What Are the Intern Written and Oral Exams?
Once you finish enough supervised practice hours as an intern pharmacist in Australia, you must clear two separate exams before applying for general registration. The Intern Written Exam checks your clinical knowledge, calculations, and reasoning on paper (well, on a computer). The Intern Oral Exam checks whether you can apply that knowledge live, in front of an examiner, while talking to a "patient" or handling a real scenario.
Both exams test the same broad competency areas, but in very different ways, and many students find one much harder than the other, depending on their strengths.
How Do the Written and Oral Exam Formats Differ?
The two exams are built completely differently; one is silent and solo, and the other is spoken and face-to-face.
| Feature | Written Examination | Oral Examination |
|---|---|---|
| Conducted By | Australian Pharmacy Council (APC) | Ahpra on behalf of the Pharmacy Board of Australia |
| Format | Computer-based examination with MCQs and fill-in-the-blank calculation questions | Face-to-face assessment consisting of a three-part role-play and discussion |
| Duration | 2 hours (120 minutes) | Approximately 35–40 minutes |
| Questions / Parts | 75 questions | Three parts (Part A, Part B, and Part C) |
| Reference Materials | Restricted open-book using approved physical AMH and APF references only | No references permitted in Parts A and B; restricted approved references permitted in Part C |
| Scoring | 90% scored questions and 10% unscored trial items using criterion-referenced assessment | Assessed against the Pharmacy Board of Australia's competency-based marking criteria |
| Eligibility | At least 75% of the required supervised practice hours must be completed | Candidates must hold a current written examination pass that remains valid for 18 months |
Which Competency Domains Does the Written Exam Cover?
The written exam maps to Domains 1 and 3 of the National Competency Standards Framework. In practice, this means questions are drawn from areas such as
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Clinical pharmacy and therapeutics – dosing, pharmacokinetics, evidence-based drug decisions
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Medication safety—error prevention, adverse drug reactions, monitoring
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Dispensing and calculations—prescription review, pharmaceutical calculations, drug interactions
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Pharmacy law and regulations – legislation and compliance
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Professional practice and communication—ethics, patient counselling
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Guideline and reference reasoning – AMH and APF navigation, evidence interpretation
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Pharmaceutical sciences – pharmacology, drug mechanisms, biopharmaceutics
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Oral exam readiness—structured response frameworks that also help later in the Oral Exam
What Happens in Each Part of the Oral Exam?
The oral exam has three distinct parts, each testing a different skill set.
Part A – Primary Healthcare (Role-Play, ~10 minutes, No References)
You manage a minor ailment as if a patient walked up to your counter, think of eye infections, rashes, or mild pain, and must take a history, identify the issue, and counsel appropriately.
Part B – Legal & Professional Practice (~10 minutes, No References)
You discuss Australian pharmacy law, ethics, and professional obligations in response to scenario-based questions.
Part C – Problem Solving & Communication (~20 minutes, Restricted References)
You review a prescription or case, spot risks like interactions or contraindications, and communicate your clinical reasoning to the examiner. This is usually the highest-weighted and most challenging section.
How Should You Prepare Differently for Each Exam?
For the written exam, focus on speed and accuracy. Practise hundreds of MCQs and calculation questions under timed conditions, get comfortable navigating the AMH and APF quickly, and build a habit of eliminating wrong answers fast.
For the oral exam, focus on communication and composure. Practise speaking your clinical reasoning out loud, run mock role-plays with a mentor or peer acting as the patient or examiner, and rehearse structured response frameworks so you don't freeze under pressure. Since Parts A and B don't allow references, you need to know core facts, like common OTC treatments and pharmacy law from memory.
A smart general rule: study the Intern written exam content first, then shift toward oral exam practice once that knowledge is solid, since the oral exam is really about applying what you already know live.
What Does the Elite Expertise Course Offer for Both Exams?
Elite Expertise runs a combined 3.5-month program that prepares interns for both exams together, so you're not studying the same content twice.
| Course Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Duration | 3.5 months (15 weeks) |
| Lectures | More than 300 hours of live and recorded lectures covering the complete syllabus. |
| Practice Questions | 3,000+ exam-style MCQs and pharmaceutical calculation questions. |
| Oral Practice | 500+ role-play scenarios covering Parts A, B, and C of the oral examination. |
| Mock Exams | Full-length timed written mock exams and examiner-style oral mock assessments. |
| Access | Unlimited course access until you successfully pass the examination. |
| Extras | WhatsApp community support, personalised mentor feedback, and dedicated exam-day strategy sessions. |
The course reports a 95% pass rate and gives one-on-one mentor feedback so weak areas get fixed before exam day, not discovered on it.
Who Teaches the Elite Expertise Course?
The course is led by Mr. Arief Mohammad and Mrs. Harika Bheemavarapu, Directors and Co-Founders of Elite Expertise. Both are KAPS-qualified, AACP-accredited consultant pharmacists working as clinical pharmacists in Melbourne, Arief sir at Northern Health and Harika ma’am at Monash Health. Together they have over 10 years of experience each and have guided hundreds of intern pharmacist candidates through both the Written and Oral exams on their first attempt.
Final Words
The Written and Oral exams test the same underlying competence, safe, confident, evidence-based pharmacy practice, but in very different formats. The Written Exam rewards speed, accuracy, and calm reference-navigation. The Oral Exam rewards clear communication, structured thinking, and composure under a real examiner's eye. Preparing for both together, with realistic mock tests for each format, is the most efficient way to walk into internship's final stretch with confidence.
Key Takeaways
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Every intern pharmacist in Australia must pass two exams: the Written Exam and the Oral Exam.
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The Written Exam is a 2-hour, 75-question, computer-based test with restricted open-book access to the AMH and APF.
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The oral exam is a face-to-face, 3-part performance test lasting around 35 minutes, with limited or no reference materials.
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The Written Exam is administered by the Australian Pharmacy Council (APC); the Oral Exam is run by Ahpra on behalf of the Pharmacy Board of Australia.
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A written exam pass is required before you can sit the oral exam, and it stays valid for 18 months.
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The two exams test different skills: clinical knowledge and calculations versus real-time communication and judgement, so they need different preparation strategies.