How Did Niharika ‌Overcome a P‌harmacy Career G‌ap and Cl‌ear OPR‌A Exam on ‌Her Second ‌Attempt?

What Was Niharika's Background Before OPRA Preparation?

Niharika's journey to becoming a pharmacist in New Zealand was different from the traditional path.

She completed her Bachelor's and Master's in Pharmacy around 2017. After that, she pursued an MBA and moved into the corporate sector.

She built more than five years of professional experience in HR management with multinational companies.

Although she had started her career with pharmacy, she had spent several years away from the profession.

Later, Niharika and her partner decided to move to New Zealand. After settling there, she wanted to return to pharmacy and work towards pharmacist registration.

However, she was concerned about her long gap in pharmacy studies and experience.

She explained that she initially felt discouraged because she did not have recent pharmacy experience. She also believed that candidates with strong pharmacy backgrounds would have an advantage.

Her journey proved otherwise.

Why Did Niharika Decide to Return to Pharmacy?

After moving to New Zealand, Niharika researched the pharmacist registration pathway and understood that passing the OPRA Exam was an important part of her journey.

She also understood that pharmacists have opportunities in countries such as New Zealand and Australia.

Her previous pharmacy qualification was still important to her, and she wanted to return to the profession rather than continue permanently in another career.

However, she needed to rebuild her pharmacy knowledge.

This was particularly challenging because she had spent years working in HR.

Niharika eventually decided to give the OPRA Exam another serious attempt.

How Did Niharika Overcome Her First OPRA Attempt?

Niharika's first OPRA attempt was unsuccessful.

She had prepared with another coaching institute, but she did not feel sufficiently confident with the preparation.

At that time, she was also new to New Zealand and managing work alongside her studies.

After the unsuccessful attempt, she researched further and heard positive feedback about Elite Expertise.

She eventually joined Elite Expertise for her second preparation journey.

Looking back, Niharika said she wished she had discovered Elite Expertise earlier.

However, the second attempt allowed her to change her preparation strategy.

What Changed After She Joined Elite Expertise?

According to Niharika, she began feeling more confident from the very first orientation session.

Arief Mohammad and Harika Bheemavarapu explained the examination pattern and the preparation process. They also reassured her that a pharmacy study or career gap did not mean that passing OPRA was impossible.

This was particularly important for Niharika because she discovered that several other students also had long gaps in their pharmacy careers.

Some candidates had completed their pharmacy degrees many years earlier and had limited recent pharmacy experience.

That helped Niharika realise that she was not alone.

She also appreciated the teaching styles of both trainers.

She found Harika Ma'am's explanations particularly useful for remembering drug classifications and drug names. Stories and practical examples helped her retain information.

She also used recorded lectures whenever she could not attend a live session.

How Did Niharika Manage Work and OPRA Preparation?

Niharika was initially managing two jobs while preparing for OPRA.

She was working in HR and also had a part time job.

She soon realised that managing both jobs and serious exam preparation would be difficult.

So, she made an important decision.

She resigned from her part time job and gradually reduced her work commitments to give more attention to OPRA.

During the first month, she still had difficulty attending some classes because of work schedules.

The availability of recorded sessions helped her catch up.

From the second month onwards, she became much more consistent and attended the classes regularly.

She spent approximately four months preparing with Elite Expertise.

Her experience shows that candidates with full time jobs may need to plan their schedules carefully, particularly during the final revision period.

How Did Classes and Revision Help Niharika?

Niharika credited the regular classes, revision sessions, MCQs, and mock tests as important parts of her preparation.

She made sure that she attended the revision classes because she found them particularly useful before the examination.

The MCQ practice also helped her become more comfortable with the type of questions she might face.

She explained that she did not rely heavily on making large volumes of notes. Instead, she focused on understanding the lectures and revising the course content.

Her pharmacy basics also improved during the preparation.

Topics that initially felt difficult, including cardiovascular and nervous system concepts, became easier for her to understand.

By the end of the course, she felt much more confident with pharmacy concepts and drug names.

As she jokingly said during the interview, she started feeling like a pharmacist again.

What Was Niharika's OPRA Exam Day Experience?

Before the examination, Niharika was slightly concerned that she had missed some mock tests.

However, she had attended the lectures and revision sessions, which helped rebuild her confidence.

On the day of the exam, she continued revising until she entered the examination centre.

She reviewed notes, drug classifications, important topics, PDFs, and screenshots that had been shared with the student group.

The first couple of questions felt difficult, which made her slightly nervous.

However, as she continued through the examination, many questions felt familiar because she had encountered similar concepts during her preparation.

She also felt that the regular mock tests had helped her with time management and confidence.

By the end of the examination, she still had time remaining and felt relatively relaxed.

How Did Niharika React After Passing OPRA?

The moment Niharika saw her successful result was one of the happiest moments of her journey.

She immediately celebrated and told her husband that she had passed.

She also shared the result with her family.

After experiencing an unsuccessful first attempt, the result meant even more to her.

She had returned to pharmacy after years in another professional field, managed work responsibilities, rebuilt her pharmacy knowledge, and successfully cleared the July OPRA Exam on her second attempt.

How Can Elite Expertise Support OPRA Preparation?

Elite Expertise provides an OPRA preparation program for international pharmacists preparing for the examination for Australia or New Zealand.

The course includes:

• 3.5 months of structured preparation
• 300+ hours of live and recorded lectures
• 150+ lessons
• 3,000+ practice questions
• Pharmaceutical calculations
• Applied pharmacy practice
• Clinical scenarios
• Mock examinations
• Revision and assessment sessions
• Regular assignments with feedback
• Dedicated student WhatsApp community
• Unlimited course access

The curriculum covers areas including basic pharmacology, respiratory conditions, cardiovascular disorders, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, drug interactions, musculoskeletal conditions, CNS, infectious diseases, cancer chemotherapy, gastrointestinal conditions, and endocrinology.

The course is led by Arief Mohammad and Harika Bheemavarapu, who provide pharmacy focused teaching and exam preparation support.

Niharika's experience particularly reflects the importance of structured classes, revision, MCQ practice, mock examinations, and consistent guidance.

Why Is Niharika's OPRA Success Story Inspiring?

Niharika's story is inspiring because she did not follow a straightforward pharmacy career.

She moved from pharmacy into HR, built a corporate career, relocated to New Zealand, and then decided to return to pharmacy.

She also faced an unsuccessful first OPRA attempt.

Instead of giving up, she changed her preparation approach.

She reduced her work commitments, joined Elite Expertise, attended classes consistently, completed revision sessions, practised MCQs and mock tests, and stayed focused on her goal.

Her success is a reminder that a pharmacy career gap does not automatically prevent you from pursuing registration.

Congratulations once again, Niharika, on clearing your July OPRA Exam.

Your achievement is a proud moment for you, your family, and everyone who supported your journey.

Final Thoughts

Niharika's OPRA success story offers a practical message to international pharmacists who have stepped away from pharmacy for several years.

A career gap can make preparation feel difficult, especially when you return to topics you studied years ago. However, consistent preparation, structured learning, revision, and the right support can help you rebuild your confidence.

Niharika's three words capture her experience well:

Be present. Stay dedicated. Stay positive.

Congratulations to Niharika on clearing OPRA on her second attempt. We wish her the very best for the next stage of her pharmacist registration journey in New Zealand.

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