OPRA Exam Syllabus 2027: Subject-Wise Weightage, Topic Breakdown, Cognitive Levels and Study Plan for Overseas Pharmacists

What Is the OPRA Exam Syllabus 2027?

The OPRA exam syllabus 2027 is the list of five content areas that the Australian Pharmacy Council tests in the Overseas Pharmacist Readiness Assessment. They are biomedical sciences, medicinal chemistry and biopharmaceutics, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, pharmacology and toxicology and therapeutics and patient care. Together they check your science and clinical knowledge.

OPRA is the exam for overseas pharmacists who want to work in Australia. It checks that you know the biomedical, pharmaceutical and clinical sciences behind pharmacy practice. Think of the syllabus as the exam map. It shows what APC will test. So you know what to study.

Here is what you should know first:

• OPRA is part of the Knowledge Stream. This stream is for pharmacists whose degree is from outside Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the UK and the USA.
• Passing OPRA is one step towards your Skills Assessment Outcome and provisional registration.
• The latest APC exam guide we checked is dated 30 July 2026. APC can update it, so always check the page before you book.

For a wider overview of fees, format and eligibility, read this OPRA exam guide.

How Is the OPRA Exam Structured?

The OPRA exam is a closed-book, computer-based test at an approved test centre. It has 120 multiple-choice questions. Each question has one correct answer and three wrong options. You get 150 minutes to finish. There is no scheduled break and the timer starts when you see the first question.

That works out to about 75 seconds per question, so time management matters. Before the exam, you get 5 minutes to read and accept the non-disclosure agreement and 10 minutes for a software tutorial. After the exam you get 5 minutes for a survey. None of these count towards your 150 minutes.

Key points about the OPRA exam pattern:

• Each exam session has several live versions of the paper. They are given to candidates at random and the questions appear in random order.
• Drug names follow the TGA list of approved names.
• Values use SI (metric) units.
• Key words such as CORRECT, MOST, LEAST and NOT appear in bold capital letters. So read each question carefully.
• You can use online tools in the exam: a calculator, scratch pad, highlighter, strikethrough and timer.
• You can bring your own calculator (scientific or standard with no internet or text storage). You cannot bring a phone, watch, pens or any notes.

Which Subject Carries the Highest Weightage in the OPRA Exam Syllabus?

Therapeutics and patient care carries the highest OPRA exam weightage at 45% of the questions. Biomedical sciences comes next at 20%, then pharmacology and toxicology at 15%. Medicinal chemistry and biopharmaceutics and pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, each carry 10%. Plan your study time using these shares.

Therapeutics and patient care is almost half the paper. It is also where you use what you learn in the other four areas such as when you work out a dose or choose a treatment for a patient. The weightage shows how many questions each area gets. It is not a separate pass mark for each subject.

What Topics Are Covered in Each OPRA Content Area?

Each OPRA content area has its own topic list. For example, biomedical sciences covers body systems and disease processes, while therapeutics and patient care covers dose calculations and safe medicine use. APC says its topic lists are examples and not complete. So treat them as a guide, not a limit.

Below is a simple topic breakdown based on the APC exam guide. Use it as a checklist when you plan your OPRA exam preparation.

Biomedical sciences (20%)

• Normal body functions across all main systems: nervous, heart and blood vessels, lungs, digestive, kidney and urinary, hormones, reproductive and blood and body fluids
• Pathophysiology: how disease changes normal body processes
• Medical microbiology: how bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites cause infection
• Immunology: immune defence, vaccines and vaccine-preventable diseases
• Fluid, electrolyte, acid-base and blood disorders
• Signs, symptoms and lab tests linked to diseases

Medicinal chemistry and biopharmaceutics (10%)

• Drug properties that affect absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion (ADME)
• Dosage forms and solutions, such as suspensions and emulsions
• Drug stability, including hydrolysis, oxidation and the effect of temperature and pH
• Solubility and dissolution
• Drug delivery by oral, inhaled, skin, injection, eye, nose, rectal and vaginal routes
• Pharmaceutical microbiology: preservation and sterilisation

Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics (10%)

• Drug metabolism, receptor theory and how drugs act at the molecular level
• Bioavailability, bioequivalence, half-life, clearance, protein binding and steady state
• How disease and diet change ADME
• Reading drug concentration against time curves
• Using pharmacokinetic data to adjust doses in kidney and liver problems and for loading doses

Pharmacology and toxicology (15%)

• How drugs affect organs and body systems, including dose-response, agonists and antagonists
• Drug groups such as nervous system drugs, heart and blood pressure drugs, blood clotting drugs, cancer chemotherapy and cholesterol drugs
• Adverse drug reactions and drug interactions
• Overdose, poisoning and antidotes
• How age, sex, genes, pregnancy and liver or kidney disease change a drug's effect

Therapeutics and patient care (45%)

• Screening calculations such as body mass index (BMI) and creatinine clearance
• Dose calculations: dose by weight, body surface area or age, dilutions, stock solutions, electrolyte solutions, reconstitution and infusion rates
• Primary health care including when non-drug treatment is better
• Safe medicine use for the elderly, children under 12 and during pregnancy or breastfeeding
• Monitoring, adherence and harm minimisation
• Health promotion, disease prevention and patient confidentiality

What Are the Cognitive Levels in the OPRA Exam?

The OPRA exam tests three cognitive levels: remembering or recall (55%), comprehension or understanding (30%) and application (15%). More than half the questions check what you remember. The rest check if you understand an idea and can use it. APC bases these levels on Bloom and Anderson's classification.

This means memory alone is not enough. You need facts such as drug interactions and medical terms but you also need to explain ideas and solve problems. A good habit is to study a fact then ask, "Can I explain this?" and "Can I use this in a patient case?"

How Is the OPRA Exam Scored?

OPRA uses scaled scoring. You pass by meeting a standard set by experts not by beating other candidates. Of the 120 questions, 90% are scored and 10% are unscored test questions. APC does not share raw scores or percentages. You only get a result report that says you met the standard or were unsuccessful.

You will not know which questions are unscored, so treat every question seriously. Your result depends on your overall performance across the whole exam. You get feedback for each content area but those scores do not decide whether you pass or fail. You must meet the standard for the exam form you were given by random.

What to know about OPRA results:

• APC says results are available within about four weeks of the exam. The release date for each session is listed on the APC website and that date is the one to follow (see the dates table below).
• Exam results are not reviewed. If an incident or admin problem hurts your performance, read the APC appeals policy.
• If you are unsuccessful, you can re-sit as many times as you need. You must register and pay the full fee for each attempt.

How Should You Plan Your OPRA Study Schedule for 2027?

Build your OPRA study plan around the official weightage. Give almost half your time to therapeutics and patient care then add biomedical sciences and pharmacology. Start timed MCQ practice early because you get about 75 seconds per question. Finish with APC's sample content and the Pearson online sample test.

The plan below is our suggestion based on the APC weightage. It is not an APC rule. APC does not endorse any specific study material or preparation program, so choose what fits you. Content is based on current peer-reviewed journals, clinical practice guidelines and textbooks, so use up-to-date resources. If you want live classes and mock tests, you can also look at a structured OPRA exam preparation course.

Here is a simple 16-week example:

• Weeks 1 and 2: Read the APC exam guide. Revise body systems and basic pathophysiology (biomedical sciences).
• Weeks 3 to 5: Study pharmacology and toxicology then pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics.
• Weeks 6 and 7: Cover medicinal chemistry and biopharmaceutics.
• Weeks 8 to 13: Focus on therapeutics and patient care. Do dose calculations every week.
• Weeks 14 and 15: Take full timed sets of 120 questions in 150 minutes. Review every wrong answer.
• Week 16: Do the APC sample content and the Pearson sample test. Check your ID and test centre details.

Study tips:

• Practise dose calculations often, including BMI, creatinine clearance, dilutions and infusion rates.
• Learn drug names the TGA way and practise with SI units.
• Mix recall, understanding and application questions in every study week.

Who Is Eligible for the OPRA Exam, and What Are the Steps?

You can sit OPRA if your pharmacy qualification is from any country except Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the UK or the USA. Your degree must equal four years of full-time study if you finished after 1 January 2006 or three years if you finished before. You must first pass the APC eligibility check.

The eligibility check has no expiry date. You do not need proof of registration or English tests for this step. APC says to apply at least eight weeks before the registration closing date. It aims to reply within five working days after it gets all your documents but allow up to four weeks.

Follow these steps:

1. Check the criteria: make sure your degree meets the rules above.
2. Gather your documents: you need your passport, an official photo ID, your birth certificate, your degree certificate (or letter of completion) and your full academic transcript. Name-change proof is needed only if your name changed.
3. Translate if needed: documents not in English need a full translation by a NAATI-accredited translator. Upload both the original and the translation. You do not need certified copies.
4. Apply in the Candidate Portal: sign in, start your eligibility check, upload your documents and pay AU$810 online.
5. Wait for APC: if APC asks for more information, you have 6 months (180 days) to send it.
6. Get your OPRA eligibility email: then register for an exam session in the same portal.

Be careful with scams. APC says you must apply and pay only through its Candidate Portal. Never send documents or money anywhere else.

When Are the OPRA Exam Dates for 2027?

APC lists three OPRA exam dates 2027 sessions. The Registration opens at 9 am and closes at 5 pm Australian Eastern time (AEDT or AEST). APC cannot accept late registrations and some test centres fill up fast, so book early. You can reschedule only during the registration period. For help with planning, see our OPRA exam dates 2027 guide.

You can sit the exam in many cities including Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney, and test centres in India (Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Mumbai, New Delhi and Noida), Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, the UAE and the UK. Seats can change, so check the APC page for the latest list.

How Much Does the OPRA Exam Cost?

If you need to re-sit, you pay the exam fee again. You can cancel and ask for a refund, but APC must approve it and a cancellation fee applies. APC accepts Visa or Mastercard credit or debit cards plus Google Pay and Apple Pay. The card must be issued by a bank in your country of residence. Fees can change, so check the fees page before you pay.

Why Does the OPRA Exam Not Test Australian Pharmacy Law?

OPRA checks your basic science and clinical knowledge, not Australian rules. APC says the exam does not test country-specific issues such as legislation or practice standards. Those topics are examined later, in assessments during your internship period, as you move towards general registration.

So you do not need to study Australian pharmacy law for OPRA. Focus on the five content areas instead. After you pass, you can ask for your Skills Assessment Outcome in the Candidate Portal and use it for a visa application with the Department of Home Affairs. You can also apply to the Pharmacy Board of Australia, through Ahpra, for provisional registration and supervised practice.

Where Can You Find the Official OPRA Syllabus and Sample Content?

You can find the official OPRA syllabus in the APC exam guide on the Australian Pharmacy Council website. The same page has a sample content PDF. Pearson, the exam provider, also has an online sample test, so you can try the exam software before test day. Use these before you trust any other source.

Why Choose the Pharmacist in Australia Exam Preparation Course by Elite Expertise?

The Pharmacist in Australia Exam Preparation Course by Elite Expertise is a 3.5-month online OPRA exam preparation course for overseas pharmacists. It includes live classes taught by Australian clinical pharmacists, recorded lessons, MCQ practice and mock exams. Elite Expertise is an independent training provider and is not part of APC.

APC does not endorse any specific preparation program, so compare options and check the APC syllabus above before you decide. Here is what Elite Expertise says about its OPRA course on its OPRA exam preparation course page.

How does Elite Expertise teach its students?

• A 15-week plan: each week covers one topic block, such as the respiratory system, heart disorders, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics and drug interactions, the nervous system, infections, cancer chemotherapy, the gut, and hormones. The last three weeks are review and assessment weeks.
• Live classes three times a week: the sample timetable shows Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 7:00 PM AEST (2:30 PM IST). Timings are shared after you enrol.
• Practice after each topic: several weeks include MCQ discussions with explanations, mock tests, assignments and team activities.
• Recordings: you can watch recorded classes again at your own pace.
• Mock exams: the course offers 18 sets of mocks that copy exam conditions.
• Support and access: you join a dedicated WhatsApp group, and the page says you keep access until you pass OPRA.
• Free demo lectures: you can watch 4 sample classes before you enrol.

Who are the trainers?

Arief Mohammad is a clinical pharmacist at Northern Health in Melbourne and an Accredited Consultant Pharmacist. He is also an educator and director at Elite Expertise.

Harika Bheemavarapu is a clinical pharmacist at Monash Health in Melbourne and an Accredited Consultant Pharmacist. She is also an educator and director at Elite Expertise.

Both trainers work in Australian pharmacy practice, so students learn how medicines are used with real patients. Use the weightage table in this blog to check that the course topics match what APC tests.

Final Words

The OPRA exam syllabus 2027 is simple once you break it down. There are five content areas, three cognitive levels and one exam of 120 questions. Therapeutics and patient care is the biggest part, so give it the most time. Use the APC exam guide, practise under time limits and check every date and fee on the APC website. Start early, study in a steady routine, and keep your documents ready for the eligibility check.

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