This pathway shows you how to apply for a Skills Assessment outcome so that you can register and work as a pharmacist in Australia.
This process applies if:
You'll need this outcome issued to:
This pathway applies if you completed an approved* pharmacy qualification or adjudication process in either:
*An approved qualification must be recognised by the pharmacy regulator in the country of qualification.
The qualification must also be the equivalent of either:
Besides holding a completed degree, you must also:
If any of the above points are not true for you, this process does not apply. See Skills assessments.
Skills Assessment structure
The process for requesting a Skills Assessment outcome has two parts:
Time frames
If you leave out any documents or provide incorrect information when you apply, the eligibility check will take longer.
Cost
This section describes what documents you will need at each step of the process including:
To start your Eligibiliy Check, head to the Candidate Portal.
When you apply for an eligibility check, you need to include your:
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Passport |
If you do not have a current passport, you can complete your application with an alternative Australian or New Zealand identification document. The only accepted alternatives include:
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Qualification certificate or letter of completion |
You must include your qualification certificate or letter of completion if your certificate has not yet been issued.
If you completed your degree in another country but are now registered in either Canada, Ireland, the UK or the USA you will still need to include scans of:
Combine files into one file. |
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Academic transcript |
The academic transcript issued by the education provider must:
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Evidence of registration |
You must be fully registered as a pharmacist in Canada, Ireland, the UK or the USA. To show this, arrange for the registering authority to send us a scan of:
Ask the registering authority to email these directly to us at assessments@pharmacycouncil.org.au. |
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Evidence of your pharmacist work experience (optional) |
You do not need to have worked as a pharmacist to apply for an eligibility check. However, if you request for us to comment on your work history to support your visa/migration application, we'll need to see evidence of your work experience. We can only consider your work experience if you've worked:
In the portal, include Work Experience Reference Templates combined with secondary evidence such as a payslip, income tax statement or Government issued letter. You'll need to complete one template per employer. Upload these as one single file. |
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Resume or Curriculum Vitae (optional) |
If you'd like us to assess your work experience, you need to provide an up-to-date resume or curriculum vitae (CV).
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Agent authorisation form (optional) |
If you want to nominate someone to communicate with us on your behalf, upload the original APC Agent Authorisation Form. Both you and your agent must sign the agent’s authority. |
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Evidence of name change (optional) |
Your name must appear the same way on all your documents. If you have changed your name, you need to upload proof of any name change in the portal. If your name is spelt incorrectly in any of your documents, you will need to have them corrected by the organisation who originally issued them. Documents that prove a change of name include:
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Translate any non-English documents into English. We will not accept an extract translation of the document. It must be a translation of the full document.
You must use a translator who is accredited by the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI). We will not accept documents that have been translated by anyone else.
For more information on the criteria that your qualification needs to meet, see our Assessment Standards.
For specific details about the required documents, see our Skills Assessment Documents Policy.
You do not need to:
If you leave out any documents or provide incorrect information, the process will take longer than usual.
Once you've passed the eligibility check you can register for the CAOP exam. You'll need to upload a scan of a recent, passport-sized photo.
Your photo must be:
The uploaded photo:
If you usually cover your head for religious reasons, or you wear facial jewellery, your photo can include these items.
If you have a disability or health-related needs, you may request extra support or an adjustment on the day of 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.
If you've asked for special accommodation, you'll need a scan of a medical certificate from a recognised healthcare worker. This certificate must include:
For details on what we require when you apply, see our Special Accommodation Policy.
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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. |
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OnVUE online proctored exam |
You'll need to show 1 form of ID. |
Your ID must be valid (unexpired) and also be original, not a photocopy or digital ID.
The name on both forms of your ID must match the name you used to register for your exam. Email us before the exam if your name on any ID form is different to the one you used to register.
Usually, ID 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.
If you have an issue with any of your ID documents, email us on info@pharmacycouncil.org.au at least 3 business days before the exam to request a pre-approval.
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ID Type |
Requirements |
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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:
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Secondary ID (Test centre candidates only) |
This ID document must either contain:
Types of acceptable secondary ID include:
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Step 1
You must:
If any of these conditions are not true for you, this pathway does not apply to you. See Skills Assessments page.
You'll need to provide us with documents to:
You'll also need to ask your registering authority to send scans of your registration documents directly to us.
Anyone can help you fill out forms or give you general help with your application.
But you may want us to correspond with another person, such as a migration agent or family member, instead of you.
If you want to nominate someone else to work with us, download and fill in our Agent Authorisation form. Both you and your nominated agent must sign it.
Please note that your nominated agent must use a different email address to yours.
You'll need to scan and upload the completed form in your application where it says 'If you use an agent'.
If you nominate someone else, we'll only talk to your authorised agent about your application.
Create an account in our Candidate Portal using your name and address.
In the portal, you will:
Make sure you have all the correct documents, and that they're correctly prepared.
We can accept payment by credit or debit card. Your card must be issued by a bank in your country of residence.
We'll email you to let you know when we've received your application.
It will take us about 8 weeks to complete your eligibility check.
If you leave out any documents or send us incorrect information, it will take us longer.
We may email you to tell you we need more information.
If we ask for more information, you have 6 months (180 days) to get this to us.
If we do not receive the correct information from you within 6 months, our system will close your application. If this happens, you'll need to re-apply and pay the fee again.
We'll tell you (or your agent) by email whether or not you can sit the CAOP exam.
Step 2
To register for the exam, you must have received confirmation from us that you're eligible to sit the exam.
You can choose to sit either:
You cannot change delivery mode after you've confirmed your appointment. Please see a comparison between test centre and online proctored exams for details.
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Test centre exam |
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OnVUE online proctored exam
Candidates sitting the online proctored exam will also need a smart phone to verify their identification and to be contacted by the remote proctor in case of a technical issue. |
Go to the Exam dates and centres page to find out where and when the next exam will be.
You can request special accommodation during the registration process. You will be prompted to upload your supporting documents.
For example, if you need to, you can request to have a break. All breaks must be scheduled and pre-approved.
We'll review your request and your documents. We'll then email you the outcome of your request.
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Test centre exam |
OnVUE online proctored exam |
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Learn more about the online proctored exam. |
Our exam provider, Pearson VUE, will email you to confirm that they've temporarily reserved a seat for you. Paying your fee in the next step will secure your seat.
Paying the fee secures your seat at the exam.
Please note:
We'll email you a receipt for your payment after we process the order.
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Test centre exam |
You can reschedule your exam to another date and time only during the registration period. |
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Online proctored exam |
You can reschedule your exam up until 1 hour before your exam's scheduled time. |
You cannot change delivery mode after you've confirmed your appointment. Please see a comparison between test centre and online proctored exams for details.
We'll send you a reminder email around 3 days before your exam.
Read this email carefully. It will include:
We offer several resources that will help you prepare to sit the exam. These include:
Step 3
Reference books
The CAOP exam is 'restricted open-book'. This means you can bring with you 1 copy of each of the approved reference books including any edition of:
Your reference books must not contain any annotations, handwritten notes or loose additional notes.
However, you may highlight or flag parts of the text before the exam.
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Test centre exam |
Bring with you:
For details on what we require as ID, see Exam dates and places. Pearson VUE will provide you with:
Do not bring with you:
During the pandemic, you must bring and wear your own face mask while you’re at the test center and throughout your exam. Read the latest health & safety requirements at Pearson VUE-owned test centers. |
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Online proctored exam |
Bring with you:
For types of ID documents, see OnVUE information. Pearson VUE will provide:
Do not bring with you:
You cannot have blank sheets of paper or notebooks at your desk during the exam. |
You'll have 2 hours to answer 70 questions.
Of these, 62 are scored questions, and 8 are unscored.
An additional 15 mins is allowed to familiarise yourself with the exam tutorial, and 5 minutes at the end of the exam to complete a survey.
The CAOP exam covers 5 content areas:
The pass standard for the exam is set at a level that demonstrates competency. The pass standard also takes into account the performance of candidates in prior sittings. This analysis of results over previous years ensures fairness and equity over a period of time. The level of difficulty remains constant across time.
You will receive a results certificate indicating your outcome.
Learn more about what's in the exam in the CAOP Examination guide.
Step 4
We'll email you or your agent after your results are available. Expect this to be around 2 weeks after you sit the exam.
You'll be able to view and download your results certificate from the Candidate Portal.
If you do not see your results in the Candidate Portal, email us on info@pharmacycouncil.org.au and provide your:
Each candidate receives a results certificate indicating their outcome.
We release all results as 'Pass' or 'Unsuccessful' only. We do not release the mark we calculated for your exam. The pass standard for the exam is set at a level that demonstrates competency. This is based on the performance of candidates in prior sittings and analysis of results over previous years.
Learn more about results in the CAOP Guide.
Once we release the results, we'll email you a copy of your Skills Assessment outcome within 5 to 10 business days.
Your outcome will be valid for 3 years from the date we issue it.
You can see how you performed on a scale that displays the level required for a successful outcome. You can find this information in your Candidate Portal.
You can register to sit the exam again during the next exam period. You may only sit the CAOP exam 2 times. If you are unsuccessful the second time, you'll need go through the Knowledge Stream process to receive your Skills Assessment outcome.
Rules regarding appeals against APC processes can be found in our Appeals Policy.
Once you have a Skills Assessment outcome you can:
The Department of Home Affairs sets the validity period for your Skills Assessment outcome for visa applications. APC is unable to change the validity period.
If something significant changes after we issue your Skills Assessment outcome, you can ask us for an updated Skills Assessment.
Learn about other pathways to getting your pharmacy qualification recognised so you can migrate to, or register as a pharmacist in, Australia
More details