Australian Intern Written Examination registration

This page shows you how to register and prepare for the Intern Written Examination. Passing the exam is a step in the process to become a fully registered pharmacist in Australia.

On this page:

• Overview
• Dates and locations
• Registration
• Rescheduling or cancelling
• Study guide & sample paper
• Prepare for exam day
• Resulting
• Next steps
• Related content

Overview

The Intern Written exam tests your skills, experience, knowledge and understanding as a pharmacy intern.

Eligibility: You can register to sit the Intern Written exam if you:

• are provisionally registered with the Pharmacy Board of Australia (PharmBA), or you were registered in the past, and
• have completed at least 75% of the required supervised practice hours required for general registration, or will have completed the hours by the exam date.

Duration of exam: 2 hours, 75 questions in total.

Cost: AU$710 per attempt - Learn more about exam fees.

Dates and locations

Exam dates	Registration period	Results released
17 - 18 June 2024	12 March - 13 May 2024	2 July 2024
21 - 23 October 2024	9 July - 16 September 2024	5 November 2024

Register for your exam!

Testing environments

You can choose to sit the Intern Written exam either:

• in-person at a test centre, or
• as an online proctored exam via OnVUE (e.g. in your home or office).

Test centres in Australia

The Intern Written Exam is only offered in Australia.

You can sit our exams in the following cities.

Test centre

Adelaide

Brisbane

Canberra

Darwin

Hobart

Melbourne

Perth

Sydney

Townsville

Seat availability

Seat availability varies between test centres. Test centres can reach full capacity or may not be available for certain sessions.

We recommend you finish registering before you arrange your travel.

Online proctored exam

Online proctored exams, though OnVUE, allow you to conveniently sit your exam remotely, at home or work or a suitable location while being monitored by an online proctor. All communication with the proctor is in English.

You can sit the online proctored exam anywhere that has:

• a reliable device with a webcam
• a strong and consistent internet connection, AND
• a room where you will not be disturbed for the duration of the exam.

Learn more about PearsonVUE's OnVUE exams.

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Find the right testing environment for you

Test centres and online proctored exams both have their advantages and unique requirements. Before registering, check which testing environment is right for you.

You cannot switch between test centre and OnVUE after you've confirmed your appointment.

Need help deciding? Ask yourself these questions.

Registration

Registrations open at 9am and close at 5pm AEDT/AEST. Check these times in your local time zone with a time zone converter. Registrations close about one month before exam day.

We cannot accept any late registrations.

Some locations fill up fast, so we suggest booking your exam as soon as possible when registrations open. You can choose an alternative test centre if your preferred centre is full. More seats may become available later.

Include support for any special accommodation request

Every test-taker is different. It is important we provide equitable access to testing. If you'd like to ask for special accommodation, you'll need to select the option as part of the registration process. You will be prompted to upload your supporting documents.

We'll review your request and your documents. We'll then email you the outcome of your request within two business days. If your request is approved, we will direct you to Pearson VUE to arrange the request details.

Your appointment date and time may change to allow for your request.

Read more about special accommodation.

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Pay the registration fee

You must pay the fee at the time of registration, if payment is not received your seat will be released

Please note:

• We can only accept payment through Visa or Mastercard credit or debit cards.
• Your credit card must be issued from a bank in your country of residence.

Register for your exam!

Rescheduling

You can reschedule your exam in your Candidate Portal.

Test centre exam	You can reschedule your exam to another date and time only during the registration period.
Online proctored exam	You can reschedule your exam up until 1 hour before your exam's scheduled time.

You cannot change your sitting options after you've confirmed your appointment.

Cancellations

You can cancel and request a refund for any reason, however it is subject to our approval and will incur a cancellation fee. The amount you receive depends on when you cancel your exam.See partial refund amounts.

Read our refund policy carefully for details.

You will need to cancel your exam in your Candidate Portal.

Prepare for exam day

Familiarise yourself with the exam and be prepared for the day of your exam.

1. Study using our study guide.
2. Prepare your identification documents, and what you are allowed to bring.

Results

We'll email you when your results are available. This will be around 2 weeks after the exam.

You'll be able to view and download your results from the Candidate Portal.

We release all results as 'Pass' or 'Unsuccessful' only. We do not release any scores.

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Advice for unsuccessful candidates

Sometimes candidates need more than one attempt to pass the Intern Written Exam. Don't give up! Talk to your friends, colleagues and family and work out how best to prepare for the next exam.

We provide a scale that displays the level required for a successful outcome. You can find this information in your Candidate Portal.

Re-sitting the exam

You can register to sit the exam again during the next exam period. When it opens register in Candidate Portal. You will need to pay the full registration fee again when you register.

Counselling

If you are unsuccessful after three (3) attempts, we offer an exam counselling session on exam strategies and areas of focus.

If you would like to access a counselling service please contact us via phone on +61 2 6188 4288 or email us at exams@pharmacycouncil.org.au This is only available within 1 month from the result release date.

If you have further unsuccessful attempts after your first counselling session, we offer a second (and final) counselling session.

Some important information about your exam result

• APC cannot comment on your performance nor provide feedback to candidates.
• APC does not provide exam scores to candidates.
• Following the finalisation of the results in our system, extensive checks are undertaken by our Senior Pharmacist and the Delivery Manager and are not subject to appeal.

Appeals process

APC offers an appeals process for matters other than the calculation of results. The process is to ensure no candidate is disadvantaged by matters outside their control. Please read about our Appeals Policy before sitting the exam. The policy tells you about the scope of an appeal. Learn more about our appeals process.

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Next steps

Oral Exam

If you have not already, you can prepare for the Oral Exam, delivered by the Pharmacy Board of Australia. You may sit this exam before sitting the Intern Written Exam.

Applying for full registration

When you have successfully passed both your written and oral exams you can apply to the Pharmacy Board of Australia for full registration.

Your Intern Written Exam result is valid for 18 months

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