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Canada · Qualifying exam

The PEBC exam syllabus: what the blueprint tests

The Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada (PEBC) doesn’t publish a syllabus under that name. Its blueprint does the job: it lists the competencies the Pharmacist Qualifying Examination tests and how much each one counts. The version dated March 2026 applies as of May 2026 and is built on the entry-to-practice competencies the National Association of Pharmacy Regulatory Authorities (NAPRA) published in 2024. Treat it as the PEBC exam syllabus for both Part I, the multiple-choice question (MCQ) exam, and Part II, the objective structured clinical examination (OSCE).

  • 6Competency areas in the blueprint
  • 45%Share for Clinical Care, the largest
  • March 2026Date of the blueprint version in use
Open PEBC’s blueprint

Updated November 2026 · Written from official sources, listed at the bottom of this page

How is the PEBC exam syllabus weighted?

AreaTotalMCQOSCE
1A. Clinical care45%50%40%
1B. Distribution14%20%8%
2. Knowledge and expertise9%11%7%
3. Communication and collaboration16%4%28%
4. Leadership and stewardship3%3%3%
5. Professionalism13%12%14%

The total is for both parts together. The MCQ and OSCE columns are approximate, PEBC says. Clinical care has the highest weight overall and in each part, while communication counts far more in the OSCE. The numbering follows NAPRA’s competencies document, and PEBC leaves out the ones it judges it can’t test.

PEBC: Blueprint (PDF) ↗

What each area covers

  • Clinical care: getting patient information, assessing needs and goals, and making, carrying out and monitoring a care plan with the patient and their circle of care
  • Distribution: reviewing prescriptions, preparing products, checking accuracy and quality, releasing products and managing inventory
  • Knowledge and expertise: using professional judgment for evidence-informed decisions
  • Communication and collaboration: communicating well, partnering with the patient, working with colleagues and documenting care
  • Leadership and stewardship: promoting public and community health
  • Professionalism: following the law and regulations, applying ethics, equity, diversity and inclusion, and a culture of patient safety

PEBC added two competencies to professionalism: promoting equity, diversity and inclusion, and promoting patient safety and continuous quality improvement. PEBC says pharmacists in many workplaces take or share the technical work of distribution, so they must be competent in it.

How PEBC writes MCQ questions

  • Every question asks for the best answer among those listed, even if you think a better one exists.
  • Drug questions are about drugs commonly prescribed or recommended in practice, generally named by generic name. A trade name always comes with the generic.
  • Calculation answers and most values are in SI (metric) units. You may need to convert from a common unit first, such as pounds to kilograms.
  • Words like NOT, NEVER and EXCEPT are in capitals and bold.
  • PEBC aims to use a comma for thousands (2,000), but 2000 and 2 000 may also appear. French exams use a comma for decimals.

Formulas are on screen during the exam, so you don’t memorize them. The formula sheet and calculator are on the MCQ page.

PEBC: Examination design and style ↗The PEBC formula sheet →

Where the blueprint comes from

Each question and station is linked to a NAPRA competency. NAPRA’s Model Standards of Practice describe what good practice looks like for those competencies, and PEBC points you to them. The exam isn’t based on any one textbook.

The provincial regulators also run their own jurisprudence exams on pharmacy law and practice standards.

PEBC: Qualifying Examination blueprint page ↗PEBC’s reading list and sample questions →Jurisprudence exams by province →
Sources: PEBC and 4 more. Checked November 2026.

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

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