Canada · Qualifying exam
Before a province will register you as a pharmacy technician, you'll usually need to pass the Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada's Qualifying Examination. It has two parts: a computer-based multiple-choice exam and a hands-on practical exam called the OSPE. After you pass, you register with your provincial regulator, which sets its own rules. This guide covers how both work, what they cost, who can apply and how to book. There's a free practice test further down.
Key facts
How it works
Topics
Doses, days' supply, dilutions and flow rates. Part I gives you an on-screen calculator, but you need to know how to set each problem up.
Reading and entering prescriptions, preparing products, checking accuracy and releasing them to the right patient. Distribution is the biggest area of Part I, at about 53%.
Making creams, ointments, powders and sterile products safely and accurately.
Brand and generic names, what common drugs are used for and how name endings point to a class.
Federal drug laws, the NAPRA drug schedules, privacy, and the standards your provincial regulator sets.
Preventing errors, reporting them and building a safety culture. It's one of the new Professionalism competencies in the 2026 blueprint.
Free practice test
These 20 questions are our own, written to match the topics in PEBC's 2026 blueprint: calculations, drug names and classes, compounding, dispensing accuracy, Canadian pharmacy law and safety. The real Part I has 150 questions. PEBC doesn't use a fixed percentage pass mark, because a panel sets it for each exam. So we use 70% as a practice target: 14 right out of 20. Keep a calculator handy. After each answer you can ask the tutor to explain it another way.
Sample of the exam: same format, 20 questions.
Test day
Study options
Start with PEBC's free material: the 2026 blueprint, the Part I sample questions and demo tutorial, the OSPE sample station videos and PEBC's list of references. To apply directly you'll also need a CCAPP-accredited program, unless you come through another route. We've listed the official resources and some accredited programs.
| Option | Price | Free to use | Links |
|---|---|---|---|
| Official and free | |||
PEBC 2026 exam blueprintOfficial · web and PDFYour best map of what's on the exam. It shows six competency areas and how much each counts in Part I and Part II. It applies from the September 2026 exam on. | Free | The full blueprint chart | |
PEBC Part I sample questionsOfficial · web and PDFShows the format and wording style of real Part I questions. PEBC says they aren't a sample exam, so don't read your score on them as a prediction. | Free | A set of sample multiple-choice questions | |
PEBC Part I demo tutorialOfficial · webLets you try the exam screens before the day: flagging questions, the section review and the on-screen calculator. Worth doing once so nothing surprises you. | Free | The full interactive demo | |
PEBC OSPE sample stations and videosOfficial · web and videoThe best way to see what Part II actually looks like. Watch how candidates handle interactive stations, then practise the same kinds of tasks out loud. | Free | Station formats, samples and videos | |
PEBC references and learning resourcesOfficial · PDFPEBC's list of review guides, textbooks and websites. It's a general guide, not a syllabus. It also warns you to skip US federal law questions in American review books. | Free | The reading list | |
CCAPP accredited program directoryOfficial · webThe Canadian Council for Accreditation of Pharmacy Programs lists 49 accredited pharmacy technician programs. Graduating from one is the usual route to the exam. The directory doesn't show which programs are online, so ask the school. | Free | Search all accredited programs | |
Justice Laws: federal drug legislationOfficial · webThe Food and Drugs Act and the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, which PEBC points you to for federal law. Read them alongside your provincial regulator's standards. | Free | Full text of the Acts and regulations | |
NAPRAOfficial · webNAPRA's entry-to-practice competencies are what the blueprint is built on. Its National Drug Schedules (I, II and III) come up in law questions. | Free | Competencies and the National Drug Schedules | |
ISMP Canada safety bulletinsOfficial · webPEBC lists ISMP Canada for medication safety. Its bulletins show real errors, like look-alike names and dangerous abbreviations, and how pharmacies prevent them. | Free | Bulletins and safety resources | |
| In person | |||
Vancouver Community College: Pharmacy TechnicianCollege program · BCA CCAPP-accredited program. VCC says it's accredited from July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2029, so graduates can apply directly for the exam. | Tuition varies; check with the school | Nothing | |
Fanshawe College: Pharmacy TechnicianCollege diploma · OntarioA two-year CCAPP-accredited diploma in London, Ontario, that prepares graduates for registration in Ontario. | Tuition varies; check with the school | Nothing | |
Prices and ratings checked October 2026.
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FAQ
Part I has 150 multiple-choice questions. 120 count and 30 are unscored pretest questions mixed in. You get two sections of 100 minutes. There's no fixed passing score. A panel of experts sets the standard for each exam using the Modified Angoff method, so the number you need right changes with how hard that version is. Results are pass/fail only.
Yes. As of October 2026, Part II is still running. PEBC calls it the OSPE, the Objective Structured Practical Examination. It has 11 stations of 6 minutes, including interactive stations with actors, a technique demonstration and a video station. It's held in person on the same day across Canada.
For the 2027 exams, Part I costs $585 and Part II costs $1,240, so $1,825 in all (Canadian dollars). Internationally educated technicians also pay $500 for the International Evaluation first. Moving your Part I appointment costs about $60 plus HST, paid to Prometric.
Part I, yes. You can write it at a Prometric test centre or by remote proctoring from home. PEBC expects you to use remote proctoring if you can't get a test centre seat. Part II, the OSPE, is in person only.
You get 3 attempts at each part. After a third fail, you need to finish remediation that PEBC's Board approves before a 4th and final attempt. You also need to pass both parts within 3 years of each other.
Start with PEBC's Pharmacy Technician International Evaluation. It's a document evaluation that checks whether your program and knowledge make you eligible. It costs $500. You need a pharmacy technician diploma or related program, or a pharmacist degree, from outside Canada. Certificate courses don't count.
A prescription reads: amoxicillin 250 mg/5 mL suspension, 500 mg three times daily for 10 days. How many millilitres should you dispense?
300 mL Each 500 mg dose is 10 mL, because 250 mg is in 5 mL. That's 30 mL a day for 10 days, so 300 mL.
A patient takes metformin 500 mg, 1 tablet twice daily. You dispense 180 tablets. How many days will the supply last?
90 days The patient uses 2 tablets a day. 180 tablets divided by 2 a day is 90 days.
A child weighs 20 kg. The dose is acetaminophen 15 mg/kg per dose, and you have a suspension of 160 mg/5 mL. How many millilitres is one dose?
9.4 mL The dose is 20 kg × 15 mg/kg = 300 mg. The suspension has 32 mg in each mL (160 ÷ 5), so 300 ÷ 32 = 9.375 mL, about 9.4 mL.
How many millilitres of a 10% stock solution do you need to make 500 mL of a 2% solution?
100 mL Use C1 × V1 = C2 × V2. 10% × V1 = 2% × 500 mL, so V1 = 1,000 ÷ 10 = 100 mL. You then add diluent up to 500 mL.
An order is for 1,000 mL of normal saline to run over 8 hours. What is the flow rate in mL per hour?
125 mL/h Flow rate is volume divided by time: 1,000 mL ÷ 8 h = 125 mL/h.
What do the directions '1 tab po bid prn' mean?
Take 1 tablet by mouth twice daily as needed 'po' means by mouth, 'bid' means twice a day and 'prn' means as needed. The label should spell this out in plain words.
What is a DIN on a Canadian drug product?
An 8-digit number Health Canada assigns to a drug product approved for sale A Drug Identification Number is the 8-digit number Health Canada assigns to a drug product it has authorized for sale. It identifies the exact product, including manufacturer, strength and dosage form, so checking it is a key part of dispensing accuracy.
Before you hand over a filled prescription, what is the best way to make sure it goes to the right patient?
Confirm at least two identifiers, such as full name and date of birth Using two patient identifiers, like full name and date of birth (or address), is the standard safety check at release. A leading question like 'Are you here for Smith?' invites a wrong 'yes'.
A stock bottle is labelled 'EXP 06/2027'. When does it expire?
At the end of the last day of June 2027 When an expiry date shows only a month and year, the product is good through the last day of that month, so June 30, 2027.
When you add a powder to an ointment base, why might you first mix it with a little mineral oil?
To levigate it: reduce grittiness so it blends smoothly into the base Levigation means grinding a powder with a small amount of a liquid it doesn't dissolve in, like mineral oil. It breaks down particles so the final ointment feels smooth, not gritty.
You need to mix 100 mg of a potent drug evenly into 50 g of a powder diluent. What method should you use?
Geometric dilution: mix the drug with an equal amount of diluent, then keep doubling Geometric dilution mixes the drug with an equal amount of diluent, then adds diluent equal to the mixture each time. It gives an even blend when a small amount of drug goes into a large amount of diluent.
In sterile compounding, what is 'first air'?
Air that comes straight from the HEPA filter before it touches anything First air is the clean air coming directly out of the HEPA filter. Nothing, including your hands, should block it between the filter and the critical sites like needle hubs and vial tops.
What is the generic name for Synthroid?
Levothyroxine Synthroid is a brand of levothyroxine, a thyroid hormone used for hypothyroidism.
Metoprolol belongs to which drug class?
Beta blockers Drugs ending in -olol, like metoprolol and atenolol, are beta blockers. They're used for high blood pressure, angina and heart rhythm problems.
Which of these is a proton pump inhibitor (PPI)?
Pantoprazole Pantoprazole is a PPI. PPIs end in -prazole and strongly reduce stomach acid.
Which of these is a narcotic under Canada's federal drug law?
Oxycodone Oxycodone is an opioid narcotic controlled under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. Lorazepam is controlled too, but as a benzodiazepine (a targeted substance), not a narcotic.
Under the NAPRA National Drug Schedules, where are Schedule III drugs kept?
In the pharmacy's self-selection area, with a pharmacist available Schedule III drugs can be sold from the self-selection area of a pharmacy, under a pharmacist's supervision. Schedule II drugs are kept with no public access, and Schedule I drugs need a prescription.
Which federal list identifies the medicinal ingredients that need a prescription in Canada?
The Prescription Drug List Health Canada's Prescription Drug List names the medicinal ingredients that require a prescription for human or veterinary use. Provinces may add their own rules on top.
Why should you never write 'U' for units, as in '10 U insulin'?
It can be misread as a zero or a 4, causing a tenfold or larger overdose A handwritten 'U' can look like a 0 or a 4, so '10 U' can become '100'. ISMP Canada lists it as a dangerous abbreviation. Write 'unit' in full.
Hydroxyzine and hydralazine are a well-known example of what kind of error risk?
Look-alike, sound-alike drug names Hydroxyzine (an antihistamine) and hydralazine (a blood pressure drug) look and sound alike. Pharmacies use tactics like tall man lettering, separate shelving and reading the full name to avoid mix-ups.