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

Health and safety

Read the latest health & safety requirements at Pearson VUE-owned test centres .

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

23 - 26 October 2023

30 May - 18 September 2023

14 November 2023

19 - 20 February 2024

21 November 2023 - 29 January 2024**

5 March 2024

17 - 18 June 2024

12 March - 13 May 2024

2 July 2024

21 - 23 October 2024

9 July - 16 September 2024

5 November 2024

**Registrations for the February session will be closed from 19 December 2023 - 8 January 2024 due to the Christmas shutdown.

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

20 - 23 November 2023

20 June - 9 October 2023

19 December 2023

4 - 6 March 2024

28 November - 5 February 2024**

19 March 2024

15 - 17 July 2024

26 March - 11 June 2024

30 July 2024

25 - 27 November 2024

6 August - 14 October 2024

10 December 2024

**Registrations for the March session will be closed from 19 December 2023 - 8 January 2024 due to the Christmas shutdown.

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.

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

Canada

Toronto and Montreal

Egypt

Cairo and surrounding areas

Fiji

Suva

Finland

Espoo and Helsinki

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

Oman

Muscat * Full capacity November session

Pakistan

Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi and surrounding areas

Peru

Lima

Philippines

Manila

Poland

Krakow

Qatar

Doha * Full capacity November

Saudi Arabia

Dammam, Jeddah and Riyadh

* Full capacity November session

Singapore

Singapore

Spain

Madrid

South Africa

Johannesburg, Cape Town

Sri Lanka

Colombo and Western Province

Taiwan

Kaohsiung, Taipei City

Thailand

Bangkok

Türkiye

Istanbul * Full capacity November

United Arab Emirates

Dubai and surrounding areas * Full capacity November

United Kingdom

London

Zimbabwe

Harare *Full capacity November session

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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

Registrations period

Results released

27 - 28 November 2023

18 July - 30 October 2023

12 December 2023

15 - 17 April 2024

28 November 2023 - 12 March 2024**

30 April 2024

19 - 20 August 2024

7 May - 15 July 2024

3 September 2024

18 - 19 November 2024

10 September - 14 October 2024

3 December 2024

**Registrations for the April session will be closed from 19 December 2023 - 8 January 2024 due to the Christmas shutdown.

For registration details, see the Competency Stream (Stream B) step-by-step guide.

For online proctored exam details, see the OnVUE exam information.

For reference materials and resources, see the CAOP exam guide and sample paper.

Learn more about online proctored exams.

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

Canada

Toronto

Ireland

Dublin

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)

Types of acceptable ID

The provision of results is contingent on your IDs meeting these requirements.

ID type

Requirements

Primary ID

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

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

Types of acceptable primary ID include:

  • international passport
  • government-issued national identity card (with a photo and signature)
  • government-issued citizenship card (with a photo and signature)
  • 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
  • we permit 1 missing middle name or middle name/s abbreviated

Types of acceptable secondary ID include:

  • debit (ATM) card
  • credit card
  • any document on the primary ID list.

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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