Australian Intern pharmacist-What is Australian intern oral exam

The Australian Intern Pharmacist Oral examination is a challenge for every intern pharmacist in Australia. It's the final and most crucial step to become a fully registered pharmacist. It ensures that interns not only understand the theory but can confidently apply their knowledge and skills to safely practice in Australian real-world settings, especially when it comes to decision making, ethics and patient care.

This blog post will walk you through the eligibility requirements, exam structure, preparation strategies, and expert coaching options, so you can tackle the exam with clarity and confidence.

What is the Australian intern pharmacist Oral examination?

This oral exam is conducted by the Pharmacy Board of Australia. It is designed to evaluate the interns on the basis of their practical skills. The skills considered are:

• Clinical knowledge

• Ability to communicate effectively

• Legal and ethical understandings

• Problem-solving capabilities in pharmacy practice

Unlike the written exam, the oral exam mimics the day-to-day scenarios the pharmacists face, such as dealing with medication errors, counselling patients, or responding to ethical issues. Interns must demonstrate not only what they know, but how they would act as independent pharmacists in those situations.

Who needs to take the oral exam?

You will need to take the intern oral exam if:

• You are completing your internship year in Australia

• You have passed intern written exam conducted by Australian Pharmacy council (APC)

• You are on your path to get general registration with AHPRA

This exam is mandatory for international or domestic interns seeking general registration with AHPRA (Australian Health Practitioners Regulation Agency)

What are the Eligibility Criteria (Updated for 2025)?

To be eligible to sit the intern oral exam, you must meet the following criteria.

1. Provisional Registration : You must be provisionally registered with the Pharmacy Board of Australia.

2. Supervised practice hours: You must complete at least 75% of internship hours (1,181 hours out of 1575) before the exam period begins

3. Pass the intern Written Exam: you need a valid pass in the intern written examination, which remains valid for 18 months

4. Application Form: you must submit the APOE 60 form (application for a pharmacy intern to be a candidate for an oral examination (practice)) in the state where you completed your internship

Always refer to the Pharmacy Board of Australia for the latest updates, especially in the light of any changes or administrative adjustments

What is the exam format and structure of the exam?

The exam is divided into 3 core parts, lasting a total of 35 minutes

• Part A: Primary healthcare

• Part B: legal and professional practice

• Part C: Problem solving and communication

1. Part A: Primary Healthcare (10 minutes, No references allowed)

Conducted as a role play, where you manage a patient's minor health issues (eg: eye infection, rash or pain)

You are assessed on:

• Structured patients interview

• Medications history taking

• OTC recommendations

• Communication and lifestyle advice

2. Part B: Legal and Professional Practice

(5 minutes, No reference allowed)

This is a non-role play discussion on pharmacy law and professional standards.

You must:

• Interpret legal requirements and ethical responsibilities

• Manage risk and professional obligations

• Justify your course of action in cases like forged prescriptions or verbal orders

3. Part C: Problem solving and communication (20 minutes, reference allowed)

A role-play where you analyze a prescription alongside the patient's medication history to identify and resolve:

• Drug interactions

• Dosing errors

• Contraindications

• Treatment duplications

You are evaluated on:

• Patient history taking skills

• Clinical reasoning and safety assessment

• Effective patient and prescriber communication

• Use of pharmacy references (eg: AMH, APF)

Note: Only part C allows the use of reference materials. However, AI tools or search engine usage (eg: google) is strictly prohibited)

How is the Exam assessed?

The exam measures your competence using the National Competency Standards Framework for Pharmacists in Australia (2016). There are six standards that are assessed:

1. Professionalism in practice

2. Ethical and legal conduct

3. Effective communication

4. Patient-centered medication management

5. Clinical problem solving

6. Implementation of treatment plans

Examiners will ask:

• Is patient harm avoided ?

• Was the advice safe, clear and clinically sound?

• Are legal obligations met?

What are the preparation tips for success?

Know the competencies:

Familiarize yourself with each of six competency standards. Review legal codes, ethical guidelines, and practice case scenarios

Master the clinical content:

• Study AMH (australian Medical handbook)

• Practice primary care scenarios (cough, constipation, UTI etc)

• Review schedule, prescription validity, PBS law

Sharpen your communication skills

• Practice role-plays with mentors

• Focus on empathy, cultural awareness, and plain language

• Use open-ended questions and check understanding

Use checklists

• Medication history template

• Counselling checklists

• Adverse drug reaction tools

Reference practice:

For Part C, ensure your references are book marked or saved, searching on the spot is not allowed.

How Elite Expertise can help you as a guide to succeed in the exam?

At Elite expertise, we specialize in training pharmacy interns and overseas candidates to pass Australia’s registration exams such as OPRA Exam, Australian Intern written and oral exams. Our program includes:

• Mock oral exam simulations-gain real-time experience with structured mock tests that reflect the actual assessment format

• Interactive Role-play case discussion-improve clinical communications and problem solving skills with peer-to peer or educator-led role plays

• Legal and ethical case coaching-Master the clinical, critical legal and professional standards expected by the Pharmacy Board of Australia

• Led by experts educators like Mr. Arief Mohammad and Mrs. Harika Bheemavarapu-both accredited consultant clinical pharmacists in Australia with extensive experience in teaching for the past 8 years . They have a student centric approach which will prepare the interns with confidence to handle the exam with ease.

What to expect on exam day?

• Bring photo ID and your approved references (only for part C)

• Follow exam rules, unauthorized devices, AI tool or misconduct will lead to disqualification

• Results are mailed after Board certification, usually a few weeks later.

What to do If you need to reschedule or appeal?

If you face any emergencies or need to reschedule, you can contact AHPRA with supporting documents within 2 business days of your exam date.

If you believe your exam was compromised due to improper procedure, you may lodge an appeal-starting with an internal review, followed by an external panel if needed.

Final takeaway

The Australian Intern Pharmacist oral exam isn’t just a hurdle, it's your final step to become a fully registered, confident, competent pharmacist in Australian Pharmacy.

• Be prepared,

• Be ethical

• Be patient focused

And when in doubt, get trained with experts who understand the path to success!

Krupa Karamchand is a B. Pharm graduate and KAPS-qualified pharmacist with over 7 years of experience in the pharmaceutical field. As an experienced SEO content writer, she combines her in-depth healthcare knowledge with proven digital strategies to create informative, engaging, and search engine–optimized blogs. Krupa is passionate about making complex medical topics easy to understand and accessible to all readers.

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Krupa Karamchand

Content Writer | Elite Expertise