The pathway to becoming a registered pharmacist in Australia is structured, challenging, and highly rewarding. For international graduates, it comes with an extra layer - KAPS (now OPRA), followed by both the Intern Written and Oral Exams. Every single step demands real effort.
Let’s be honest… the Intern Pharmacist exams are not easy. Most students will tell you the Written alone is a grind. The Oral? That’s a whole different kind of pressure. Clearing both, back to back, as an international graduate? That takes something special.
Nikhila from Telangana just did exactly that and her journey is worth talking about.
A Journey That Didn’t Happen Overnight
After finishing her BPharm in 2015 from JNTU Hyderabad, Nikhila wanted to move to Australia. So she decided to take the KAPS exam. The KAPS exam is the Knowledge Assessment of Pharmaceutical Sciences exam.
In July 2024 Nikhila cleared the KAPS exam. This was a big step for Nikhila. The KAPS exam made it possible for Nikhila to start the internship process. Now the KAPS exam is called the OPRA (Overseas Pharmacists Readiness Assessment)
That was just the start of a really tough phase for Nikhila.
The Real Challenge Begins After KAPS
Once KAPS was cleared, the journey became more practical and demanding.
This is where theory turns into application:
- Can you apply clinical knowledge in real situations?
- Can you make safe decisions quickly?
- Can you communicate clearly like a registered pharmacist in Australia?
At this stage, Nikhila continued her preparation with Academically, working through mock exams, scenario-based discussions, and structured revision sessions designed specifically for Intern Written and Oral Exam readiness.
This is where many candidates struggle, not due to lack of knowledge. But due to the pressure of real-time decision-making and guidance.
So What Exactly Are These Exams?
The entire registration process is overseen by the Pharmacy Board of Australia (PBA) under AHPRA.
To move from provisional to general registration, candidates must pass both the Intern Written Exam and the Intern Oral Exam.
The Written exam is a 2-hour and 75 questions. It is a computer-based exam held at approved test centres. It assesses areas such as therapeutics, drug interactions, calculations, pharmacy law, and clinical reasoning.
The Oral exam tests candidates in real pharmacy scenarios, assessing how they think, communicate, and respond under pressure. It evaluates knowledge and the ability to apply it safely in practice. Many candidates find this stage more challenging than the Written exam.
Clearing both exams is a key requirement for progressing to general registration as a pharmacist in Australia.
What This Should Tell You
If you’re somewhere in the middle of this journey right now, maybe you’ve just cleared KAPS (or OPRA), maybe you’re mid-prep, maybe you’re doubting whether you’re ready, read this again.
Nikhila graduated in 2015. She waited, she worked, she moved countries, and she cleared both exams. The timeline doesn’t matter as much as the direction you’re moving in. Keep moving.
The right preparation changes everything. That’s what Academically is built for, not just handing you resources, but actually getting you exam-ready, for both.
Your success story is closer than you think. Start writing it. Join Academically and start prepping for your Written and Oral Intern Pharmacist Exams.