PEBC Exam

The PEBC exam is a competence evaluating exam which can be sat by three catergories of students:

1. Canadian Graduates
2. American Graduates
3. Oversees Graduates

All of the above take the same exam but the fees are different for each type of student.

NAPRA in 1997 defines the exams syllabus by the document “Professional Competencies for Canadian Pharmacists at Entry to Practice” (can be found inside the subscription courses). This document details what knowledge is required to be a competent Canadian pharmacist and is what this sites content is based on.

The main difference between the PEBC exam and other pharmacy competence exams around the world is the stress of the importance of evaluating actual practice of pharmacists instead of purely using Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ's). Due to this, the PEBC exam was split into two parts, the MCQ's (Part I) and the practical OSCE section (Part II).

Part I - the MCQ part is set out over two half day sessions. Each session comprises of 150 questions and you have 225 minutes per session (plus a 15 minute induction). This means that per question you get 90 seconds. the content of which is meant to assess your competence in areas set out by the syllabus and judge your ability to problem solve.

Part II - the OSCE part is taken on a separate day to Part I. It comprises of a room which is divided into multiple "stations". These stations can include a patient or a scenario which you will have to resolve. At each station you are judged by an objective viewer, upon the following criteria:

• Gathering and interpreting clinical patient information
• Identifying and solving practice problems
• Communicating effectively

This site specializes in the MCQ section of the PEBC exam but included in the full course are useful tips and hints for the practical assessment part of the exam.

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