Why Now is the Perfect Time to Start a Pharmacy Career in Australia?

Passing the KAPS exam unlocks the door to a fulfilling and successful career as a pharmacist in Australia. But beyond the exam itself, what makes this profession so attractive? Let's explore the compelling reasons to pursue pharmacy in Australia:

Competitive Salaries and Strong Earning Potential

Pharmacists in Australia are highly valued healthcare professionals, which translates to attractive salaries. The average pharmacist salary in Australia is $107,164 per year (as of May 2024), with opportunities for even higher earnings in regional areas and specialised fields.

High Demand and Career Stability

Australia needs more pharmacists, particularly in rural and remote areas. This strong demand for qualified professionals means excellent job prospects and career stability for those who pass the KAPS exam. You'll be in a strong position to secure rewarding positions and build a long-term career in a thriving industry.

Pathway to Permanent Residency or Work Visas

Qualifying as a pharmacist in Australia can open doors to permanent residency or work visa opportunities. This paves the way for a future of living and working in a country renowned for its high quality of life, beautiful landscapes, and multicultural society.

OPRA™ Exam Preparation Course

Why Self-Study Might Not Be Enough?

The OPRA™ (Overseas Pharmacist Readiness Assessment) exam is a gateway to your rewarding pharmacy career in Australia. While self-study is a possibility, it's important to consider the potential hurdles you might encounter

Unveiling the Mysteries: The OPRA exam, designed to assess your in-depth understanding of biomedical, pharmaceutical, and clinical sciences, can present tricky questions. Self-study materials might lack the detailed explanations and diverse question formats needed to tackle these challenges effectively.

Knowledge Gaps Lurk: The OPRA exam covers a vast amount of information. Self-study demands significant discipline to ensure you're comprehensively prepared across all tested areas. You might unintentionally overlook key topics or lack a strong foundation in certain areas, leaving you vulnerable on exam day.

The Clock's Your Enemy: Effective time management is vital for OPRA exam success. Without a structured approach, you risk getting bogged down on difficult questions, potentially compromising your performance on others.

Underestimating the Mountain: Self-studiers might underestimate the difficulty of the OPRA exam. A lack of understanding of the level of preparation required can lead to discouragement or a sense of unpreparedness on exam day.

Learning Goals, Objectives, and Outcomes

Clear OPRA™ Exam with Confidence: Our premier online OPRA™ coaching, based in Australia, is meticulously designed to empower you to confidently tackle the OPRA™ exam. Say goodbye to apprehension and embrace success.

Pharmacotherapeutics Mastery: Excelling in real-life pharmacotherapeutic scenarios is a cornerstone of our training, ensuring you're equipped for the dynamic landscape of pharmacy practice. We are trusted for delivering quality education globally!

Precision in Calculations and Posology: Master the skills of dose calculations in pharmacy practice with precision and finesse.

Holistic Pharmaceutical Knowledge: Gain in-depth insights into the OPRA™ exam syllabus, which includes pharmaceutical chemistry, pharmacology, pharmaceutics, physiology, pathophysiology, biopharmaceutics, pharmacokinetics, microbiology, and sterilization techniques.

About OPRA™ Exam

The Australian Pharmacy Council (APC) has announced a significant change in the examination process for overseas pharmacists seeking registration in Australia. As of March 2025, the Knowledge Assessment of Pharmaceutical Sciences (KAPS) exam will be replaced by the new Overseas Pharmacist Readiness Assessment (OPRA™) exam. This transition marks a critical shift towards modernized exam practices, ensuring alignment with the evolving standards of Australian pharmacy practice.

Learn More about KAPS Exam

Key Changes and Features of the OPRA™ Exam

Shorter Exam Duration

The OPRA™ exam is more streamlined than the KAPS exam with

A single paper format.

The duration is reduced to 2.5 hours

Comprising 120 questions

This shorter format allows for more appointment times, accommodating a larger number of candidates.

Revised Content Areas

The OPRA™ exam content will emphasize more questions related to therapeutics and the application of knowledge

Reflecting the current needs and practices within Australian pharmacy.

This change aims to provide a comprehensive assessment of candidates' readiness to commence an internship in Australia.

The content areas for OPRA™ are as follows:

• Biomedical Sciences: 20%

• Medicinal Chemistry and Biopharmaceutics: 10%

• Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics: 10%

• Pharmacology and Toxicology: 15%

• Therapeutics and Patient Care: 45%

The KAPS exam, in its final session in November 2024, will retain its existing content areas, divided into two papers focusing on pharmaceutical chemistry, pharmacology, physiology, pharmaceutics, and therapeutics.

Updated Exam Methodology

The OPRA™ exam will utilize the Rasch methodology for selecting and scoring questions, a technique already employed in APC's Intern Written and CAOP exams since 2020. This evidence-based psychometric approach ensures the validity and reliability of the exam's assessment standards.

Reduced Costs

One of the notable benefits of the OPRA™ exam is the reduction in cost, making the pathway to registration more accessible for overseas pharmacists.

OPRA fees: AUD2190

What has NOT changed

The difficulty level of the exam will not change.

The eligibility and registration processes remain the same.

The exams will continue to be conducted at designated test centers.

There are no changes to the number of attempts allowed or the validity period of exam results.

Your Lecturers

Come and fall in love with knowledge! We bet you will love them!

Arief Mohammad

Accredited Consultant Pharmacist

Harika Bheemavarapu

Accredited Consultant Pharmacist

Arief Mohammad, Director of Elite Expertise, holds a Master of Hospital and Clinical Pharmacy and is an accredited consultant pharmacist with the Australian Association of Consultant Pharmacists (AACPA). He currently practices as a clinical pharmacist at Northern Health Hospital in Melbourne, where he has worked for five years. Renowned for his teaching skills and practical experience, Arief has mentored numerous students and intern pharmacists.

Harika Bheemavarapu is the Director of Elite Expertise and holds a Master of Pharmacy. She is an accredited consultant pharmacist with the Australian Association of Consultant Pharmacists (AACPA) and currently works as a Clinical Pharmacist and Clinical Pharmacist Educator at Monash Health Hospital in Melbourne. With five years of pharmacy practice in Australia, Harika has an excellent track record in helping students succeed in the KAPS and Australian Intern Pharmacist examinations.