OPRA Exam 2026: The Complete Guide to Australia's New Pharmacy Assessment

If you have been researching how to become a registered pharmacist in Australia, you have probably encountered conflicting information online. Some sources still reference the KAPS exam, while others mention something called OPRA. This guide cuts through the confusion and gives you everything you need to know about the Overseas Pharmacist Readiness Assessment — the exam that replaced KAPS and is now the gateway to Australian pharmacy practice for most international pharmacists.

KAPS Is Gone. OPRA Is Here.

The Knowledge Assessment of Pharmaceutical Sciences (KAPS) was the exam international pharmacists sat for years to demonstrate their pharmaceutical knowledge before entering the Australian registration pathway. The last KAPS sitting took place in November 2024, and the exam has been permanently retired.

From March 2025, the Australian Pharmacy Council (APC) introduced the Overseas Pharmacist Readiness Assessment (OPRA®) as the replacement. If you completed your pharmacy qualification in any country other than Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the UK or the USA, and you are applying for skills assessment now or in 2027, OPRA is your exam, and there is no option to sit KAPS. Your qualification must equal 4 years' full-time study if completed after 1 January 2006, or 3 years if completed before then. Pharmacists with an approved qualification or adjudication process in Canada, Ireland, the UK or the USA who are currently registered in one of those four countries take the CAOP instead: see our Knowledge Stream vs Competency Stream guide. If you qualified elsewhere but have since registered in one of the four, the CAOP may apply to you too. If you qualified in one of the four but aren't currently registered in any of them, the APC's published criteria don't fit you. In either case ask the APC before you pay, because its eligibility check fee is non-refundable. A past KAPS pass still counts: the Pharmacy Board accepts KAPS as well as OPRA for provisional registration. The APC sets no validity period for exam results, and Ahpra decides case by case.

Why Did the APC Replace KAPS?

The APC says the redesign followed the recommendations of a working group set up in 2021 to review the KAPS exam specifications. It changed how questions are selected and scored, revised the content areas, shortened the exam and reduced it to a single paper, with a stronger focus on therapeutics and applying knowledge.

Recall still matters. The APC's current guide says about 55% of OPRA questions test remembering or recall, 30% test understanding and 15% test application.

Key Differences Between KAPS and OPRA

Aspect	KAPS (Retired)	OPRA (Current)
Structure	More than one paper	Single paper
Duration	Longer	2.5 hours (150 minutes)
Content emphasis	Less focus on therapeutics	Stronger focus on therapeutics and applying knowledge
Scoring method	Earlier method	Rasch model, scaled scoring
Cost	Higher, the APC said in July 2024	$2,245 AUD (re-checked 7 November 2026)
Therapeutics and patient care	Not comparable	45% of questions
Last sitting	November 2024	Ongoing since March 2025

OPRA Exam Format: What to Expect

Understanding the exact format is critical for your preparation strategy.

Structure and Delivery

Feature	Detail
Number of questions	120 multiple-choice questions (MCQs)
Duration	2.5 hours (150 minutes)
Delivery	Computer-based at Pearson VUE test centres
Format	Closed-book (no reference materials allowed)
Exam type	Single paper (no separate parts)

Unlike the old KAPS format, which had multiple papers, OPRA consolidates everything into a single sitting. There are no separate parts to sit.

Question Style

All 120 questions are multiple-choice, each with one correct answer and three incorrect options. Some present a patient with specific conditions, medications and circumstances and ask you to apply your knowledge. The APC's sample content shows the real style, and Pearson has an online sample test.

Our own illustrations of the scenario style (not APC questions):

• "A 68-year-old patient presents with newly diagnosed atrial fibrillation and a CHA₂DS₂-VA score of 3. Which anticoagulant is most appropriate to initiate?"
• "A mother asks about appropriate analgesic dosing for her 4-year-old child weighing 18 kg who has a fever. What do you recommend?"
• "A patient on warfarin is prescribed fluconazole for a fungal infection. What is the most appropriate course of action?"

Scenario questions need you to combine patient information with clinical knowledge. Not every question is like this, though: the APC puts about 55% of questions at recall, so drug mechanisms and core sciences still need revision.

The 5 Content Areas and Their Weightings

OPRA assesses five broad content areas, each with specific percentage weightings:

Content Area	Weighting
Therapeutics and patient care	45%
Biomedical sciences	20%
Pharmacology and toxicology	15%
Medicinal chemistry and biopharmaceutics	10%
Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics	10%

Source: APC OPRA Exam Guide, version 2.3 (30 July 2026), re-checked 7 November 2026. The APC has not published a 2027 guide. Of the 120 questions, 90% are scored and 10% are unscored calibration items — you will not know which is which during the exam.

The five content areas map across both foundational pharmaceutical science and applied clinical practice. Here is what each area covers:

• Therapeutics and patient care (45%): screening and dose calculations, primary health care, medicine use in special populations (older people, children under 12, pregnancy, breastfeeding), safe and effective use of medicines, harm minimisation, health promotion, and the general principles of confidentiality
• Biomedical sciences (20%): physiology, pathophysiology, medical microbiology, immunology, fluid and electrolyte disorders, and the signs, symptoms and laboratory tests of disease
• Pharmacology and toxicology (15%): how drugs act on the body, receptor theory, mechanisms of action, adverse drug reactions, drug interactions, overdose and antidotes
• Medicinal chemistry and biopharmaceutics (10%): physicochemical properties of drugs, formulations and delivery systems, stability, solubility and pharmaceutical microbiology
• Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics (10%): drug metabolism, ADME (absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion), half-life and steady state, and using pharmacokinetic data to calculate and individualise therapy

The guide also says what OPRA leaves out: it does not examine pharmacy practice issues specific to Australia or New Zealand, such as legislation or practice standards. Those come later, in the internship assessments.

What This Means for Your Study Plan

The single most important takeaway is that Therapeutics and Patient Care accounts for roughly 45% of the exam. If you spend most of your study time on pure pharmaceutical sciences (pharmacology mechanisms, medicinal chemistry, pharmacokinetics equations) without applying that knowledge to patients, you are under-preparing for almost half the exam.

Your study time should roughly mirror these weightings. Nearly half your preparation should involve working through clinical scenarios, understanding Australian treatment guidelines, and practising therapeutic decision-making.

Clinical Topic Areas Within Therapeutics

The APC describes this content area by skill rather than by disease, so this is our own study checklist, not an APC syllabus:

• Cardiovascular: Hypertension, heart failure, atrial fibrillation, dyslipidaemia, anticoagulation
• Endocrinology: Type 1 and type 2 diabetes, thyroid disorders, osteoporosis
• Respiratory: Asthma, COPD, allergic rhinitis
• Mental health: Depression, anxiety, psychosis, bipolar disorder
• Infectious diseases: Antibiotics (Australian first-line choices), antifungals, antivirals
• Gastrointestinal: GORD, peptic ulcer disease, IBD, IBS
• Pain management: Acute and chronic pain, opioid stewardship, neuropathic pain
• Renal: CKD, drug dosing in renal impairment
• Dermatology: Eczema, psoriasis, acne, wound care
• Oncology: Supportive care, managing side effects of chemotherapy

Later, when you apply to the Board: criminal history checks

This isn't part of the OPRA, but plan for it. The National Boards' updated Criminal history registration standard commenced on 15 July 2026 and applies to every applicant for registration, including provisional registration.

If you have lived in a country outside Australia for six consecutive months or more as an adult, you will need an international criminal history check (ICHC) for that country, obtained through an Ahpra-approved supplier. You also need one for any country your declared criminal history relates to. The results go to Ahpra directly, so don't assume a police clearance certificate you already hold will do. Australian checks run through the National Police Checking Service.

A criminal history does not automatically bar you. The Board can refuse the application, impose conditions, require an assessment, or take no action. Don't get your international check too early: Ahpra says the results are valid for three months, and recommends applying for it at the same time as you apply for registration.

Pass Mark and Scoring Method

OPRA uses a scaled scoring system set by APC psychometricians. Per the APC's published exam guide, the scoring system is designed "to ensure fairness and consistency across multiple versions of exam forms", with robust analyses undertaken on scoring and exam standards.

What Does Scaled Scoring Mean?

In simple terms, the scaled scoring system:

• Keeps results fair and consistent across the different versions of the exam
• Adjusts for the fact that some question sets may be slightly harder or easier than others
• Produces a scaled score rather than a simple raw percentage

Of the 120 questions, 90% are scored (counting toward your result) and 10% are unscored calibration items, included by the APC for calibration and testing. You will not know which is which during the exam, so treat every question as scored.

The pass standard is set by standard-setting — the APC calibrates it to represent "the minimum standard that must be met to apply for provisional registration as an intern pharmacist". The APC publishes no percentage pass mark, and it does not disclose raw scores or percentages of exam results.

Your result says passed or unsuccessful, with no score. The guide says the report also gives general feedback for each content area, which is not used to decide your result, while the Knowledge Stream page says no further details are provided, so don't count on detailed feedback. You may re-sit as many times as you need to, and you pay the full exam fee each time.

Cost: $2,245 AUD

The OPRA exam fee is $2,245 AUD per attempt (APC fees page, re-checked 7 November 2026; no 2027 schedule published). When the APC announced OPRA in July 2024 it described the new fee as a reduction from the KAPS cost.

APC Fees Through the Skills Assessment

Component	Fee (AUD)
Eligibility Check	$810
OPRA Exam	$2,245
Skills Assessment Outcome (if your visa needs one)	$300
APC fees through the skills assessment (our sum)	$3,355

How to Register for OPRA

1. Apply for eligibility through the APC portal at pharmacycouncil.org.au
2. Receive eligibility confirmation (processing target: 5 working days, can take up to 4 weeks)
3. Register in the Candidate Portal when registration opens, choosing your test centre and date
4. Pay the fee when you register, or your seat is released (your card must be issued by a bank in your country of residence)
5. Sit the exam at your chosen test centre

Registration opens at 9am and closes at 5pm Australian Eastern time (AEDT or AEST, depending on the date), and the APC does not accept late registrations. The 2027 windows run for 35, 49 and 28 days (our count), and you can reschedule only during the registration period. Set calendar reminders so you do not miss them. If you cancel, any refund is subject to the APC's approval. Cancel 5 or more days before the exam date and there is a $100 cancellation fee. Cancel later, up to 2 weeks after the exam session ends, and the refund is 80% of the OPRA fee. If that is on or after your scheduled exam date, the APC's refund policy is for candidates who couldn't attend on the day, and you have to provide supporting documents. A cancelled fee can't be moved to another sitting, and the APC's other fees are not refundable.

The SAO is a migration document, not a registration document

This is easy to mix up, so here it is plainly.

Ahpra does not require a Skills Assessment Outcome to register you. The APC says that when you apply you provide your exam result certificate instead, which you download from the Exam Results page of the APC candidate portal.

So the two documents do different jobs:

Document	What it is for	Who sets its validity
Skills Assessment Outcome (SAO)	Migration: your visa application	The Department of Home Affairs, not the APC. Under its rules, a maximum of three years from the issue date
Exam result certificate	Ahpra registration	The APC does not set a validity for results. Ahpra decides case by case

You can now renew an SAO, as many times as you need

From 1 July 2026 the APC lets anyone it has previously issued an SAO apply for a renewal, and you do not re-sit the exam to get one. You can renew as many times as you require.

• Fee: $300 — the standard Skills Assessment Outcome application fee. Do not confuse this with the APC's separate Updated skills assessment request at $610, which is for candidates whose skills have changed since their last assessment. A validity renewal is the $300 item.
• How: log in to the candidate portal, go to the Skills Assessment Outcomes page, choose Request Updated SAO, upload documents, pay.
• Documents: you do not resubmit everything. Primary ID, a current photo, and evidence of a name change if applicable. APC may request more depending on how long it has been.
• Timing: APC targets 5 working days from receipt of complete documentation, but says to allow up to 4 weeks.
• If the renewal button is not visible in your portal, APC asks you to email info@pharmacycouncil.org.au with your previously issued SAO.

The practical effect: the old worst case — your SAO lapsing while you waited on a visa or an internship, and fearing a repeat of a $2,245 exam you had already passed — is gone. The APC developed the policy with the Pharmacy Board of Australia and Ahpra, and is explicit that it does not influence employment or visa outcomes. Renewing keeps your paperwork current; it does not find you a placement.

Sources: APC, "APC announces change to Skills Assessment Outcome Validity", 26 June 2026; APC, "SAO Validity Change - FAQs". Re-checked 7 November 2026.

2027 Exam Dates

Registration period	Exam dates	Results released
19 January – 22 February 2027	22–24 March 2027	6 May 2027
11 May – 28 June 2027	26–28 July 2027	9 September 2027
14 September – 11 October 2027	8–10 November 2027	23 December 2027

These dates are from the APC's Knowledge Stream page, re-read on 7 November 2026. The last 2026 sitting is 23–25 November 2026 (registration closed on 19 October, results due 22 December 2026). The 2027 results dates fall 43 days after the last exam day (our count), so plan from the table rather than from the "approximately 4 weeks" that still appears in the APC's guide.

Your eligibility check comes first. You can only register after the APC has completed your eligibility check and emailed you to say you are eligible to sit the OPRA. The APC aims to respond within 5 working days of receiving all your documents, but says to allow up to 4 weeks, and it does not guarantee your check will be finished in time for the sitting you want. Its advice is to lodge at least 8 weeks before registration closes. Counting 8 weeks back from each closing date gives these lodging dates (our calculation; the APC does not print them): Monday 28 December 2026 for March, Monday 3 May 2027 for July and Monday 16 August 2027 for November. See our 2027 dates guide for more, including the ID rules for exam day.

The APC lists test centres in 35 countries and territories, including Australia, India, Pakistan, the Philippines, Egypt, the UAE and the UK. You do not need to be in Australia to sit the exam. Bangladesh is not on the list, and venues can change at short notice.

A Suggested Study Timeline: 3–6 Months

The APC does not prescribe a study duration. As a planning guide of ours, based on the breadth of the content, 3 to 6 months of dedicated preparation is a reasonable starting point.

Sample 4-Month Study Plan

Month	Focus
Month 1	Review biomedical and pharmaceutical sciences foundations; start reading AMH and Therapeutic Guidelines; assess your baseline knowledge with a diagnostic practice test
Month 2	Deep-dive into therapeutics — cardiovascular, diabetes, respiratory, mental health; start integrating clinical scenarios into daily study
Month 3	Calculations, pharmacokinetics, medicinal chemistry and formulation; special populations and primary care; practise with question banks
Month 4	Full-length practice exams under timed conditions, review weak areas, refine exam technique and time management

Candidates who have been out of practice for several years or who trained in systems very different from Australia's should allow closer to 6 months. Candidates who are currently practising in a clinical setting and regularly make therapeutic decisions may be able to prepare in 3 months with focused effort.

Study Hours Per Week

Plan for 15–25 hours per week of dedicated study during your preparation period. This is not casual reading — it should include active learning through practice questions, clinical scenario analysis, and timed assessments.

How OPRA Differs from the Intern Written Exam

This is a common source of confusion. OPRA and the Intern Written Exam are completely different assessments at different stages of the registration pathway.

Feature	OPRA	Intern Written Exam
Purpose	Skills assessment for international pharmacists	Competency assessment for ALL interns
When you sit it	Before internship	Once you have completed at least 75% of your supervised practice hours
Who sits it	International pharmacists (Knowledge Stream)	All pharmacy interns (including Australian graduates)
Format	120 MCQs, 2.5 hours, closed-book	75 questions, 2 hours, restricted open-book (one original paper copy each of the AMH and APF)
Administered by	APC via Pearson VUE	APC via Pearson VUE, in Australia only
Cost	$2,245	$790
Question types	MCQ only	MCQ + fill-in-the-blank calculations
Pass mark	Scaled scoring; no percentage published	Scaled scoring; no percentage published

OPRA comes before the internship, and passing it does not secure you a position. The Intern Written Exam is one of the final steps to get you out of the internship and onto general registration. They are separate exams that test different things at different stages of your journey.

How to Prepare Effectively

1. Start with Official APC Materials

The APC provides a free exam guide and sample content specifically for OPRA. These are your baseline — start here before anything else. The APC also provides a Pearson VUE sample test to familiarise you with the computer interface.

2. Study Australian Clinical Guidelines

The Australian Medicines Handbook (AMH) and Therapeutic Guidelines (eTG) are widely used references in Australian pharmacy practice. The APC's guide says its exams draw on peer-reviewed journals, clinical practice guidelines and textbooks, and that drug names follow the TGA's approved names. What is first-line in your home country may not be first-line in Australia.

3. Save the PBS for Later

The Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) matters in your internship: the Intern Written Exam guide lists it under the legal framework, while the OPRA guide says the OPRA does not examine Australia-specific practice issues. Visit pbs.gov.au when you reach that stage.

4. Master Pharmaceutical Calculations

The APC publishes no percentage for calculations. Its guide lists screening calculations such as creatinine clearance, dose calculations, dilutions and infusion flow rates under therapeutics and patient care, and using pharmacokinetic data under pharmacokinetics. They require precision: a misplaced decimal point gives an incorrect answer. See our calculations guide.

5. Save Australian Scheduling for Later Too

Medicine schedules (S2, S3, S4, S8) and record-keeping belong with legislation, which the OPRA guide leaves to the later assessments. The Intern Written Exam guide lists drug schedules under the legal framework.

6. Use GdayPharmacist Resources

Our OPRA course has 10 chapters and 63 lessons, plus a bank of 5,134 practice questions of our own. Nearly all of those questions, and our mock exams, are sorted by the five content areas (the sorting is ours, not the APC's). Some lessons, such as the law and ethics module, cover Australian practice that the OPRA does not examine, and there is no lesson module on biomedical sciences or medicinal chemistry, so use your textbooks for those alongside the questions. GdayPharmacist is independent of the APC, the Pharmacy Board and Ahpra. The APC does not endorse any exam preparation program, including ours, so start with its free exam guide and sample content.

7. Practise Under Timed Conditions

120 questions in 150 minutes is roughly 75 seconds per question. Practise working at this pace so exam-day timing does not catch you off guard. We suggest 3–5 full-length timed practice exams before your real sitting (the APC sets no number).

8. Join Study Groups

Connect with other OPRA candidates through online forums and social media groups. Discussing clinical scenarios with peers reinforces learning and exposes you to perspectives you might not consider alone. Be careful, though: the APC warns candidates to be cautious of third-party content, and you agree to a non-disclosure agreement before the exam, so never share or ask for real exam questions.

What Happens After You Pass OPRA

Passing OPRA is a significant milestone, but it is not the end of the journey. Registration uses your exam Results Certificate, not the SAO. From there:

1. Secure an intern position and a preceptor first. The APC says positions are earned and you must secure your own, and that the job market is very competitive. Its order is a practice site and an approved preceptor first, then your application to the Board.
2. Apply for provisional registration and approval of your supervised practice with the Pharmacy Board through Ahpra: $421, or $397 for NSW registrants (our sums; Board fees effective 1 October 2026). The Board's overseas page says you can apply online (you also lodge form AASP-60 so the Board can approve your supervised practice), and that if you passed your APC exam more than three years ago you submit form APRO-60, which must be approved before you start. Its internships page points overseas graduates to APRO-60, so check with Ahpra which form applies to you. You will also need to meet the Board's English requirement, which the APC does not test. Ahpra's accepted English tests page has the scores for tests taken from 23 April 2026.
3. Enrol in an accredited intern training program once your provisional registration and supervised practice are approved (each provider sets its own fee)
4. Complete 1,575 hours of Board-approved supervised practice, starting only after your provisional registration and supervised practice details are on the public register
5. Pass the Intern Written Exam ($790) and the oral exam (practice) ($510), after at least 75% of your hours and within 18 months of each other. See the 2027 dates guide for the schedule: applications for the February 2027 oral exam period must reach Ahpra, with the fee, by 4 December 2026.
6. Apply for general registration: $756, or $783 for NSW registrants (our sums)

You keep a weekly record of your hours from your first week on form SPWR-60, a statutory declaration, as evidence when you apply for general registration. The Board's 2015 standard says 1,824 hours, but that is not what interns must complete today. A Board consultation closing on 8 December 2026 proposes setting 1,575 hours in a new standard. That is a proposal, not yet in force.

The APC says timeframes depend on your circumstances: some pharmacists take 6 to 18 months, and some may wait years to secure a visa and job in Australia. It also says a skills assessment does not guarantee employment, and recommends exploring job opportunities before you pay for one. Visa rules, costs and timeframes belong to the Department of Home Affairs, so check its website for what applies to you.

External References and Official Sources

• Australian Pharmacy Council: pharmacycouncil.org.au — official exam information, registration, and fees
• AHPRA: ahpra.gov.au — registration authority
• Pharmacy Board of Australia: pharmacyboard.gov.au — registration standards and requirements
• Australian Medicines Handbook: amh.net.au — clinical reference
• Therapeutic Guidelines: tg.org.au — Australian treatment guidelines
• PBS: pbs.gov.au — Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the OPRA exam?

The Overseas Pharmacist Readiness Assessment (OPRA) is the Australian Pharmacy Council's skills assessment exam for international pharmacists seeking registration in Australia. It replaced the KAPS exam in March 2025 and tests whether candidates are ready to begin supervised practice (internship) in Australian pharmacy.

How much does the OPRA exam cost?

The OPRA exam fee is $2,245 AUD. The APC's eligibility check ($810), OPRA exam and Skills Assessment Outcome ($300) come to $3,355 AUD (our sum). The later Intern Written Exam is another $790, and if your visa doesn't need a Skills Assessment Outcome you can take off its $300.

Is the OPRA exam open-book or closed-book?

OPRA is a closed-book exam. No reference materials, notes, phones or other electronic devices are permitted, apart from a scientific or standard calculator with no internet, text storage or camera. Pearson also provides an online calculator and a whiteboard notebook. This is different from the Intern Written Exam, which is restricted open-book: candidates may bring one original paper copy each of the AMH and APF.

How many questions are on the OPRA exam?

The OPRA exam consists of 120 multiple-choice questions to be completed in 2.5 hours (150 minutes). Each question has one correct answer and three incorrect options.

What is the pass mark for the OPRA exam?

The pass mark is determined through psychometric standard-setting by the APC. The APC publishes no percentage pass mark. Subject-matter experts help set the standard, which represents the minimum needed to apply for provisional registration and begin supervised work and training.

Can I sit the OPRA exam outside Australia?

Yes. The APC lists test centres in 35 countries and territories, including India, Pakistan, the Philippines, Egypt, the UAE and the UK. You do not need to be in Australia to sit the exam. Bangladesh is not on the list, and venues can change at short notice, so check the APC page before you book.

How is OPRA different from KAPS?

OPRA replaced KAPS in March 2025. The APC says the redesign reduced the exam to a single paper with a shorter duration, revised the content areas with a stronger focus on therapeutics (45% of questions today), and changed how questions are selected and scored. When it announced the change in July 2024 it also described the new fee as a reduction from the KAPS cost. The fee was $2,245 when we re-checked on 7 November 2026.

How long should I study for the OPRA exam?

The APC does not prescribe a study period. As a planning guide of ours, allow 3 to 6 months of dedicated preparation at 15 to 25 hours a week, and closer to 6 months if you have been out of practice for several years or trained in a very different healthcare system. Focus heavily on therapeutics and patient care, the largest content area at 45%.

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Need structured OPRA preparation? Our question bank and mock exams are sorted by the five content areas in the APC's current guide. You can try free sample questions first.