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.
On this page
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:
You can also sit the Intern Written exam in Townsville if numbers allow.
If you're outside of Australia, check the specific exam details below for test centre locations.
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.
Registrations Open |
Registrations Close |
Exam Dates |
10 May 2022 |
23 May 2022 |
20 - 21 June 2022 |
30 August 2022 |
12 September 2022 |
10 - 13 October 2022 |
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.
Registrations Open |
Registrations Close |
Exam Dates |
7 June 2022 |
20 June 2022 |
17 - 19 July 2022 |
4 October 2022 |
17 October 2022 |
6 - 8 November 2022 |
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.
If you're outside of Australia, you can sit your KAPS exam in the following cities:
Country |
City |
|
Argentina |
Buenos Aires |
|
Egypt |
Cairo and surrounding areas |
|
Greece |
Athens |
|
Hong Kong SAR |
Hong Kong |
|
India |
Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, New Delhi and Mumbai |
|
Kenya |
Nairobi |
|
New Zealand |
Auckland and Wellington |
|
Oman |
Muscat |
|
Pakistan |
Islamabad |
|
Peru |
Lima |
|
Philippines |
Manila |
|
Qatar |
Doha |
|
Saudi Arabia |
|
|
Singapore |
Singapore |
|
South Africa |
Johannesburg |
|
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.
Registrations Open | Registrations Close | Exam Dates |
---|---|---|
12 July 2022 |
25 July 2022 |
22 - 23 August 2022 |
18 October 2022 |
31 October |
28 - 29 November 2022 |
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 |
United Kingdom |
London |
Fiji |
Suva |
This information applies to candidates sitting their exam in a test centre. 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. However, you cannot make any changes after registration closes.
If you have any trouble booking your exam, email us on exams@pharmacycouncil.org.au for help.
You'll receive a confirmation email from our exam provider, Pearson VUE, once you've finished selecting your exam session. Read this email carefully because it will contain details on the exam venue, date and time. Ensure that you:
If you arrive at the venue after the exam starts, you will not be able to enter the room.
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.
OnVUE exam candidates
Online proctored exams have different ID requirements. If you are sitting the exam remotely, please see OnVUE exam candidate information.
Test centre candidates
You'll need to show 2 forms of identity (ID) to enter the exam room and sit the exam. At least one form must be an acceptable form of primary ID from the list below. They must also be original (not a photocopy or digital ID) and valid (unexpired).
Usually, both documents would be issued by the country where you're sitting the exam.
If you do not have an acceptable primary ID from that country, use an international travel passport from your country of citizenship as your primary ID.
Primary ID |
This ID document must be issued by your government and contain:
Types of acceptable primary ID include:
|
Secondary ID |
This ID document must either contain:
Types of acceptable secondary ID include:
|
ID requirements |
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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:
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.