APC

Updated on 26 Nov 2020

Description : 

We help to maintain the standards of pharmacy education and practice in Australia. Our role is to ensure that all pharmacists who practise here can deliver safe, effective health care.

We do this by:

• evaluating the knowledge and competency of internationally trained pharmacists against Australian standards
• delivering exams that test the skills and knowledge of internationally trained and Australian-trained pharmacists

We also provide Skills Assessment letters for the Department of Home Affairs. These letters support pharmacists in applying to Home Affairs for a migration visa.

Types of skills assessments

As part of our skills assessment mandate, we evaluate the skills of pharmacists in 4 categories.

Skills assessment stream	This stream is for you if...
Competency Stream (formerly Stream B candidates)	You graduated from a recognised pharmacy degree program in either Canada, Ireland, the UK or the USA. You're currently registered as a pharmacist in one of those countries. You now want to work in or migrate to Australia.
International Student Stream (formerly International Graduate candidates)	You graduated from a recognised pharmacy degree program in Australia or New Zealand as an international student. You're registered or eligible to be registered as a pharmacist. You now want to work in or migrate to Australia.
Knowledge Stream (formerly Stream A candidates)	You graduated from a pharmacy degree program outside of Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the UK or the USA. You're registered or eligible to be registered as a pharmacist in that country. You now want to work in or migrate to Australia.
NZ Registered Pharmacist Stream (formerly Trans-Tasman Stream candidates)	You graduated from a pharmacy degree program in New Zealand. You're currently registered as a pharmacist there. You now want to migrate to Australia.

Examinations

We deliver 3 exams on behalf of the Pharmacy Board of Australia (PharmBA). These exams test the skills, knowledge and competency of future pharmacists. This helps to ensure that candidates are ready to practise pharmacy in Australia.

Type of exam	Description
Intern Written Exam	This exam tests your knowledge as a pharmacy intern if you've: enrolled in an intern training program (ITP) completed 40% of your required supervised practice hours
CAOP (Competency Assessment of Overseas Pharmacist) exam	This exam tests your competency to practise pharmacy in an Australian setting. Sitting it is part of the process of applying for a Skills Assessment letter under the Competency Stream (formerly Stream B).
KAPS (Knowledge Assessment of Pharmaceutical Sciences) exam	This exam tests your knowledge of current pharmaceutical sciences in an Australian setting. Sitting it is part of the process of applying for a Skills Assessment letter under the Knowledge Stream (formerly Stream A).

Criteria : 

Stream A: To be considered for APC Skills Assessment eligibility under Stream A you must:

have completed an approved pharmacy qualification
be registered or eligible for registration or be eligible for commencement of registration in the country where the initial pharmacy qualification was achieved.
 

Stream B: To be considered for APC Skills Assessment eligibility under Stream B you must:

have completed an approved pharmacy qualification/or an approved adjudication process from an accredited institution in a Stream B country (United Kingdom, United States, Canada or Ireland)
currently be registered to practice as a pharmacist in the Stream B country where the initial pharmacy qualification was achieved
hold certificates of good standing from all jurisdictions in which you have been registered at any time during the last 10 years
hold a current senior (or equivalent) first aid certificate issued by a valid issuer (an accredited course provider) in either Australia or a Stream B country.

The Knowledge Assessment of Pharmaceutical Sciences (KAPS) Exam - Stream A

The KAPS Exam is designed to test your knowledge of basic pharmaceutical sciences related to the current practice of pharmacy in Australia.

The Competency Assessment of Overseas Pharmacists (CAOP) Exam - Stream B

The CAOP Exam is designed to test your ability to apply your pharmaceutical knowledge and competence to practice issues in an Australian setting.

Australian Intern Written Exam

We deliver the Australian Intern Written Exam on behalf of the PBA.  The Australian Intern Written Exam is designed to assess an intern’s practical pharmacy competency and knowledge.

New Zealand Intern Written Exam
APC delivers the New Zealand Intern Written Exam on behalf of Pharmacy Council of New Zealand.  The New Zealand Intern Written Exam is based broadly on the Australian Intern Written Exam which is used to assess an intern’s practical pharmacy competency and knowledge.

English Requirements : 

Test Name	Listening	Reading	Writing	Speaking
IELTS	7	7	7	7
OET	B	B	B	B
PTE	66	66	66	66
TOEFL IBT	24	24	27	23

Fees:

The online eligibility check is an essential first step to getting your skills recognised in Australia.

	Ask for this if…	Cost (AU$)
Initial skills assessment eligibility request	You want to work as a pharmacist in Australia or migrate here, AND you're: a qualified pharmacist, trained outside Australia, OR an international student from an accredited Australian or New Zealand pharmacy degree program	$1260 per request
Updated skills assessment request	You've updated your skills since your last assessment	$600 per request

Apply Online:

Guidelines:

FAQ

Contact Details:

Office hours are 9:00am - 5:00pm AEST Monday - Friday.
Office address is: Level 1, 15 Lancaster Place, Majura Park, Canberra Airport, ACT 2609
Phone:  [phone]