Dr. Akram Ahmad, PhDDive into the details, strategies, and insights needed for success as an overseas-trained pharmacist and cracking the KAPS exam.
Key Takeaway:
- Learn about the structure, content, and objectives of the KAPS exam, designed for overseas-trained pharmacists seeking to practise in a new country.
- Discover effective study techniques and strategies to approach the exam confidently. From the weightage of each subject to the question distribution, this blog has it all.
Introduction
Pharmacists are an integral part of the healthcare system anywhere in the world. They play a huge role in facilitating the safe and effective use of medicines and drugs. They also ensure the best patient care and maintain the quality of drugs and medicines distributed.
Pharmacists deserve rewarding careers and have a sea of incredible career opportunities in top countries such as Australia, New Zealand, Canada, etc.
In-depth Exploration of the KAPS Exam for Overseas-trained Pharmacists
- Introduction
- What is the KAPS Exam?
- Contents of the KAPS Exam
- KAPS Exam Paper I Subjects
- Chemistry
- Physiology
- Pharmacology
- KAPS Exam Paper I Score Required
- KAPS Exam Paper II Subjects
- KAPS Exam Paper II Score Required
- Pharmaceutics
- Therapeutics
- KAPS Exam Paper I Subjects
- Conclusion
- FAQs
What is the KAPS Exam?
To become a registered pharmacist in Australia, overseas-trained pharmacists should clear the KAPS exam conducted by the Australian Pharmacy Council (APC). KAPS stands for Knowledge Assessment of Pharmaceutical Sciences. This exam tests the knowledge and skills of pharmacists to ensure that they can deliver safe and effective services in the Australian context.
Let us dive deeper into the contents of the exam.
Contents of the KAPS Exam
The KAPS examination has 2 parts, Paper I and Paper II. Only clearing both papers will make the pharmacist eligible to seek registration in Australia.
KAPS Exam Paper I Subjects
Paper I of the KAPS examination comprises three subjects. They are:
- Chemistry
- Physiology
- Pharmacology
Chemistry
While preparing for the examination, the candidate must have sufficient knowledge of chemistry including major areas such as organic chemistry, medicinal chemistry, drug metabolism, and stereochemistry, as well as, minor areas like saponification, esterification, polymerisation, etc.
Physiology
It is important that the candidate must be well-versed in all important topics of physiology, especially definitions and immunology-based questions. In Paper I, questions from 21-40 will be from physiology
Pharmacology
Questions from 41 to 100 (including 1 or 2 case studies at the end) will be from pharmacology. This indicates that a significant portion of the questions are from pharmacology. The pharmacist should have a deep understanding of pharmacology as well as pathophysiology.
The questions may range from simple topics like the mechanism of action to complex topics like multiple sclerosis.
KAPS Exam Paper I Score Required
To pass Paper I, the pharmacist should score 50% in chemistry which has a weightage of 30% and score 50% in physiology and pharmacology combined, which has a weightage of 70%.
There will be a total of 100 MCQs out of which 20-25 MCQs will be based on chemistry. Approximately 20 questions can be expected either directly from physiology or pathophysiology. Questions from 41 to 100 (including 1 or 2 case studies at the end) will be from pharmacology.
KAPS Exam Paper II Subjects
Paper II of the KAPS examination comprises three subjects. They are:
- Pharmaceutics
- Therapeutics
KAPS Exam Paper II Score Required
To pass Paper II, the pharmacist should score 50% in pharmaceutics which has a weightage of 30% and score 50% in therapeutics which has a weightage of 70%.
Approximately 30-40 questions can be expected from pharmaceutics and 50-60 questions from therapeutics.
Pharmaceutics
While studying the pharmaceutics portion, the pharmacist must surely learn the important areas such as pharmaceutical technology, pharmaceutical calculations, biopharmaceutics, microbiology, and immunology properly.
Therapeutics
A major portion of the questions will be from therapeutics. The candidate must be thoroughly familiar with aspects including drug indication, drug side effects, drug dose, and drug interactions. They should also have a clear idea about herbal products.
Conclusion
Clearing the KAPS (Knowledge Assessment of Pharmaceutical Sciences) examination holds significant importance for pharmacists aiming to practise in Australia. This rigorous assessment ensures that pharmacists possess the necessary knowledge and skills to provide safe and effective healthcare services to the general public.
Australia is a great destination for healthcare professionals from around the world. The standard of living, lucrative salaries and the flexibility of career are some of the most discussed advantages of working in Australia.
If you are searching for a preparatory course for the KAPS exam, drop a mail to contact@academically.ai
FAQs
Q: What is the duration of the KAPS exam?
A: The assessment takes 4 hours in total. Each paper takes 2 hours and there’s a scheduled break of 1 hour in between.
Q: How many questions does the KAPS exam have?
A: 200 questions.
Q: Is the KAPS exam an open-book exam?
A: No. It is a closed-book exam and the candidates are not allowed to carry printed or handwritten reference materials into the exam hall.
Q: Can the KAPS exam be written from India?
A; Yes. India has exam centres in Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Mumbai, New Delhi, Gurgaon, Pune, and Noida.
Q: What is the validity of the eligibility check?
A: There is no expiry on the eligibility check.
Dr. Akram Ahmad, PhD
Academically.ai is the brainchild of Dr. Akram Ahmad. He has done his PhD from the Faculty of Medicine and Health, the University of Sydney, Australia. He is a self-motivated clinical pharmacist and committed lecturer with over 9 years of teaching and research experience in various subjects of medicine at the leading Universities in Australia, Malaysia, and India.
Dr. Akram is the recipient of prestigious “Best Promising Researcher Award” from the UCSI University (Malaysia). He has also published over 110 papers, book chapters, conference papers including in high-impact journals. In addition to that, he is a reviewer and editorial board member in
several journals of medicine and pharmacy.