CAOP® exam for New Zealand candidates

This pathway is for candidates who want to practise pharmacy in New Zealand.

This page shows you how to register for the CAOP exam. Passing this exam is a step in the process to become a registered pharmacist with the Pharmacy Council of New Zealand.

On this page:

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

Overview

The CAOP® (Competency Assessment of Overseas Pharmacists) exam tests your knowledge, skills and ability to apply your knowledge.

Eligibility: You can register to sit the CAOP® exam if you are registering with the Pharmacy Council of New Zealand (PCNZ).

You must:

• have gained your pharmacy degree in Canada, Ireland, the United Kingdom (UK) or the United States of America (USA), OR
• have successfully completed an approved program from a learning institution in one of the above countries (ie. PEBC in Canada, OSPAP in the UK or NAPLEX in the USA), AND
• be currently registered in one of the above countries.

Cost: AU$2050 per attempt

Duration of exam: 2 hours, 70 questions in total.

The following data is shared with the Pharmacy Council of New Zealand:

• Registration data, when registrations close
• Results data prior to the release to candidates

Exam dates

Registration period	Exam dates	Results released
21 January - 10 March 2025	7 - 8 April 2025	1 May 2025
6 May - 21 July 2025	18 - 19 August 2025	11 September 2025
16 September - 20 October 2025	17 - 18 November 2025	11 December 2025

Register for your exam!

Exam locations - where you can sit the exam

Testing environments

You can choose to sit the CAOP® 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

You can sit our exams in the following cities.

Country	City
Australia	Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Darwin, Hobart, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney, Townsville
Canada	Toronto
Fiji	Suva
Ireland	Dublin
New Zealand	Auckland and Wellington
Philippines	Manila
United Kingdom	London, Plymouth and Edinburgh

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.

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Online proctored exam

Online proctored exams, through 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

1. Register for your exam

Registrations open at 9am and close at 5pm AEDT/AEST. Check these times in your local time zone with a time zone converter. They 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.

Include support for any special accommodation request

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.

2. Upload a photo of yourself

You will be prompted to upload a headshot. It can be 'selfie'.

Your headshot must be:

• a full headshot (showing your full head and your shoulders)
• in colour
• taken within the last 6 months
• high quality.

If you usually cover your head for religious reasons, or you wear facial jewellery, your photo can include these items.

3. 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.

We'll send you a reminder email around 5 days before your exam.

Register for your exam!

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Rescheduling

You can reschedule your exam in your Candidate Portal.

You can reschedule it to another date and time only during the registration period.

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 exam guide.
2. Prepare your identification documents, and what you are allowed to bring.

Results

We'll email you when your results are available. Refer to exam dates above for when they will be released.

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.

Next steps

Once you've passed the CAOP® exam, you can use it to support your application to the Pharmacy Council of New Zealand for registration.

Advice for unsuccessful candidates

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

APC provides 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.

About your exam result:

• APC cannot comment or give feedback on your performance.
• APC does not provide exam scores to candidates.
• All exam results undergo extensive checks before release.

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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