The 2026 schedule for the Australian Pharmacy Intern Oral Exam has been released. And for pharmacy interns, this means the exam preparation is on. With the first session just around the corner and the next session not very far off, it is important that you know how to prepare for the exam independently.
The Intern Oral Exam is your final step in pharmacy registration with AHPRA. With the full registration in hand, you can start your pharmacy career in Australia. And with so much hard work, time and money at stake, your preparation must be top-notch.
And this blog will help you with just that. We will go over the important preparation steps and tips for self-preparation.
Pharmacy Intern Oral Exam Pattern
The oral exam follows a structured format. Examiners ask practical questions based on real pharmacy situations.
Main areas tested include:
- Patient communication and medicine advice
- Clinical problem solving
- Pharmacy law and professional ethics
- Safe supply of medicines
A candidate may need to explain medicine use, respond to side effects, or handle ethical issues in a pharmacy setting.
Australia’s Intern Pharmacy Oral Exam Format
The exam is approximately 35-40 minutes long and is divided into three parts.
| Exam Part | Focus Area | Duration | References Allowed |
| Part A | Primary Healthcare | ~10 minutes | No |
| Part B | Legal & Professional Practice | ~10 minutes | No |
| Part C | Problem Solving & Communication | ~20 minutes | Yes |
What Skills Are Assessed?
Across all three parts of the Intern Oral Exam, examiners assess whether you can:
- Apply clinical knowledge safely
- Communicate clearly with patients and healthcare professionals
- Demonstrate sound clinical reasoning
- Practise ethically and legally
- Prioritise patient safety
The focus is on how you think, communicate, and justify your decisions.
Self-Practice for the Intern Oral Exam
Self-practice is one of the best ways to prepare for the Intern Oral Exam. The main goal of the oral exam is to understand how you would communicate in a real-world scenario. And that is where most people stumble.
You have already cleared your written exams. You have the knowledge. However, many people find it intimidating when it comes to communicating and explaining your views. If you join an Intern Pharmacy Oral Exam preparation and coaching, that will help greatly in improving your communication skills.
Here are a few other tips that can help you overcome this:
1. Understand What the Examiner Wants
The first thing you should do is understand the exam format. The intern oral exams test clinical thinking and communication. They also see how confident you are with your answers. Once you know what they will ask, preparation becomes more targeted.
2. Practice Out Loud
Silent reading is not enough. Speak your answers out loud as if an examiner is in front of you. This helps you:
- Organize thoughts quickly
- Improve fluency
- Reduce fear of speaking
It may feel awkward at first, but that discomfort means it’s working.
3. Use Common Case Scenarios
Make a list of common cases from your rotation (e.g., fever, chest pain, anaemia). For each case, practice:
- History
- Examination
- Differential diagnosis
- Investigations
- Management
Keep your answers structured and simple.
4. Time Yourself
Oral exams are time-bound. Practice answering within 2–3 minutes per question. This trains your brain to think clearly under pressure and prevents over-explaining.
5. Record and Review
Use your phone to record your answers once or twice a week. When you listen back, notice:
- Are you clear and logical?
- Are you using filler words?
- Do you sound confident?
Small improvements here make a big difference.
6. Practice “I Don’t Know” Responses
It is possible that you might be asked a question that you don't know the answer to. In such cases, it is better to tell the examiner that you don’t know instead of answering incorrectly. You can answer with “I’m not sure, but I would approach it by…”
This shows maturity and safe clinical thinking and examiners respect that.
7. Revise Actively
Instead of just rereading notes, ask yourself these questions:
- Why this diagnosis?
- What if the findings were different?
- What’s the next step?
This builds real clinical reasoning.
8. Keep Sessions Short and Consistent
Keep practising for 20 to 30 minutes daily. This is much better than cramming. Consistency builds confidence quietly over time.
9. Know Your Reference
Section C of the exam deals with problem-solving and communication. The good thing is that the Pharmacy Board of Australia allows you to use reference books in this section, like the following:
- Australian Medicines Handbook (AMH), or
- Australian Pharmaceutical Formulary and Handbook (APF)
The difficult part is finding your reference in time. One way to make things easier is to practice questions from this section using the books as a reference. This will help you memorize where your references are. This will make it easier for you to find them during the actual exam.
10. End Each Session with a Win
After each session, remind yourself what you did well. Your confidence grows when effort is acknowledged.
You are not expected to be perfect. You are expected to be safe, logical, and willing to learn. Every time you practice, you are already becoming a better clinician. Keep going. You’ve got this.
Does Group Session Help?
You might wonder how joining a preparation group would help you with the Intern Oral Exam. The aim is to improve your communication under pressure, and group sessions are an excellent way to do that.
Different people have different ways of interacting. In a group, you can experience many different communication and questioning styles. This will help you understand how to interact with varying opinions and thoughts. Such interactions build confidence and allow you to practice under different circumstances.
Role-playing is another excellent way through which you can build skills that will help you in the oral exams. The aim is to remember what you already have learnt for your OPRA exam and pharmacy school and learn how to practically apply it.
Start Your Oral Exam Preparation Today
The Intern Oral Exam session is now open. The first exam session is already underway. The next session will open in June. This gives you 3 months, ample time to prepare for the exam. Join your desired study group and start your-selp practice today. With dedication, you can clear this exam on your first try. And once you have your general pharmacist's registration in hand, you can apply to verified jobs at sites like Jobslly.
You have already cleared most of the path to registration. You can pass this exam too. The path to get registered as a pharmacist in Australia is closer than you think.
