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APC Knowledge Stream · Last updated November 2026

OPRA Exam (APC Overseas Pharmacist Readiness Assessment): free practice test

The knowledge exam for overseas-trained pharmacists in APC's Knowledge Stream, and for New Zealand's non-comparable pathway. It replaced KAPS in 2025. Content areas: Therapeutics and patient care (45%), Biomedical sciences (20%), Pharmacology and toxicology (15%), Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics (10%), Medicinal chemistry and biopharmaceutics (10%). Sittings run in March, July and November.

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About the OPRA exam

The knowledge exam for overseas-trained pharmacists in APC's Knowledge Stream, and for New Zealand's non-comparable pathway. It replaced KAPS in 2025. Content areas: Therapeutics and patient care (45%), Biomedical sciences (20%), Pharmacology and toxicology (15%), Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics (10%), Medicinal chemistry and biopharmaceutics (10%). Sittings run in March, July and November.

What's on the exam

OPRA
Biomedical Sciences
7 key facts
Medicinal Chemistry and Biopharmaceutics
7 key facts
Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics
7 key facts
Pharmacology and Toxicology
7 key facts
Cardiovascular, Renal and Endocrine Therapeutics
7 key facts
Infection, Respiratory and CNS Therapeutics
7 key facts
Primary Care, Special Populations and Calculations
7 key facts

Each branch is a topic in the official outline. Members see every key fact on the full mind map. Read the free study guide →

How to pass the OPRA exam

  • 120 questions in 150 minutes is 75 seconds each. Recall questions (55% of the exam) should take 30 seconds, banking time for calculations and patient cases.
  • Therapeutics and patient care is 45% of the exam. Learn first-line choices, contraindications and monitoring the way Australian references (eTG, AMH) present them.
  • OPRA doesn't test Australian law or practice standards; those come later, in the intern exams. Spend your time on science and therapeutics.
  • About 12 questions are unscored and you can't tell which. Treat every question as if it counts, and never leave one blank: there's no negative marking.

Save your results and get your Readiness Score

Create a free account after the test: your score by topic, a mistakes bank, the complete study notes for the first topic, flashcards and the Pharmacy Calculations & Lab Values Sheet.

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What's in the premium OPRA prep

Premium OPRA prep is studied one topic at a time. Each step starts with that topic's key notes and flashcard deck, then its own question sets of 25, so you master one topic before you move to the next. When every topic is strong, the 6 full mock exams show you're ready.

3,000practice questions, every answer explained
6full-length mock exams, 120 questions each, timed
800flashcards with spaced repetition, sorted by topic
60comprehensive key notes across 7 topics

Your step-by-step study path

  1. 1
    Biomedical Sciences9 key notes, 115 flashcards, then 450 practice questions in 18 sets of 25
    Notes free with an account
  2. 2
    Medicinal Chemistry and Biopharmaceutics9 key notes, 115 flashcards, then 425 practice questions in 17 sets of 25
    Premium
  3. 3
    Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics9 key notes, 115 flashcards, then 425 practice questions in 17 sets of 25
    Premium
  4. 4
    Pharmacology and Toxicology9 key notes, 115 flashcards, then 425 practice questions in 17 sets of 25
    Premium
  5. 5
    Cardiovascular, Renal and Endocrine Therapeutics8 key notes, 115 flashcards, then 425 practice questions in 17 sets of 25
    Premium
  6. 6
    Infection, Respiratory and CNS Therapeutics8 key notes, 115 flashcards, then 425 practice questions in 17 sets of 25
    Premium
  7. 7
    Primary Care, Special Populations and Calculations8 key notes, 110 flashcards, then 425 practice questions in 17 sets of 25
    Premium
  8. Final step: 6 full mock exams120 questions each, timed like test day. Pass them, then book your exam.
    Premium
Free with an account

Read the complete OPRA study notes for “Biomedical Sciences”

Our first full set of comprehensive notes, about 15 minutes of reading: Acid-base disorders in three steps · The anion gap · Electrolytes worth knowing by heart · Microbiology at a glance · Immunology and vaccines · Anaemia by cell size, a worked exam example, the traps examiners use and a one-minute recap. Create a free account to read it and see how premium notes work before you decide.

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Study tools included

3,000 practice questions

3,000 exam-style questions per exam, organized topic by topic in sets of 25. Every answer explained, with the rule it comes from.

6 full mock exams

6 full-length timed mock exams per exam, with real question counts and time limits, so test day feels like practice day.

Exam Readiness Score

One 0 to 100 number that tells you when you're ready to book. Reach 80 and you're covered by our Pass Guarantee.

800 flashcards + spaced repetition

800 flashcards per exam, in a deck for each topic, that come back right before you'd forget them. Five minutes a day keeps every number fresh.

60 comprehensive key notes

60 key notes per exam, split across its topics and each explained in full: the concepts, worked exam examples, the traps examiners use and a quick recap. Your first set is free with an account.

Mind maps

See the whole exam on one screen: every topic and the facts under it.

Sample questions with answers

These are the questions in the free test above, with answers. Try the test first. You'll learn more by getting some wrong.

1. Arterial blood gas results: pH 7.30, PaCO2 30 mmHg, HCO3− 14 mmol/L. What is the MOST likely interpretation?
Answer: Metabolic acidosis with respiratory compensation. Low pH means acidaemia. The low bicarbonate shows a metabolic cause, and the low PaCO2 is the lungs compensating by blowing off CO2. Winter's formula predicts PaCO2 = 1.5 × 14 + 8 = 29 ± 2 mmHg, so compensation is appropriate.
2. A patient taking spironolactone and ramipril has a serum potassium of 7.0 mmol/L. Which ECG change is MOST characteristic of this result?
Answer: Peaked T waves. Hyperkalaemia first causes tall, peaked T waves, then PR prolongation, loss of P waves and QRS widening. U waves are typical of hypokalaemia, and delta waves are seen in Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome.
3. A Gram stain of pus from a skin abscess shows Gram-positive cocci in clusters. Which organism is MOST likely?
Answer: Staphylococcus aureus. Staphylococci are Gram-positive cocci in clusters; S. aureus is the usual cause of skin abscesses. Streptococci form chains, E. coli is a Gram-negative rod and Neisseria species are Gram-negative diplococci.
4. Aspirin is a weak acid with a pKa of about 3.5. What is the approximate ratio of ionised to un-ionised drug in gastric fluid at pH 1.5?
Answer: 1:100. For a weak acid, log(ionised/un-ionised) = pH − pKa = 1.5 − 3.5 = −2, so the ratio is 1:100. Weak acids are mostly un-ionised (more lipid-soluble) in acidic fluid.
5. A drug in solution degrades by first-order kinetics with a rate constant of 0.0105 per day. What is its shelf life (t90, the time for 10% to degrade)?
Answer: 10 days. For first-order kinetics, t90 = 0.105 ÷ k = 0.105 ÷ 0.0105 = 10 days. The half-life would be 0.693 ÷ 0.0105 = 66 days, a common distractor.
6. A drug has a volume of distribution of 0.5 L/kg and complete oral bioavailability. What loading dose is needed to reach a plasma concentration of 10 mg/L in an 80 kg adult?
Answer: 400 mg. Vd = 0.5 L/kg × 80 kg = 40 L. Loading dose = target concentration × Vd ÷ F = 10 mg/L × 40 L ÷ 1 = 400 mg.
7. A drug with a half-life of 12 hours is started at a fixed dose every 12 hours. About how long will it take to reach steady state?
Answer: 2 to 2.5 days. Steady state is reached after about 4 to 5 half-lives, whatever the dose or dosing interval: 4 to 5 × 12 hours = 48 to 60 hours. A loading dose is the way to get there faster.
8. In paracetamol overdose, how does acetylcysteine prevent liver injury?
Answer: It replenishes glutathione, which conjugates the toxic metabolite NAPQI. In overdose, glucuronidation and sulfation are saturated, more paracetamol goes to NAPQI and glutathione runs out. Acetylcysteine is a glutathione precursor (and can act as a substitute), so NAPQI is detoxified before it damages hepatocytes.
9. A patient taking simvastatin 40 mg daily is prescribed clarithromycin for pneumonia. What is the MAIN concern?
Answer: Myopathy and rhabdomyolysis because clarithromycin inhibits CYP3A4. Clarithromycin is a strong CYP3A4 inhibitor and simvastatin is a CYP3A4 substrate, so statin levels rise sharply and myopathy risk increases. The combination is contraindicated: withhold simvastatin during the course or use a non-interacting antibiotic.
10. Which antihypertensive should be avoided in a patient with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction?
Answer: Verapamil. Non-dihydropyridine calcium channel blockers (verapamil, diltiazem) are negatively inotropic and can worsen HFrEF. Bisoprolol, candesartan and spironolactone are all evidence-based therapies for HFrEF.
11. A 72-year-old with type 2 diabetes takes metformin 1 g twice daily. Her eGFR has fallen to 25 mL/min/1.73 m². What should happen to the metformin?
Answer: Stop it: metformin is contraindicated at this level of kidney function. Australian references (AMH, ADS) reduce the maximum metformin dose as eGFR falls and contraindicate it below 30 mL/min/1.73 m² because of the risk of lactic acidosis. A different glucose-lowering agent is needed.
12. A 30-year-old with asthma has symptoms about twice a month and uses salbutamol alone. According to the Australian Asthma Handbook, which is the preferred treatment?
Answer: As-needed low-dose budesonide-formoterol. The Australian Asthma Handbook no longer recommends SABA-only treatment for adults and adolescents, because of the risk of severe attacks. As-needed budesonide-formoterol (anti-inflammatory reliever) or a regular low-dose ICS are recommended. A LABA must never be used without an ICS.
13. A patient with Parkinson's disease needs an antiemetic. Which should be AVOIDED?
Answer: Metoclopramide. Metoclopramide blocks dopamine D2 receptors centrally and can worsen parkinsonism. Domperidone barely crosses the blood-brain barrier, so it's preferred when a dopamine antagonist is needed. Ondansetron is also an option (except with apomorphine).
14. A 75-year-old man weighs 70 kg and has a serum creatinine of 120 µmol/L. Using Cockcroft-Gault, what is his estimated creatinine clearance?
Answer: 47 mL/min. CrCl = (140 − age) × weight ÷ (0.814 × serum creatinine in µmol/L) for men = (65 × 70) ÷ (0.814 × 120) = 4,550 ÷ 97.7 ≈ 47 mL/min. For a woman of the same age, weight and creatinine you would multiply by 0.85, giving about 40 mL/min.
15. Which of these medicines is in Australian pregnancy category X?
Answer: Isotretinoin. Category X medicines carry such a high risk of permanent fetal damage that they shouldn't be used in pregnancy or when pregnancy is possible. Oral isotretinoin is the classic example. Paracetamol and cefalexin are category A; metformin is category C.

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  • 3,000 practice questions + 6 full mock exams per exam
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  • Spaced repetition + mistakes bank
  • Readiness Score & detailed reports
  • Video lessons as they release
  • Content updates during your access
  • 5 bonuses: calculations and lab values sheet, interactions and antidotes atlas, study planner and more
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Certification guide

How to become a pharmacist in Australia as an overseas-trained pharmacist: If you qualified in pharmacy outside Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the UK and the USA, your route to registration is the [Australian Pharmacy Council](https://www.pharmacycouncil.org.au/pharmacist/skills-assessment/knowledge-stream)'s Knowledge Stream: an eligibility check, then the OPRA exam, then an internship under provisional registration with the Pharmacy Board of Australia. Here is the path, what it costs and where most of the time goes.

OPRA exam FAQ

How many questions are on the OPRA exam?

120 multiple-choice questions (90% scored, 10% unscored), each with one correct answer and 3 incorrect options, with a time limit of 150 minutes (2.5 hours). Format: closed book, computer-based.

What is the passing score for OPRA?

Not published. APC uses scaled scoring against a standard set by experts and reports pass or fail only; practise to 70% or higher.

How much does the OPRA exam cost?

A$2,245 per attempt, plus a one-off A$810 eligibility check (and A$300 for the Skills Assessment Outcome after you pass). The Council reviews its fees, so confirm the current fee on its website before you register.

Which languages is the OPRA exam offered in?

English.

Where do I take the OPRA exam?

Pearson VUE test centres in Australia and overseas.

Is this OPRA practice test free?

Yes. The 15-question practice test on this page is free, with an explanation for every answer and no signup. A free account also unlocks the complete study notes for the first topic. The full OPRA prep is Premium at A$217 a month for this exam.

What's in the premium OPRA prep?

3,000 practice questions organized topic by topic (Biomedical Sciences: 450; Medicinal Chemistry and Biopharmaceutics: 425; Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics: 425; Pharmacology and Toxicology: 425; Cardiovascular, Renal and Endocrine Therapeutics: 425; Infection, Respiratory and CNS Therapeutics: 425; Primary Care, Special Populations and Calculations: 425), 6 full-length timed mock exams of 120 questions, 800 flashcards and 60 comprehensive key notes split across all 7 topics, plus a mistakes bank and the Readiness Score.

Related practice tests

Exam details are summarized from the official candidate information available in October 2026. the Australian Pharmacy Council changes formats and fees, so confirm with Australian Pharmacy Council (APC) before you book. OPRAExamPrep is not affiliated with the Australian Pharmacy Council.

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