How I Passed the OPRA™ Exam (2025): Survival Guide, Study Notes & Tips for Overseas Pharmacists
My experience, step-by-step prep, and downloadable resources to help you ace the next session.
Preparing for the OPRA™ exam as an overseas pharmacist is no small feat. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, trust me. I’ve been there as part of the very first batch to ever sit for OPRA™. In this post, I’ll break down what the OPRA™ exam is, why I took it, my full prep journey, study tips, and even share my personal notes to help you along the way.
What is the OPRA™ exam?
The OPRA™ (Overseas Pharmacist Readiness Assessment) exam is an essential qualifying exam for overseas-trained pharmacists who wish to practice in Australia. Passing this computer-based test is a crucial step for anyone seeking registration with the Australian Pharmacy Council.
Duration: 2.5 hours
Number of questions: 120
Format: Computer-delivered, multiple choice
Cost: AU$2190 (see more about exam fees)
Eligibility: You need to complete an Eligibility Check with the Australian Pharmacy Council before you can register.
Why Did I Take It?
I completed a 3-year diploma and a 4-year degree, both in pharmacy, outside of Australia. With around seven years of experience as a registered pharmacist, I wanted to take the next step in my career and pursue opportunities in Australia. After consulting with my migration lawyers, it was confirmed that I would be categorised under the knowledge stream pathway.
The Knowledge Stream is a pathway for internationally qualified pharmacists whose academic qualifications and work experience are assessed to make sure they meet Australian standards. Once you pass the eligibility check under the Knowledge Stream, you can register for the OPRA™ exam—a critical milestone on the journey to becoming a registered pharmacist down under.
You can click on the image above, or here, to find out which stream you belong to and which exam qualifies you for registration in Australia.
My Experience
Timeline of My Journey
Started preparing
I kicked off my OPRA™ exam prep just as the year was winding down, determined to make every evening count after work.
Study duration : 4 months
(while juggling a full-time pharmacist job)
Most of my studying happened after long shifts or on quiet weekend mornings—definitely not glamorous, but I learned to make the most of every spare pocket of time. Pure grit and grind.
OPRA™ Exam Information Session
I’ve been invited to an APC-hosted Zoom webinar to help candidates prepare for their upcoming exam. The session will cover frequently asked questions, exam prep tips, and includes a Q&A to support a smooth exam day experience.
So, as the exam approaches, make sure to keep an eye on your inbox—and don’t forget to check your spam folder—for important updates.
Exam date
Sitting in the test centre that morning felt surreal—months of late nights, highlighted textbooks, and endless practice questions all coming down to one 2.5-hour window.
The checks were pretty thorough, so be prepared for that. And don’t forget to wear a jacket or something warm—most exam centres use strong air conditioning, and it can get really cold. Check with your test centre to find out what items are allowed (and not allowed) in the exam room.
Results received
Waiting for results felt like the longest month of my life, but the relief and pride when I saw that “PASS” made every bit of stress worth it.
And immediately, I submitted request for my Skills Assessment Outcome.
Received Skills Assessment Outcome
This certifies that I have successfully completed the APC Overseas Pharmacist Readiness Assessment (OPRA™) exam.
APC has assessed my skills and qualifications as suitable for:
– Visa/Migration: To support my visa application to the Department of Home Affairs (DHA).
– Registration: For provisional registration with the Pharmacy Board of Australia (PharmBA).
Trust me, when you finally see that result on the screen, every hardship suddenly has meaning. All the late nights, worries, and setbacks fade into a single moment of quiet triumph. I just stared, letting it wash over me—then, somewhere inside, a voice whispered, “You made it.” That’s when I broke down.
Challenges Faced
If you think studying for a career-defining exam is hard, try throwing a few health curveballs into the mix! Just three weeks before the exam, I was hit by a sudden vertigo attack that knocked me off my feet—literally. Imagine trying to memorise drug schedules while your head is spinning and you’re stuck in bed!
As if that wasn’t enough, exam nerves (and maybe the relentless air-conditioning at my test centre) led to a nosebleed right in the middle of my revision period. Talk about timing.
Balancing a full-time job with study
Most days, exhaustion set in before I even opened my notes. I learned to embrace short, focused bursts—reviewing key topics during lunch breaks or before bed. Sometimes, I’d just be staring at my textbook, hoping for some last-minute osmosis.
Relying on supplements (and technology) to survive
Q10 and B complex basically kept me sane (and barely awake). I sacrificed a lot of sleep and gave up most of my me-time for months. ChatGPT became my revision buddy—seriously, I depended on it for mock questions and last-minute summaries. But here’s a tip: you need to feed it the right details first before it starts making sense or giving you exam-focused answers.
Finding up-to-date resources and practice materials
Not every book or website is reliable, and the OPRA™ guidelines kept changing. I stalked recent candidates, scrolled endlessly through forums (which, let’s be honest, were mostly silent because I was literally among the first batch to sit for OPRA™ and not KAPS), and double-checked everything against the official APC website. There were days I felt like a hamster on a wheel—nobody seemed to know anything concrete, and sometimes I wondered if we were all just new white mice in the lab.
Dealing with exam anxiety and time management
The closer the exam got, the more those “what if I forget everything?” thoughts crept in. Timed practice tests helped, as did getting outside for some fresh air when the stress hit peak levels.
How to Register for the OPRA™ Exam (2025)
To be completely honest, I worked with migration lawyers throughout my process. They handled the eligibility checking steps for me, which took a huge load off my mind. My part was mainly logging in and making the payment. If you are managing everything yourself, the procedure is generally straightforward, but you do need to be extra careful when filling out your documents and forms.
Personally, I preferred having peace of mind because I was preparing for both the PTE and OPRA™ exams around the same period. I knew I did not want to add more stress, so I let the professionals handle the tricky parts. If you feel confident doing it solo, go for it—just take your time and double-check every step.
I’ve added a simple step-by-step image below. Just click on the image or here and you’ll be redirected straight to the official APC’s page.
Study Tips : What Worked Best for Me
I studied alone and didn’t sign up for any classes, even though I was tempted by some of the online OPRA™ courses. Honestly, the price tags stopped me. Instead, I focused on two main books: Comprehensive Pharmacy Review and the Oxford Handbook of Clinical Pharmacy. I pretty much lived with those books for months.
To avoid getting overwhelmed by the sheer amount of material, I structured my studies by physiological systems first. Once I felt confident with those, I moved on to subjects like calculations and biochemistry. Breaking it down this way helped me stay calm and made everything feel a lot more manageable.
For example:
I started with the cardiovascular system by reading all the relevant chapters in both the Comprehensive Pharmacy Review and the Oxford Handbook of Clinical Pharmacy. I made my own summary notes and flashcards for key drug classes, side effects, and common clinical scenarios. Once I was comfortable with cardio, I moved on to the respiratory system, then the nervous system, and so on.
After finishing the main physiological systems, I set aside separate days for calculations, biochemistry, and the high-yield “miscellaneous” topics. This step-by-step approach kept me from panicking about the mountain of content and helped me stay organised and focused.
If you are studying on your own, don’t worry. You can do this. Find a system that works for you and stick to it, even on tough days.
My Ultimate Weapons
Besides books and ChatGPT, I am not hiding anything here—I leaned heavily on a few online resources. For complicated topics, especially cardiology and immunology, I relied a lot on Ninja Nerd YouTube lectures. The videos can get pretty lengthy and sometimes feel like a marathon, but trust me, it is worth sticking with them. His explanations are super detailed, and I always finished with a much clearer understanding, even if it took extra time. Thank you, Dr. Zach, you’re the best!
Another lifesaver was Osmosis notes. Their colourful, graphical notes really saved me from months of plain, boring pages. Whenever a topic felt dry or overwhelming, I turned to Osmosis to get a visual overview before diving deeper.
I also used tonnes and tonnes of mnemonics to memorise things because I just couldn’t find any other way to compress and squeeze all that info into my hippocampus. Ninja Nerd’s lectures are packed with catchy mnemonics, and I also found Memory Pharm’s website super helpful for handy mnemonics, many of which are freely available online.
These resources, combined with my main books, made a huge difference in helping me actually understand the material, not just memorise it.
My OPRA™ Study Notes : FREE DOWNLOADABLES
If you’re anything like me, sometimes the hardest part is figuring out what (and how much) you actually need to study. To save you the endless scrolling, second-guessing, and note-hoarding, I’ve bundled up all my exam refresher notes into handy PDFs. Hopefully, this gives you a jump start (or at least a little less panic).
Lastly,
If you found this helpful, feel free to:
- Subscribe to my newsletter for more pharmacy exam guides, updates, and free resources.
- Drop your questions or share your experience in the comments—I’d love to help or hear from fellow overseas pharmacists!
- Don’t forget to download my full study notes by clicking the download button above for your revision.
Good luck on your OPRA™ journey—you’ve got this!