test centres.
If you're outside of Australia, you'll need to travel to an Australian test centre, as you cannot currently sit the Intern Written exam in other countries.
The KAPS exam tests your knowledge of basic pharmaceutical sciences as they relate to practising in Australia. You can sit this exam if you've:
The KAPS exam includes 2 papers. If you're registering for both papers, you'll need to sit them on the same date.
Exam dates |
Registration period |
Results released |
17 - 19 July 2023 |
21 February - 13 June 2023 |
8 August 2023 |
20 - 22 November 2023 |
20 June - 9 October 2023 |
19 December 2023 |
Scheduled dates may vary due to the COVID 19 pandemic.
For registration details, see the Knowledge Stream (Stream A) step-by-step guide.
To help prepare for your exam, see the KAPS exam guide and sample paper.
If you're in Australia, see our list of Australian test centres.
Seat availability varies between test centres.
*Some centres may reach full capacity. Some centres may not be available for every session.
If you're outside of Australia, you can sit your KAPS exam in the following cities:
Country |
City |
Argentina |
Buenos Aires |
Botswana |
Gaborone |
Egypt |
Cairo and surrounding areas |
Fiji |
Suva |
Finland |
Espoo |
Ghana |
Legon |
Greece |
Athens |
Hong Kong SAR |
Hong Kong |
India |
Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Mumbai, New Delhi, Gurgaon, Pune and Noida. |
Jamaica |
Kingston |
Kenya |
Nairobi |
Malaysia |
Kuala Lumpur |
Nepal |
Birtamode |
New Zealand |
Auckland and Wellington Wellington |
Oman |
Muscat |
Pakistan |
Islamabad |
Peru |
Lima |
Philippines |
Manila |
Poland |
Krakow |
Qatar |
Doha |
Saudi Arabia |
Male: Dammam, Jeddah and Riyadh Female: Jeddah and Riyadh |
Singapore |
Singapore |
Spain |
Madrid |
South Africa |
Johannesburg, Cape Town |
Sri Lanka |
Colombo and Western Province |
Taiwan |
Kaohsiung, Taipei City |
Thailand |
Bangkok |
Türkiye |
Istanbul |
United Arab Emirates |
Dubai and surrounding areas |
United Kingdom |
London |
Zimbabwe |
Harare |
The CAOP exam assesses your ability to apply pharmaceutical knowledge and your competence to practise in Australia. You can sit this exam if you:
You can choose to sit the CAOP exam in one of 2 delivery modes:
You cannot change delivery mode after you've confirmed your appointment. Please see a comparison between test centre and online proctored exams.
Learn more about online proctored exams.
Exam dates |
Registration period |
Results released |
17 - 18 April 2023 |
24 January - 20 March 2023 |
2 May 2023 |
21 - 22 August 2023 |
28 March - 10 July 2023 |
5 September 2023 |
27 - 28 November 2023 |
18 July - 30 October 2023 |
12 December 2023 |
Scheduled dates may vary due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
For registration details, see the Competency Stream (Stream B) step-by-step guide.
For reference materials and resources, see the CAOP exam guide and sample paper.
If you're in Australia, see our list of Australian test centres.
Seat availability varies between test centres.
If you're outside of Australia, you can sit your CAOP exam in the following cities:
Country |
City |
New Zealand |
Auckland and Wellington |
Dublin |
Ireland |
United Kingdom |
London, Plymouth and Edinburgh |
Philippines |
Manila |
Fiji |
Suva |
If you are sitting an online proctored Intern Written exam or CAOP exam, please see the OnVUE exam candidate information.
Registrations open at 9am and close at 5pm AEDT/AEST. Check these times in your local time zone with a time zone converter.
We reserve exam seats on a first-come first-served basis. When an exam schedule is full, we close registration for that session. We cannot accept any late registrations.
Some locations fill up fast, so we suggest booking your exam as soon as possible after registration opens. You can choose a different test centre if it's available.
If you have any trouble booking your exam, email us on info@pharmacycouncil.org.au for help.
If you have a disability or health-related needs, you may ask for extra support or an adjustment to complete the exam. We call this type of support 'special accommodation'.
Examples of special accommodation requests might include:
You'll need to provide evidence to justify your request.
For details, see our Special Accommodation policy.
Items that you can and cannot bring into the exam room with you will vary between exams. For details, check the 'Process' tab under your exam's step-by-step guide:
Exam in a test centre |
You'll need to show 2 forms of identification (ID). At least one must be an acceptable form of primary ID from the list below. |
OnVUE online proctored exam |
You'll need to show 1 form of ID. |
Your IDs must:
If you do not have an acceptable primary ID from the country that you're sitting the exam in, use an international travel passport from your country of citizenship.
If you have an issue with any of your ID documents, email us at least 3 business days before the exam to request a pre-approval. For your own security, never send copies or images of your ID documents via email. Instead, provide in writing:
ID Type |
Requirements |
Primary ID |
This ID document must be issued by your government and contain:
Types of acceptable primary ID include:
IDs that we cannot accept for online proctored exams:
|
Secondary ID (Test centre candidates only) |
This ID document must either contain:
Types of acceptable secondary ID include:
|
You can request a refund for any reason, however they are subject to our approval. You will either receive a full refund or a partial refund, depending on the timing of the cancellation, including either:
Learn more about our refunds under fees and payments.