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
For recent updates relating to COVID-19 see APC's Novel coronavirus (COVID-19) response.
We’re delighted to announce the next Intern Written Exam dates. This October you’ll have the option to sit either:
For further information about the October session and the online proctored exam see:
You can find the confirmed dates below. You will also find details about each exam delivery method to compare your options.
Answers to your questions about the October 2020 exam
The Pharmacy Board of Australia (PharmBA) has temporarily reduced the number of supervised practice hours required for general registration from 1824 hours to 1575 hours. See Internships.
IWE candidates must complete 40% of 1575 hours to be eligible to register for the exam in October 2020.
The PharmBA has made temporary changes to the requirements to sit the Oral Exam.
A pass in the IWE will not be required to sit the Oral Exam.
If you complete both the oral and written exams in October but only pass 1 exam – your pass result will be valid for 18 months.
No. We will work with PharmBA to ensure you have the opportunity to sit both exams without a clash. When we confirm the dates, we will update this page.
We have rescheduled the KAPS exam set for October 2020. It will now be held in December 2020.
We made this decision based on many factors outside of our control. Many test centres across the world are unavailable due to COVID-19 health restrictions.
Going ahead with the October session would exclude many candidates from the opportunity to sit the exam. So, to the fairness of all candidates, we could not offer the October session. Read more.
If you're in Australia, you can sit our exams in:
You can also sit the IWE in Townsville if numbers allow.
If you're outside of Australia, check the specific exam details below for exam centre locations.
Different exam centres will have different dates for exam sessions. Please finish registering before you arrange your travel.
The IWE assesses your ability to practise pharmacy in Australia. You can sit it if you:
|
Registrations Open |
Registrations Close |
Exam Dates |
|
25 August 2020 |
7 September 2020 |
17 - 21 October 2020 |
|
27 October 2020 |
9 November 2020 |
6 December 2020 |
Test centre dates: Saturday 17 October – Sunday 18 October 2020
OnVUE dates: Saturday 17 October – Wednesday 21 October 2020
For details, see the Intern Written Exam step-by-guide
Scheduled dates may vary due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In case you're not sure which exam delivery mode to choose, we've compared the two options to help you decide.
|
Event-based exam delivered in a test centre |
Online proctored exam delivered by OnVUE |
|
|
Registration Period |
25 Aug – 07 Sep |
25 Aug – 07 Sep |
|
Exam dates |
17-18 October |
17-21 October |
|
Availability |
3 sessions per day |
24 hours a day |
|
Registration steps |
Select “at a local Test Centre” |
Select “at home or office” Run pre-check to ensure your device meets the system requirements for OnVUE |
|
Changes to booking |
Changes can be made to your exam appointment during the registration period (subject to seat availability). No changes can be made to your appointment after registrations close |
Your exam appointment details can be changed up to 1 hour before your scheduled exam time. This is subject to availability of the session. |
|
Refunds |
Same – see refund policy |
Same – see refund policy |
|
Special accommodation |
Some limitations – see special accommodation table |
Some limitations – see special accommodation table |
|
Identification Documents (ID) |
2 IDs required – refer to your confirmation email |
1 ID required – refer to your confirmation email |
|
Bathroom breaks |
Permitted |
Not permitted |
|
Permitted Resources |
Any reference books |
Any reference books |
|
Items allowed on your desk |
Calculator Any item on the Comfort Aid list You will be provided a whiteboard notebook and pen |
Any item on the Comfort Aid list A glass of water |
|
Online tools |
Calculator |
Calculator Online whiteboard tool |
|
Arrival time |
45 min prior to the exam |
30 min prior to the exam |
|
Invigilator |
Test Centre invigilators |
Artificial intelligence, greeters, and online remote proctors |
|
Support during the exam |
Test Centre invigilators |
Online chat tool with your online remote proctor |
|
Result release date |
09 November 2020 |
09 November 2020 |
If you're in Australia, see our list of Australian exam centres.
If you're outside of Australia, you'll need to travel to an Australian exam centre, as you cannot currently sit the IWE 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:
| Registrations Open | Registrations Close | Exam Dates |
|---|---|---|
| 13 October 2020 | 26 October 2020 | 6 - 8 December 2020 |
The KAPS exam includes 2 papers. If you're registering for both papers, you'll need to sit them on the same date.
For details, see the Knowledge Stream (Stream A) step-by-step guide.
Scheduled dates may vary due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
If you're in Australia, see our list of Australian exam 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, Christchurch and Wellington |
|
Oman |
Muscat |
|
Pakistan |
Islamabad |
|
Peru |
Lima |
|
Philippines |
Manila |
|
Qatar |
Doha |
|
Saudi Arabia |
Riyadh |
|
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:
For more information, see the Competency Stream (Stream B) step-by-step guide.
| Registrations Open | Registrations Close | Exam Dates |
|---|---|---|
| 23 June 2020 | 7 July 2020 | 24 - 26 July 2020 |
| 27 October 2020 | 9 November 2020 | 6 December 2020 |
Scheduled dates may vary due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
If you're in Australia, see our list of Australian exam centres.
If you're outside of Australia, you can sit your CAOP exam in the following cities:
|
Country |
City |
|
New Zealand |
Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington |
|
United Kingdom |
London |
If you are sitting an online proctored IWE 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 exam 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.
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.
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.
Online proctored exams have different ID requirements. If you are sitting the exam remotely, please see OnVUE exam candidate information.
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:
Other items that you can and cannot bring into the exam room with you will vary between exams. For details, see the step-by-step page guide for your specific exam:
If you need to withdraw from an exam, see our APC Refund of Fees for Examination Cancellation Guidelines policy.
This policy also applies if you're ill, or if personal circumstances prevent you from sitting the exam on the day.