As part of our mission to maintain standards of pharmacy education and training in Australia, we offer several examinations. Our exams include the:

  • Intern Written exam
  • Knowledge Assessment of Pharmaceutical Sciences (KAPS) exam
  • Competency Assessment of Overseas Pharmacists (CAOP) exam

These exams assess the knowledge and competencies of pharmacists who want to register to practise in Australia.

On this page

Updates on exams

COVID-19 safety procedures

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:

  • your COVID-19 digital certificate, showing you have received all required vaccinations
  • a negative COVID-19 test result prior to the exam (timing will depend on the State or Territory).

For recent updates relating to COVID-19, see APC's Novel coronavirus (COVID-19) response.

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Test centres in Australia

If 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.

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Exam dates and centres

Learn more about when and where you can sit your exam below. Different test centres will have different dates for exam sessions. Please finish registering before you arrange your travel.

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

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.

Test centres

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.

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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:

  • completed your pharmacy degree in a country outside of Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the UK or the USA
  • received an email from us confirming that you're eligible to sit the KAPS exam

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

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.

Test centres

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

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The CAOP exam assesses your ability to apply pharmaceutical knowledge and your competence to practise in Australia. You can sit this exam if you:

  • completed your pharmacy degree in Canada, Ireland, the UK or the USA
  • are also registered to practise pharmacy in that country
  • have received an email from us confirming that you're eligible to sit the CAOP exam.

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

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.

Test centres

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

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Exam candidate information

If you are sitting an online proctored Intern Written exam or CAOP exam, please see the OnVUE exam candidate information.

Registration

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.

Asking for special accommodation

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:

  • more time to complete the exam
  • being able to leave the exam room for breaks
  • more leg room at your exam desk if you're injured.

You'll need to provide evidence to justify your request.

For details, see our Special Accommodation policy.

On the day

Arrive at the test centre at least 45 minutes before the exam starts. If you arrive at the venue after the exam starts, you will not be able to enter the room.

What to bring

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:

Identification requirements

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:

  • be valid (not expired)
  • be original, not a photocopy or digital ID
  • be in English or be NAATI translated
  • match the name you used to register for your exam.

If you do not have an acceptable ID

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:

  1. all names displayed on your ID
  2. the type of ID (e.g. driver's licence, passport)

ID Type

Requirements

Primary ID

This ID document must be issued by your government and contain:

  • your full name
  • your date of birth (DOB)
  • a recognisable photograph
  • your signature.

Types of acceptable primary ID include:

  • international passport
  • government-issued national identity card (with a photo)
  • government-issued citizenship card (with a photo)
  • Australian or New Zealand driver’s licence.

IDs that we cannot accept for online proctored exams:

  • Renewal forms with expired ID’s
  • Government-issued name change documents with Government ID
  • Photocopy or digital ID

Secondary ID

(Test centre candidates only)

This ID document must either contain:

  • your name and signature, OR
  • your name and a recognisable photo.

Types of acceptable secondary ID include:

  • debit (ATM) card
  • credit card
  • any document on the primary ID list.
We permit 1 missing middle name or middle name/s abbreviated.

Refunds and cancellations

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:

  • full refunds up to 5 days prior to the exam session, OR
  • partial refunds from 5 days prior to the exam session and within 4 weeks after the exam session.
You will need to cancel your exam in your Candidate Portal.

Learn more about our refunds under fees and payments.

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