Australian Pharmacist Exam Preparation Course Become a Registered Pharmacist in Australia

The Overseas Pharmacist Readiness Assessment is the licensure exam for overseas-trained pharmacists who want to work in Australia. It has replaced the KAPS exam which the Australian Pharmacy Council earlier conducted to test the knowledge and competence of global pharmacists.

Anyone who is an internationally qualified pharmacist with a pharmacy degree equal to Australian standards is eligible to take the Overseas Pharmacist Readiness Assessment exam. You can take the Overseas Pharmacist Readiness Assessment exam immediately after completing your B.Pharm or other Bachelor's degree in Pharmacy at an institute recognised by the WDoMS. You also need to be registered in your home country or with the state pharmacy council of the place where you are working. Moreover, no experience is required to be eligible for this exam.

The Overseas Pharmacist Readiness Assessment exam is an international test, which is a comprehensive assessment of your pharmacy knowledge. Therefore, it is moderately challenging, especially due to the use of Rasch methodology and the absence of a fixed passing score. However, with the right guidance and preparation material, you can crack it easily, just like hundreds of pharmacists have done with Academically. 

The Overseas Pharmacist Readiness Assessment exam is a computer-based test that consists of multiple-choice and scenario-based questions. It is evaluated using the Rasch method of scoring, which ensures a fair outcome for all the students. There is no fixed mark as a passing criterion.

Rasch methodology is the testing method used to derive results from the Overseas Pharmacist Readiness Assessment exam. It is a psychometric approach known for ensuring consistent difficulty and fairness in exam scoring. The Rasch method assesses the difficulty of the question and the candidate's ability to ensure that a proper outcome regarding the candidate’s competence is obtained.

Anyone who has completed their Bachelor's or higher degree in Pharmacy can take the Overseas Pharmacist Readiness Assessment exam. To register for Overseas Pharmacist Readiness Assessment, you need to begin with the initial skills assessment with the Australian Pharmacy Council. Once they consider you eligible for the exam, you can choose the date and time for your exam and prepare accordingly.

Once you have completed the skills assessment by the Australian Pharmacy Council, you are eligible to take the Overseas Pharmacist Readiness Assessment examination. You do not need to take it repeatedly, no matter how many Overseas Pharmacist Readiness Assessment attempts you take. Once completed, the skills assessment result is valid for a lifetime. 

If you are eligible for other pathways offered by the Australian Pharmacy Council, such as the Competent Authority Pathway or the Trans Tasman Pathway, and have not completed your higher pharmacy studies in Australia, you need to take the Overseas Pharmacist Readiness Assessment exam to register as a pharmacist in Australia.

Overseas Pharmacist Readiness Assessment is now the new testing standard drawn out by the APC. So, if you have only passed KAPS Part 1, you will need to take the Overseas Pharmacist Readiness Assessment exam unless the Australian Pharmacy Council has granted you a direct equivalence based on your KAPS Part 1 results.

The Overseas Pharmacist Readiness Assessment exam covers core pharmacy subjects such as Biomedical sciences, Medicinal chemistry and biopharmaceutics, Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, Pharmacology and toxicology and Therapeutics and patient care. The shift to Overseas Pharmacist Readiness Assessment from KAPS has led to a greater focus on therapeutics and the practical application of knowledge.

Since the Overseas Pharmacist Readiness Assessment exam is a newly launched exam with only one attempt conducted as of now, identifying the pass rate would be difficult. However, at Academically, our first-ever Overseas Pharmacist Readiness Assessment batch has achieved a success rate of around 87% in the very first Overseas Pharmacist Readiness Assessment attempt.

There is no limit on the number of attempts you can take for the Overseas Pharmacist Readiness Assessment examination Australia. Moreover, you do not need to complete the initial skills assessment every time you decide to attempt the Overseas Pharmacist Readiness Assessment exam.

Once cleared, the Overseas Pharmacist Readiness Assessment exam result is valid for three years. Within this time frame, pharmacists need to complete their internship, complete registration with the Pharmacy Board of Australia and get their work visa and a full-time job in Australia.

After clearing the Overseas Pharmacist Readiness Assessment exam, you get a provision registration from the Australian Pharmacy Council. Now, you need to find an internship/job with sponsorship, complete 1,575 hours of supervised training and then get complete registration from the Pharmacy Board of Australia.

You can become a pharmacist in Australia after completing your pharmacy degree in India with the help of the Overseas Pharmacist Readiness Assessment examination. You can take the Overseas Pharmacist Readiness Assessment exam from your nearest testing centre in India and crack it to become a registered pharmacist in Australia, with no prior experience required.

To become a registered pharmacist in Australia, you must hold a recognised pharmacy degree along with pharmacy registration in your home country or with the state pharmacy council of the place where you are working.

The Overseas Pharmacist Readiness Assessment exam is a single-paper exam conducted over a single day. It is conducted in one session of 2.5 hours, without any breaks. There are 120 multiple-choice questions in the exam. 

Pharmacists in Australia can earn anywhere between AUD 70,000 to AUD 95,000 annually. This can change based on location and experience. Senior roles or roles in regional areas often offer better salaries. When converted to INR, these salaries range from 50 LPA to 80 LPA. 

The Overseas Pharmacist Readiness Assessment exam is simpler than KAPS as it is a single exam conducted in one session, unlike KAPS, which consists of two papers. However, when it comes to testing and scoring, Overseas Pharmacist Readiness Assessment is a bit more complex as it tests using Rasch methodology, unlike KAPS, which had no negative marking and a 50% passing requirement.

The Overseas Pharmacist Readiness Assessment (OPRA) exam costs AUD 2145, which is approximately INR 1,35,233. In addition to the exam fee, candidates should also account for other expenses, such as an initial skills assessment costing around INR 45,000 and an English proficiency test, which typically costs about INR 15,000.

Overseas Pharmacist Readiness Assessment Exam coaching online offers structured learning through live classes, recorded sessions, and AI-driven mock tests—academically designed to help international pharmacists prepare effectively and pass the Overseas Pharmacist Readiness Assessment Exam to practise in Australia.