FROM 2025, the Australian Pharmacy Council's (APC) Intern Written Exam will no longer be delivered via remote proctored exams, except in exceptional circumstances.
The remote exams were a necessary change that was made during the Covid-19 pandemic to support the pharmacy workforce.
"Since the pandemic, there has been a significant shift back towards test centres as the preferred sitting option.
"Test centres have now resumed full operations, and in line with other organisations delivering high stakes exams, we can only offer OnVUE in exceptional circumstances," said Chief Executive Officer Bronwyn Clark, who made the announcement yesterday.
"This decision aligns with our commitment to maintaining the highest standards of exam integrity and security," Clark continued.
According to the APC, sitting the exams within a test centre provides a more stable technical environment, reducing the risk of any connection problems which may impact the experience.
It also ensures that all candidates are assessed under the same controlled, consistent conditions, ensuring a fair and reliable process.
"We commit to providing support to our candidates where this does not compromise the exam process and can be reasonably accommodated by APC," said Clark.
"This change is designed with the best interests of our candidates in mind, ensuring that the exam process remains robust, secure, and fair for everyone involved."
The APC's Intern Written exam tests the skills, experience, knowledge and understanding of pharmacy interns.
It is a vital step in the process of interns becoming fully registered pharmacists in Australia.
To sit the exam, interns must be provisionally registered with the Pharmacy Board of Australia (PharmBA), or registered in the past.
They must have completed at least 75% of the required supervised practice hours for registration or have completed the hours by the exam date.
It costs $750 per attempt to sit the exam. JHM
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