Checked 2 November 2026. Dates, fees and rules are from Australian Pharmacy Council (APC) pages read on 2 November 2026. APC removed its "OPRA exam - Key changes and FAQs" page; its content is quoted from Internet Archive captures of 5 August 2024 and 19 March 2025, and KAPS-era figures from captures of June 2024. Re-check dates and fees on pharmacycouncil.org.au before you pay.
The KAPS exam no longer exists. The Australian Pharmacy Council (APC) held the last Knowledge Assessment of Pharmaceutical Sciences (KAPS) session on 25–27 November 2024 and replaced it with the Overseas Pharmacist Readiness Assessment (OPRA), first held on 3–5 March 2025. APC described KAPS as the exam "most overseas trained pharmacists wishing to practise in Australia must pass"; if your pharmacy degree is from outside Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the UK and the USA and you are on APC's Knowledge Stream, the exam you register for now is OPRA: one paper of 120 multiple-choice questions in 150 minutes, instead of KAPS's two papers of 100 questions each over four hours (APC announcement, 31 July 2024, APC key-changes page, OPRA exam guide).
APC said the eligibility process, the registration process, test-centre delivery, the number of attempts and the validity period of results did not change, and that the difficulty is equivalent. What changed is the format, the content areas (therapeutics and patient care now carries a 45% target weight of the scored questions), the scoring method and the fee. The next sitting is 23–25 November 2026 (registration closed on 19 October 2026); after that, 22–24 March 2027, with registration from 19 January to 22 February 2027 (APC Knowledge Stream page). This guide sets out the changeover with dates, the old and new formats side by side, who is affected and how, and how to adjust your preparation.
ProSyllabus is an independent study site. It is not affiliated with the Australian Pharmacy Council (APC), and our practice questions are original exam-style questions, not made or endorsed by APC.
APC announcement (31 July 2024), APC key-changes page (Internet Archive, 2024–25) and APC OPRA exam guide (read 2 November 2026).
KAPS vs OPRA at a glance
| Item | KAPS | OPRA |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Knowledge Assessment of Pharmaceutical Sciences | Overseas Pharmacist Readiness Assessment |
| Sessions | Last session 25–27 November 2024 | From 3–5 March 2025; three sessions are listed for 2027 |
| Papers | 2 papers, sat on the same date | 1 paper |
| Questions | 100 per paper (200 in all) | 120 multiple-choice, each with one correct answer and 3 incorrect options |
| Time | Minimum 4 hours | 150 minutes (2 hours 30 minutes); no scheduled break |
| Content | Paper 1: pharmaceutical chemistry 30%, pharmacology and physiology 70%. Paper 2: pharmaceutics 30%, therapeutics 70% | Target weights of the scored questions: therapeutics and patient care 45%, biomedical sciences 20%, pharmacology and toxicology 15%, medicinal chemistry and biopharmaceutics 10%, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics 10% |
| Scoring | Pass or unsuccessful for each paper; no scores released | Rasch model, scaled score; 90% of questions scored, 10% unscored; one overall pass standard |
| Result report | Pass or unsuccessful; a breakdown in the portal if a paper was unsuccessful | Met the standard or unsuccessful, plus content-area feedback that does not decide the result |
| Exam fee | AU$2,290 (APC fees page, June 2024) | AU$2,190 at launch (March 2025); AU$2,245 per attempt now |
| Eligibility check | AU$810; APC quoted 8–12 weeks (June 2024) | AU$810; APC aims for 5 working days but asks you to allow up to 4 weeks |
| Delivery | Test centres | Test centres only (Pearson VUE), computer-based, closed book |
Sources: the old figures come from APC's key-changes page (now removed from the live site, quoted from an Internet Archive capture) and the KAPS-era Knowledge Stream and fees pages; the new ones from APC's OPRA exam guide, Knowledge Stream page and fees page. APC's own About page lists the change in its 2024 timeline: "replaced the Knowledge Assessment of Pharmaceutical Sciences (KAPS) exam with the Overseas Pharmacist Readiness Assessment (OPRA®) exam".
When and why KAPS became OPRA
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 2021 | APC engages a working group to review the KAPS exam specifications; the redesign follows its recommendations |
| 31 July 2024 | APC announces the redesign: KAPS will be replaced by OPRA from March 2025 |
| 25–27 November 2024 | Final KAPS session (two papers) |
| 9 January – 3 February 2025 | Registration for the first OPRA session |
| 3–5 March 2025 | First OPRA session (one paper) |
| 1 July 2026 | Skills Assessment Outcome (SAO) renewals open, without re-sitting the exam |
| 23–25 November 2026 | Next OPRA session (registration ran 18 August – 19 October 2026; results 22 December 2026) |
| 22–24 March 2027 | First 2027 session (registration 19 January – 22 February 2027; results 6 May 2027) |
APC gave three reasons in its July 2024 announcement. First, scoring: APC had used the Rasch model to select and score questions for its Intern Written and CAOP exams since 2020, and introduced the same method for OPRA, which replaced KAPS; APC said this gives "a shorter, more targeted assessment". Second, content: the new exam has "a stronger focus on therapeutics and the application of knowledge to align with evolving pharmacy practice within Australia". Third, length: the changes let APC reduce the exam to a single paper. APC's key-changes page added that the single paper means "more appointment times available for candidates". The announcement put the new fee at AU$2,190, "a reduction from the current KAPS exam cost" (AU$2,290 at the time).
What stayed the same
APC's key-changes page listed what had not changed (Internet Archive capture, March 2025):
- "There are no changes to the difficulty of the exam." APC added that the single paper was designed to be equivalent in difficulty to the previous format, and that there was "no advantage to wait" for OPRA.
- "There are no changes to the eligibility process or registration process." You still pass an Eligibility Check first, then register for an exam session in the APC Candidate Portal.
- "The exam will still be delivered in test centres only."
- "There are no changes to the number of attempts or validity period of results." APC's current page says you may re-sit as many times as you need, paying the full fee each time.
Other things that carried over, from APC's current pages: the Eligibility Check is still AU$810 and "there is no expiry on the eligibility check"; APC still asks you to lodge it at least 8 weeks before the registration closing date; the overall result is still a pass or an unsuccessful result, with no raw score or percentage released (OPRA adds content-area feedback, below); and after a pass you can request a Skills Assessment Outcome (AU$300) to support a visa application, and apply to the Pharmacy Board of Australia through Ahpra for provisional registration and approval of supervised practice, subject to their own requirements (Knowledge Stream page).
What changed
Format. KAPS was two papers of 100 questions, sat on the same date, for a minimum of four hours. OPRA is one paper of 120 questions in 150 minutes. Before the timer starts you get 5 minutes for the non-disclosure agreement and 10 minutes for a software tutorial; afterwards, 5 minutes for a feedback survey. None of that counts towards the 150 minutes. There is no scheduled break; if you need an unscheduled break for the bathroom or water, you raise your hand (exam guide, exam-day page).
Content areas. KAPS split its content across two papers; OPRA has five content areas in one paper. APC describes the OPRA content as "similar to the KAPS", but with more questions on therapeutics and the application of knowledge. The table below lines up the published weights. The area names do not map one to one (KAPS put pharmacology together with physiology; OPRA splits it across biomedical sciences, pharmacology and toxicology, and PK/PD), so the comparison below is approximate (our mapping, using the example topics APC lists for each OPRA area).
| KAPS area (paper) | Share of KAPS questions (our arithmetic) | Nearest OPRA area | OPRA share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Therapeutics (paper 2: 70% of 100) | 35% | Therapeutics and patient care | 45% of scored questions |
| Pharmacology and physiology (paper 1: 70% of 100) | 35% | Biomedical sciences + pharmacology and toxicology + pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics | 20% + 15% + 10% = 45% |
| Pharmaceutical chemistry (paper 1: 30% of 100) | 15% | Medicinal chemistry and biopharmaceutics | 10% |
| Pharmaceutics (paper 2: 30% of 100) | 15% | Medicinal chemistry and biopharmaceutics, whose APC topic list includes formulations, drug and chemical stability, solubility and drug formulation | Within the 10% above |
APC published weights; the KAPS share is our arithmetic (70% of paper 2's 100 questions out of 200 in all).
The practical reading (ours, approximate because the areas are defined differently): the named chemistry and pharmaceutics areas made up 30% of KAPS (60 of 200 questions), while the OPRA area that lists those topics, medicinal chemistry and biopharmaceutics, is 10%; therapeutics rises from 35% to 45%. APC's guide also sets the thinking level: 55% of questions test remembering or recall, 30% comprehension or understanding, and 15% application. The full topic lists for each area are in our OPRA syllabus guide.
Scoring and results. OPRA uses a scaled score so results are comparable across the several live versions of the exam in each session. The pass standard is set by psychometric standard-setting with subject matter experts; you pass on your overall performance, not area by area. Of the 120 questions, 90% are scored and 10% are unscored trial questions spread evenly across the five areas, and you are not told which is which. APC does not disclose raw scores or percentages. The result report says whether you met the standard and gives content-area feedback for guidance only; the exam guide says results come within about 4 weeks, but the published 2027 result dates are about 6 weeks after each session, so plan around your session's published date; results are not subject to review (exam guide, dates). APC's pages give no pass percentage, so treat any "pass mark" quoted elsewhere as unofficial.
Fees. The exam fee went from AU$2,290 for KAPS (June 2024) to AU$2,190 for OPRA at launch (March 2025), and is AU$2,245 per attempt now (fees page). The Eligibility Check (AU$810) and the Skills Assessment Outcome (AU$300) have not changed. An appeal to the APC Appeals Panel cost AU$450 in June 2024; APC's fees page now says "we do not charge a fee for appeals". Refunds on cancellation are subject to APC's approval and incur a cancellation fee: APC's fees page says: "If you cancel 5 days prior to the exam date, there is a $100 cancellation fee", and "If you cancel from 5 days up until 2 weeks after the exam date, you will receive a partial refund", which for OPRA is 80% of the exam fee. The two quoted rules overlap at exactly five days, so confirm the refund with APC and read its refund policy before you cancel.
Eligibility Check turnaround. In June 2024 APC quoted 8–12 weeks. It now aims to respond within 5 working days of receiving all documents but asks you to allow up to 4 weeks, and still says to apply at least 8 weeks before registration closes (Knowledge Stream page).
Skills Assessment Outcome. Since 1 July 2026, if APC has previously issued you an SAO, you can apply to renew it in the Candidate Portal without re-sitting the exam (AU$300; APC says you can renew as many times as you require). SAOs for migration stay valid for 3 years from issue; the Department of Home Affairs sets that period (SAO validity FAQs).
Try OPRA-style questions free
The quickest way to feel the difference from KAPS is to answer a few single-best-answer questions written to the OPRA content areas. The free sample below has 4 questions from 4 different areas, in our timed practice player, with every answer explained. For 8 more worked questions across all five areas, see our OPRA sample questions guide; APC's own sample content PDF (13 pages) is free too.
Free sample: a few timed questions in our test player, with your score, time per question and the reason behind every answer. Start the free sample.
Who the change affects, and how
| Your situation | What APC says | What to do (our reading) |
|---|---|---|
| You passed KAPS (both papers) | No change to the validity period of results. If APC previously issued you an SAO, you can apply to renew it without re-sitting (from 1 July 2026). For registration APC says Ahpra does not require an SAO, uses your exam result certificate, and decides on the validity of results case by case | APC says a previously issued SAO can be renewed without re-sitting the exam; renew it if you need it for a visa. Ahpra separately decides whether your exam result is accepted for registration |
| You passed one KAPS paper and failed the other | Under KAPS you had 2 years to pass the failed paper. APC's changeover page: if you need to re-sit you "will be eligible to sit the OPRA exam in 2025. This includes all single paper re-sits." | APC describes no credit for a passed KAPS paper in OPRA, so plan to sit the full OPRA paper across all five areas. Confirm your own case with APC |
| You failed KAPS | You are eligible to sit OPRA; you register and pay the full fee for each attempt | Register for the next OPRA session; rebalance your study towards therapeutics |
| You had a KAPS eligibility notice but never sat | "There is no expiry on the eligibility check." APC's registration page still addresses people "who have received an eligibility notice from us to sit the KAPS exam" and sends them to OPRA registration | No new Eligibility Check should be needed; register for OPRA in the Candidate Portal when registration opens |
| You are starting now | Your pharmacy qualification must be from outside Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the UK and the USA, include the foundation knowledge of pharmacy and the pharmaceutical sciences, and equal 4 years' full-time study if completed after 1 January 2006 (3 years if before); evidence of registration is not required. Then: Eligibility Check (AU$810), OPRA (AU$2,245), and an SAO (AU$300) if you need one for a visa | Lodge the Eligibility Check at least 8 weeks before the registration closing date of the session you want. APC decides eligibility |
| You are registering in New Zealand (PCNZ Non-REQR route) | A New Zealand OPRA exam: 120 questions, 2.5 hours, AU$2,245; you register once PCNZ confirms you are eligible | Follow PCNZ's instructions and APC's New Zealand OPRA page (linked below) |
APC's 2024 version of the changeover page also let a candidate re-sit a single KAPS paper at the final KAPS session in November 2024 (capture of 5 August 2024); that option ended with the last KAPS session. APC does not say in writing that a passed KAPS paper gives no credit in OPRA; our reading comes from its statement that single-paper re-sits move to OPRA. Ask APC (info@pharmacycouncil.org.au) if your case is unusual. New Zealand details: APC's New Zealand OPRA page.
Worked examples
Worked example 1: what the weights mean on a 120-question OPRA paper
- APC: 90% of the 120 questions are scored and 10% are unscored, so 108 scored and 12 unscored (our arithmetic).
- The area weights apply to the scored questions; APC says unscored questions do not count towards the target percentages. On 108 scored questions the weights work out at 48.6 therapeutics and patient care, 21.6 biomedical sciences, 16.2 pharmacology and toxicology, 10.8 medicinal chemistry and biopharmaceutics and 10.8 pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics (our arithmetic). These are illustrations, not real allocations: APC publishes no exact counts, and real questions come in whole numbers.
- APC describes the unscored questions as "evenly distributed" across the five areas, without saying how 12 questions split between five areas, and does not identify them. Treat every question on the screen as one that counts.
- For planning, the simple rule holds: almost half of what counts is therapeutics and patient care.
APC OPRA exam guide (scoring and content weights); arithmetic ours.
Worked example 2: is OPRA faster per question than KAPS?
- KAPS: APC's stated minimum of 240 minutes for 200 questions = 1.2 minutes (72 seconds) per question.
- OPRA: 150 minutes for 120 questions = 1.25 minutes (75 seconds) per question.
- So the pace per question is about the same. The change is that OPRA is one sitting of 150 minutes with no scheduled break.
- Practice tip (ours): sit at least one full 120-question mock in one go, timed, before exam day.
Times from APC's KAPS-era Knowledge Stream page and the OPRA exam guide; arithmetic ours.
Worked example 3: a candidate who passed KAPS paper 1 in 2024
- Situation: passed paper 1 (pharmaceutical chemistry, pharmacology and physiology), failed paper 2 (pharmaceutics, therapeutics), and did not re-sit at the final KAPS session in November 2024.
- Under APC's changeover rules the re-sit is now OPRA, a single paper across all five areas (our reading of APC's note that single-paper re-sits sit OPRA).
- Therapeutics, which was 70% of paper 2, is now the largest OPRA area at 45%. The other four OPRA areas together carry 55%, and the paper-1 study may help there (our reading).
- Use your paper-2 result breakdown in the Candidate Portal to find gaps, and reassess everything against the current OPRA topic list rather than assuming the paper-1 pass still covers it.
- Next realistic sitting: 22–24 March 2027, registration 19 January to 22 February 2027. With an existing eligibility notice, no new Eligibility Check should be needed (APC: no expiry), but check your Candidate Portal.
APC key-changes page (Internet Archive), Knowledge Stream page. Our reading where marked.
Worked example 4: APC fees then and now (first attempt, pass)
- KAPS route in mid-2024: Eligibility Check AU$810 + KAPS AU$2,290 + SAO AU$300 = AU$3,400.
- OPRA route now: Eligibility Check AU$810 + OPRA AU$2,245 + SAO AU$300 = AU$3,355.
- The SAO is for a visa application; APC says Ahpra does not require an SAO for registration (it uses your exam result certificate), so without a visa need the APC total is AU$3,055.
- Each re-sit adds the full exam fee again (AU$2,245 now).
- These are APC fees only, our arithmetic. Visa, Ahpra and supervised-practice costs are separate.
APC fees pages (June 2024 capture and live page, read 2 November 2026).
How to prepare for OPRA if you studied for KAPS
- Re-weight your hours to the five OPRA areas (our suggestion): use APC's weights as a starting point, which puts therapeutics and patient care near half your time, then adjust for your own strengths and gaps. Our syllabus guide has a study-hours table by area.
- Keep chemistry and pharmaceutics in proportion (our approximate mapping): the OPRA area that lists formulation, stability, solubility, drug delivery and sterilisation, medicinal chemistry and biopharmaceutics, carries 10% of the scored questions, against 30% for the named chemistry and pharmaceutics areas of KAPS. The knowledge still matters elsewhere: APC describes therapeutics as the clinical application of the other four areas, and PK/PD includes the chemical basis of drug action.
- Practise calculations: APC lists dose calculations (body weight or surface area, dilutions, alligation, milliequivalents, infusion rates, isotonicity) and patient parameters such as BMI and creatinine clearance under therapeutics and patient care.
- Use Australian conventions: APC says drug names follow the TGA list of approved names, abbreviations follow the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care recommendations, and values are in SI units. Determiners such as CORRECT, MOST and LEAST are bold and in capitals.
- Note what OPRA does not test: APC says it does not examine Australian or NZ pharmacy law or practice standards; those come later, in the internship assessments.
- Practise completing a full 150-minute paper without a scheduled break, and try Pearson's online sample test to learn the exam software.
- Use current, evidence-based sources: APC says its exam content is based on the latest information in peer-reviewed journals, clinical practice guidelines and textbooks, and that it does not endorse any specific external reference materials or OPRA preparation programs.
OPRA dates after the changeover
| Session | Registration | Exam | Results |
|---|---|---|---|
| November 2026 | 18 August – 19 October 2026 (closed) | 23–25 November 2026 | 22 December 2026 |
| March 2027 | 19 January – 22 February 2027 | 22–24 March 2027 | 6 May 2027 |
| July 2027 | 11 May – 28 June 2027 | 26–28 July 2027 | 9 September 2027 |
| November 2027 | 14 September – 11 October 2027 | 8–10 November 2027 | 23 December 2027 |
Registrations open at 9am and close at 5pm Australian Eastern time, about a month before the exam, and APC accepts no late registrations (Knowledge Stream page). Our OPRA 2027 dates guide has a back-planner for the 8-week Eligibility Check rule, and the OPRA alerts page tracks APC updates.
Common mistakes
- Searching for "KAPS registration". There is no KAPS session to book: the last one was 25–27 November 2024. Register for OPRA.
- Preparing from KAPS-era material without re-weighting. The named chemistry and pharmaceutics areas were 30% of KAPS; the OPRA area that lists those topics has a 10% weight (our approximate mapping), and therapeutics 45%.
- Assuming a passed KAPS paper carries over. APC moved single-paper re-sits to OPRA; plan for the full paper.
- Planning for a scheduled break. OPRA has none.
- Trusting a quoted "OPRA pass mark". APC uses a scaled score with a psychometrically set standard; its pages give no pass percentage, and it does not disclose raw scores or percentages.
- Leaving the Eligibility Check late. APC asks for it at least 8 weeks before registration closes.
- Paying for material sold as past OPRA or KAPS questions. Candidates agree to a non-disclosure agreement before the exam, and APC says it does not share the questions and answers from exam attempts.
Practise the new single-paper format before your sitting
The free questions above are the start of our OPRA Exam Mock Test: full-length timed mocks of 120 questions in 150 minutes, written to APC's published topic weights, with every answer explained and your practice score broken down by content area. The questions are original exam-style practice questions.
See the OPRA Exam Mock Test. Independent practice; not affiliated with the Australian Pharmacy Council.
Frequently asked questions
Is the KAPS exam still conducted?
No. The last KAPS session was held on 25–27 November 2024. The Australian Pharmacy Council replaced it with the Overseas Pharmacist Readiness Assessment (OPRA), first held on 3–5 March 2025.
What is the new name of the KAPS exam?
OPRA, the Overseas Pharmacist Readiness Assessment. APC announced the change on 31 July 2024.
What is the difference between KAPS and OPRA?
KAPS had two papers of 100 questions each over at least four hours. OPRA is one paper of 120 multiple-choice questions in 150 minutes, with five content areas led by therapeutics and patient care at a 45% target weight of the scored questions, Rasch-model scaled scoring, and a fee of AU$2,245 per attempt now.
Is OPRA harder than KAPS?
APC says there is no change to the difficulty and that the single paper was designed to be equivalent to the previous format. It has more questions on therapeutics and on applying knowledge.
I passed one KAPS paper. Do I only need part of OPRA?
APC's changeover page said candidates who needed to re-sit would sit OPRA, and that this "includes all single paper re-sits". APC describes no credit for a passed KAPS paper, so plan to sit the full OPRA paper and confirm your case with APC.
Is my KAPS pass still valid?
APC said there was no change to the validity period of results. Since 1 July 2026, if APC issued you a Skills Assessment Outcome, you can apply to renew it without re-sitting. For registration, APC says Ahpra decides on the validity of results case by case.
Do I need a new eligibility check if I was eligible for KAPS?
APC says there is no expiry on the eligibility check, and its registration page directs people with a KAPS eligibility notice to OPRA registration. Check your Candidate Portal or ask APC if you are unsure.
What is the KAPS exam fee now?
There is no KAPS fee because KAPS is no longer held. It was AU$2,290 in 2024. OPRA was AU$2,190 at launch and is AU$2,245 per attempt now, plus AU$810 for the Eligibility Check, and AU$300 for a Skills Assessment Outcome if you need one for a visa.
When is the next OPRA exam?
23–25 November 2026 (registration closed on 19 October 2026), then 22–24 March 2027 with registration from 19 January to 22 February 2027.
What is the OPRA pass mark?
APC's pages publish no numerical passing score or fixed percentage. It uses a scaled score with a pass standard set by psychometric standard-setting, does not release raw scores or percentages, and reports a pass or unsuccessful result with content-area feedback.
Are there KAPS or OPRA previous year papers?
APC's pages offer none. APC says it does not share the questions and answers from exam attempts, and candidates agree to a non-disclosure agreement. APC publishes a free 13-page OPRA sample content PDF, and Pearson VUE offers an online sample test of the exam software.
Sources
- official — APC media release: "APC announces re-designed KAPS exam" (31 July 2024)
- official — APC: OPRA exam - Key changes and FAQs (page since removed; Internet Archive capture of 19 March 2025)
- official — APC: OPRA exam - Key changes and FAQs (Internet Archive capture of 5 August 2024)
- official — APC: Knowledge Stream (read 2 November 2026): eligibility check, OPRA exam, 2026 and 2027 dates, results, re-sits
- official — APC: Knowledge Stream in the KAPS era (Internet Archive capture of 13 June 2024)
- official — APC: OPRA exam guide and sample content (dated 30 July 2026, read 2 November 2026)
- official — APC: OPRA exam sample content (PDF, 13 pages)
- official — APC: Fees for eligibility checks, exams and appeals (read 2 November 2026)
- official — APC: Fees page with the KAPS fee (Internet Archive capture of 14 June 2024)
- official — APC: Fees page with the first OPRA fee (Internet Archive capture of 7 March 2025)
- official — APC: SAO validity change FAQs (renewals from 1 July 2026)
- official — APC: About APC (timeline: 2024, KAPS replaced by OPRA)
- official — APC: Register for the OPRA exam (pathway page)
- official — APC: OPRA exam day preparation
- official — APC: OPRA exam for New Zealand candidates
- official — Pearson VUE: APC online sample test (exam software)
official = a document published by the conducting body. reported = a news or coaching site we could not check against an original. Where sources disagree this page says so rather than picking one.
