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Canada · Qualifying exam

The PEBC exam for pharmacists: Part I (MCQ) and Part II (OSCE)

You need to pass both parts of the Pharmacist Qualifying Examination to be certified by the Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada (PEBC). Part I is a multiple-choice question (MCQ) exam on computer. Part II is an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE), where you handle short practice situations in person, with actors and an assessor. From January 2027, international pharmacy graduates (IPGs) no longer write the Evaluating Examination first. Passing the PEBC exam gets you a certificate, not a licence, so your provincial regulator has its own steps after it.

  • 2Parts, and you need to pass both
  • 200Questions in Part I (MCQ), 150 scored
  • 11Scored stations in Part II (OSCE)
Where to studyHow the test works

Updated November 2026 · Written from the PEBC Pharmacist Qualifying Examination Blueprint (Ver. 03-2026) and PEBC’s candidate information documents

Key facts

At a glance

Run by
The Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada (PEBC), based in Toronto
Part I (MCQ)
200 multiple-choice questions, 150 of them scored, in one 260-minute section
Part II (OSCE)
11 stations of 7 minutes each, in person, on one day across Canada
2027 sittings
February, May and November for both parts, plus July for Part I only
Language
English or French, chosen when you apply
Results
Pass or fail only, posted within six weeks

How it works

How the PEBC exam works, from first application to certificate

  1. Get approved to apply. Canadian graduates complete ID and Education Verification. Graduates from anywhere else enrol in Pharmacists’ Gateway Canada first, then pass PEBC’s Document Evaluation.
  2. Apply for each part separately in PEBC’s Candidate Portal before noon Eastern Time on the deadline, and pay by Visa or Mastercard credit card.
  3. For Part I, PEBC emails you an invitation to schedule at least two weeks before the exam. You then book a Prometric test centre or a remotely proctored appointment.
  4. For Part II, your PEBC Admission Card arrives in your Portal’s Digital Wallet at least three weeks before the exam, with your centre and session.
  5. Results first appear as a list of PEBC ID numbers on PEBC’s website. Your letter follows in your Digital Wallet. You get pass or fail, never a score.
  6. Once you’ve passed both parts, PEBC enters you in its register and issues a Certificate of Qualification. Then you apply to the regulator in your province.

Topics

What’s on the test

These six areas and their shares of the whole exam come from PEBC’s blueprint dated March 2026, which applies as of May 2026. Each part weights them differently, and the syllabus page shows the split.

01

Providing Care: Clinical Care

Working with the patient to gather information, assess, plan, act and follow up. It carries 45% of the whole exam, the largest share in both parts.

Key points (4)
  • PEBC weights Clinical Care at about 50% of Part I (MCQ) and 40% of Part II (OSCE).
  • Lab values and drug levels are given in SI (metric) units.
  • A drug is generally named by its generic or common name. If a trade name is used, the generic name is given too.
  • In an OSCE station, you choose a non-prescription product from the ones provided, even if you’d pick another in practice.
02

Providing Care: Distribution

Getting the right product to the patient safely, from the prescription to release. It’s 14% of the whole exam and weighs more in Part I than in Part II.

Key points (3)
  • PEBC puts Distribution at about 20% of Part I (MCQ) and 8% of Part II (OSCE).
  • Non-interactive OSCE stations can ask you to screen new prescriptions or check prepared medications for errors.
  • In those stations, you mark your answers on the answer sheet only, never on the station materials.
03

Knowledge and Expertise

Using professional judgment to make evidence-informed decisions in the patient’s best interests. It’s 9% of the whole exam.

Key points (3)
  • PEBC weights this area at about 11% of Part I (MCQ) and 7% of Part II (OSCE).
  • Formulas on PEBC’s formula sheet are on screen during Part I, so you don’t memorize them. Molecular and atomic weights are supplied when needed.
  • Calculation answers are in SI units, but you may need to convert first from a unit an entry-level pharmacist should know, such as pounds to kilograms.
04

Communication and Collaboration

Communicating well, working in partnership with patients and colleagues, and documenting care. It’s 16% of the whole exam and weighs far more in the OSCE.

Key points (3)
  • PEBC weights this area at about 4% of Part I (MCQ) and 28% of Part II (OSCE).
  • Interactive OSCE stations are rated on communication, outcome and overall performance.
  • Communication ratings cover responding to the client’s needs, an organized but flexible approach, non-verbal communication and clear language.
05

Leadership and Stewardship

Promoting public and community health and wellness. It’s 3% of the whole exam, weighted the same in both parts.

Key points (2)
  • PEBC gives this area about 3% of Part I (MCQ) and 3% of Part II (OSCE).
  • It’s the smallest of the six areas in the blueprint.
06

Professionalism

Following the law and ethics of practice, equity, diversity and inclusion, and a culture of patient safety. It’s 13% of the whole exam.

Key points (3)
  • PEBC weights Professionalism at about 12% of Part I (MCQ) and 14% of Part II (OSCE).
  • PEBC added two competencies to this area: equity, diversity and inclusion, and a culture of patient safety and continuous quality improvement.
  • Provincial pharmacy law is tested separately, in each regulator’s own jurisprudence exam.

Test day

What to bring to each part of the PEBC exam

  • Part I (MCQ) at a test centre: one government-issued photo ID, such as a passport, Canadian driver’s licence, Canadian health card or Permanent Resident card
  • Part II (OSCE): your PEBC Admission Card, printed on white paper (electronic copies aren’t accepted)
  • Part II (OSCE): an original, valid government-issued photo ID that looks like you and matches the name on your Admission Card
  • Part II (OSCE): a plain lab coat, dispensing jacket, uniform or scrubs, with any logo or name covered in opaque tape
  • Any medication or medical device you need during the exam, shown at check-in with its packaging removed

Before you go

  1. Read PEBC’s Candidate Rules of Conduct and the candidate information for the part you’re taking.
  2. For the OSCE, watch PEBC’s Candidate Orientation Video. PEBC says it’s required.
  3. Try PEBC’s demo tutorial so the Part I screens aren’t new to you.
  4. Arrive 30 minutes before your Part I appointment. If you’re more than 30 minutes late, you can’t write and can’t rebook in that sitting.
  5. Skip perfume and scented products. You may be refused entry if you wear them.
  6. Bring as little as you can. Your belongings go into a locker or secure storage, and PEBC isn’t responsible for lost items.
PEBC: Application for Part I (MCQ) and Part II (OSCE)Applications open in your Candidate Portal once you’re eligible. Each part has its own application and fee.

Study options

Where to study

PEBC publishes sample MCQ questions, five sample OSCE stations, a demo of the exam software and a long reading list, but it doesn’t endorse any prep course. Bridging programs and a private course are compared on the study options page, with each provider’s own prices.

OptionPriceFree to useLinks
Official
PEBC Part I sample questionsA PDF of sample multiple-choice questions from the Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada (PEBC), updated January 2026Representative in format and phrasing, but not a sample exam and not matched to the real one for difficulty. Answers can date if guidelines change.
No price shownPEBC posts it as a direct PDF download on its site
PEBC: Sample questions (PDF) ↗
Pharmacist Qualifying Sample Practice ExamPEBC’s 60-question timed practice exam on the 2026 blueprint, booked through PrometricGives feedback by competency, not a score. Its questions are the same as the sample questions PDF.
Not listed on PEBC’s pageNot stated
PEBC: Sample Practice Exam ↗
PEBC sample OSCE stationsFive illustrated sample stations for the objective structured clinical examination (OSCE), updated March 2026Three interactive and two non-interactive formats. Real stations can differ.
No price shownPosted on PEBC’s site
PEBC: Sample stations ↗
PEBC references and learning resourcesPEBC’s reading list by blueprint area: textbooks, Canadian guidelines and websites, updated March 2026PEBC says it isn’t a study guide and the exam isn’t based on any one textbook.
Textbooks are sold by their publishersThe list itself, plus websites PEBC labels as free online sources
PEBC: References and learning resources ↗
Bridging programs
University of Toronto IPG ProgramA 23-week, full-time online bridging program for international pharmacy graduates (IPGs), in two terms, Canadian Pharmacy Skills 1 and 2Run by the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy. Its spring and summer 2027 session runs March 8 to September 13, 2027.
$6,965 CAD for each term (CPS 1 and CPS 2)No. The page lists bursaries, including the Ontario Bridging Participant Assistance Program of up to $5,000
U of T: IPG program ↗U of T: Tuition and financial assistance ↗
UBC Canadian Pharmacy Practice Program (CP3)A bridging program at the University of British Columbia: a 12-week virtual classroom portion, then 12.5 weeks of in-person Structured Practical TrainingB.C.’s pharmacy college requires the practical training for IPGs. UBC recommends taking the PEBC exams after finishing CP3.
$14,200 CAD from September 2025 ($12,750 tuition and $1,450 practice fee), plus a $250 application feeNo
UBC: CP3 ↗
Courses
Pharmacy PrepA private Toronto-based prep company with Part I (MCQ) and OSCE courses, books and a question bankPrices as shown on its pages, which don’t name the currency. Its site also lists Evaluating Exam courses, an exam that has ended.
MCQ: $1,590 + tax long-term course; $990 + tax home study (digital) or $1,190 + tax with printed books; $690 + tax question bank and mock exams. OSCE: $1,590 + tax in person, $990 + tax home studyNo free plan on its course pages
Pharmacy Prep: MCQ courses ↗Pharmacy Prep: OSCE courses ↗

Prices and ratings checked November 2026.

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FAQ

Common questions

What is the PEBC exam?

It’s the Pharmacist Qualifying Examination, the entry-to-practice exam for pharmacists who want PEBC certification. It tests whether you can practise safely and effectively at entry level, based on the competencies the National Association of Pharmacy Regulatory Authorities (NAPRA) published in 2024. It has two parts, an MCQ exam and an OSCE, taken on different days, and you need to pass both.

What does PEBC stand for?

The Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada, or le Bureau des examinateurs en pharmacie du Canada in French. An Act of Parliament set it up in 1963. It’s a non-profit, national certification body for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians, and it assesses candidates on behalf of the provincial regulators.

Who can take the PEBC exam?

Graduates of a Canadian program accredited by the Canadian Council for Accreditation of Pharmacy Programs (CCAPP) can apply once their ID and Education Verification is approved, and final-year students can apply in the 9 months before they graduate. U.S. graduates of an Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) program need to pass U.S. Document Evaluation first. Other international graduates need to pass Document Evaluation, and from January 2027 they must pass Part I before applying for Part II.

Does passing the PEBC exam make you a licensed pharmacist?

No. PEBC says its certification alone doesn’t give you the right to practise. Every province except Quebec uses the PEBC Certificate of Qualification as one licensing requirement, and each adds its own, such as practical experience, language proficiency and a jurisprudence exam on pharmacy law.

Can you take the PEBC exam in French?

Yes. Both parts are offered in English and French. You pick the language on your application and must write in it. For the OSCE in French, you register for PEBC’s bilingual centre in Montreal, so check that Montreal is on the centre list for your sitting.

How long do you have to pass both parts?

Three years. Once you pass one part, you have three years to pass the other. If you don’t, you have to retake and pass the part you’d already passed. PEBC may extend the limit for a serious health matter if you ask in writing with medical documents, and it doesn’t extend it for personal or financial reasons.

Sources: PEBC and 11 more. Checked November 2026.

Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.

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