Knowing medicines is not enough to pass a pharmacist OSCE. You also need to show that you can use your knowledge, talk to patients clearly, make safe decisions and care for the person in front of you.
If you are an overseas pharmacist preparing for the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland (PSI) TCQR exam or the Pharmacy Council of New Zealand Assessment Centre, practice matters a lot. Mock stations, role-plays and feedback from experienced pharmacists help you see where you are strong and where you need to improve.
In this guide, you will learn what a pharmacist OSCE is, how the PSI and New Zealand assessments work, which skills to practise and how an online course can help.
What Is an OSCE for Pharmacists?
OSCE stands for Objective Structured Clinical Examination. It is a practical exam. You are given a situation and you show what you would do.
You may need to talk to a patient, explain a medicine, look at a health problem or show good judgement. It is very different from answering written questions.
The Pharmacy Council of New Zealand says its Assessment Centre is a set of timed clinical cases. Assessors check your clinical knowledge, communication, professionalism and how well you connect with the patient. They use a standard scoring sheet.
The PSI's TCQR exam also has an OSCE part. It tests clinical and professional skills through practice-based situations.
What Skills Does a Pharmacist OSCE Test?
Here is what you should be ready to show:
| Skill | What it means in simple words |
|---|---|
| Clinical assessment | Asking the right questions and finding the main problem |
| Medication safety | Spotting medicine problems and risks |
| Patient counselling | Explaining how to use a medicine safely |
| Clinical reasoning | Looking at the facts and choosing a sensible action |
| Communication | Listening well and explaining things clearly |
| Professional judgement | Knowing when to ask for more information or refer the patient |
| Professionalism | Keeping things private, being kind and being respectful |
| Time management | Finishing the important tasks within the station time |
Want to practise real OSCE stations with expert pharmacist trainers?
Talk to Our ExpertsHow Is the PSI OSCE Set Up for Overseas Pharmacists?
The PSI looks after pharmacist registration in Ireland. If your qualification is from outside the EU/EEA, you may need to follow the Third Country Qualification Recognition (TCQR) process.
The PSI exam has two parts.
Part 1: Multiple Choice Exam (MCQ)
- Part A: Pharmaceutical calculations
- Part B: Applied pharmacy practice
You must pass each part on its own.
Part 2: OSCE
The OSCE tests your clinical and professional skills through a series of practice-based situations. You should be ready to use the PSI Core Competency Framework for Pharmacists, especially in these areas:
- Clinical and practice-based skills
- Patient safety and getting the best from medicines
- Professional judgement
- Communication
- Using pharmaceutical knowledge in real practice
How many stations are there in the PSI OSCE?
The PSI does not give a fixed number of stations or a standard station time in its current public information. Use the guidance you receive for your own sitting. Do not rely on old formats or station counts you find online.
The PSI has appointed the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) to run the TCQR exam. It takes place in person in Dublin. Depending on the result of your holistic assessment, you may need to sit one or both parts.
Official source: https://www.psi.ie/registration/pharmacists/first-time-registration/qualification-obtained-outside-eu
How Does the New Zealand Pharmacy Council Assessment Centre Work?
The Assessment Centre is the final assessment for eligible intern pharmacists who have finished the required intern training.
If you are on the non-comparable registration pathway, you reach the Assessment Centre only after the earlier steps. These include preliminary approval, exams and internship requirements.
The aim is to check that you have the skills and knowledge to work safely and on your own as a pharmacist in New Zealand.
According to the Pharmacy Council's April 2026 newsletter, you go through a circuit of timed clinical cases. At each station:
- You get a clinical situation or task.
- A trained examiner watches and marks your performance.
- You show your clinical knowledge and decision-making.
- Your communication, professionalism and rapport with the patient are scored on a standard sheet.
The Council says practising pharmacists write, review and assess the cases, so they match real pharmacy situations.
How many stations are there in the New Zealand Assessment Centre?
The current public guidance does not give a fixed number of stations. Older Council reports talk about ten stations, but that is old information. Do not treat it as the current format. Use the latest instructions you receive for your own Assessment Centre.
Official sources:
https://pharmacycouncil.org.nz/public/newsletter-april-2026/
https://pharmacycouncil.org.nz/pharmacy_registries/pharmacists-from-other-countries/
PSI vs New Zealand: A Quick Comparison
| Point | PSI TCQR OSCE (Ireland) | NZ Assessment Centre |
|---|---|---|
| Who is it for? | Eligible overseas-qualified pharmacists seeking recognition in Ireland | Eligible intern pharmacists who have finished the required intern training |
| Where does it fit? | Part 2 of the TCQR exam (you may need one or both parts) | The final step after approval, exams and internship by PCNZ |
| Format | Series of structured, practice-based scenarios | Circuit of timed clinical cases |
| Number of stations | Not stated publicly | Not stated publicly for the current format |
| Marking | Based on the PSI Core Competency Framework | Standard scoring sheet |
Official sources are listed above. Please check them for the latest rules.
What Types of Clinical Situations Should You Practise?
The regulators explain the skills and how they assess you. They do not share a list of questions that will definitely come up. So it is best to build skills you can use in any station, instead of learning predicted stations.
Here are useful areas to practise. These are our suggestions, based on the skills the regulators describe. They are not a prediction of your exam.
Patient counselling and medicine use
Practice explaining what a medicine is for, how to take it, what to be careful about, what side effects to expect and when to get help. Change your words to fit the patient's understanding and worries.
Clinical assessment and gathering information
Practise asking short, focused questions about symptoms, medical history, current medicines and allergies before you give advice. Learn to spot warning signs and know when the patient needs urgent help or a referral.
Medicine problems
Work through cases with interactions, medicines that should not be used together or in certain patients, dose worries and side effects. Explain the problem and tell the patient what you suggest.
Making clinical decisions
Practice looking at the facts, thinking about the options and explaining why you chose one. The examiner wants to see safe and logical thinking, not just a final answer.
Talking to other healthcare professionals
Practise raising a medicine concern with a doctor or nurse, asking for clarification or explaining why a prescription needs another look. Keep it short, clear, polite and focused on patient safety.
Professional and patient-centred care
Practise responding to a patient's worries, keeping their information private, handling sensitive topics and knowing the limits of your role.
For New Zealand, learn the local professional standards and culturally safe practice. For the PSI, read the Irish pharmacy rules and your professional duties.
How Do You Handle an OSCE Station? A Simple Step-by-Step Plan
A repeatable plan keeps you calm when the case is new to you.
- Step 1: Read the instructions carefully. Check your role, your task and any rules or limits. Do not assume what is wrong with the patient.
- Step 2: Find the main concern. Understand why the patient (or the healthcare professional) needs your help. Ask focused questions first, then decide what to suggest.
- Step 3: Check safety and priorities. Think about the symptoms, current medicines, history and any risks. Know when the case needs a referral or more checks instead of simple counselling.
- Step 4: Explain your thinking. Show how the information you collected led to your decision. Avoid hard words with patients. With other healthcare professionals, be short and clear about the concern and what you suggest.
- Step 5: Agree on a clear plan. Explain the next steps, answer the patient's worries and check they understood. Make sure the plan is safe and follows the rules of your profession.
- Step 6: Watch the clock. Do not spend too long on one part and miss the important tasks. Timed practice makes this feel more natural.
Practise timed mock stations and role-plays with trainer feedback.
Book a Free ConsultationHow Can an Online Pharmacy OSCE Course Help?
Reading notes and watching demos is useful. But it does not show how you act when a patient is talking to you in real time. A good course lets you practise, get feedback and get better.
| Study on your own | Practice in an OSCE course |
|---|---|
| Reading notes and guidelines | Working through mock stations with a time limit |
| Watching demos | Talking to a simulated patient or healthcare professional |
| Checking answers yourself | Getting feedback from experienced pharmacist trainers |
| Hard to spot your own mistakes | Seeing gaps in your reasoning and communication |
Here is what a good course should offer.
Live mock stations. These copy the task-based style of an OSCE. You ask questions, work through the case and explain your plan in a set time.
Role-plays with a simulated patient. You practise real conversations. You build skills in listening, counselling, asking focused questions and answering concerns.
Feedback from expert trainers. Experienced pharmacists can point out missed details, unclear explanations, gaps in your thinking and time problems. You learn why an approach works and what to do better next time, not just whether you were right or wrong.
Repeat practice. Use the feedback to find weak areas, revise those topics and try the case again. This builds steady habits in clinical thinking, communication and patient safety.
Preparation for your pathway. The PSI and New Zealand exams are different, so one generic set of mock stations may not be enough. Look for training that reflects the standards of the exam you are sitting.
What Should You Look for in a Pharmacy OSCE Training Programme?
Before you pick a course, check if it has:
- Live or interactive mock stations
- Role-plays with simulated patients and healthcare professionals
- A mix of clinical and professional practice scenarios
- Feedback on your thinking, communication and patient safety
- Timed practice
- Experienced pharmacist trainers
- Preparation that fits PSI or New Zealand requirements
- A chance to repeat cases you found hard
At Elite Expertise, we offer trainer-guided OSCE preparation. Through mock practice, role-play and feedback, you can move beyond just reading and start using your knowledge in real pharmacy situations.
Training helps you prepare, but no course can promise an exam result. Please read the official guidance and follow the requirements for your own pathway.
Elite Expertise is an independent education provider. We do not decide who is eligible for registration. Only the regulators can do that.
Conclusion
A pharmacist OSCE tests more than what you know. It checks if you can make safe decisions, talk clearly, use good judgement and apply your knowledge in real situations.
For the PSI and New Zealand pathways, planned practice can make the exam feel more familiar and show you what to work on before the day.
Mix focused revision with mock stations, role-plays and honest feedback. Most of all, prepare for the skills and standards of your own pathway. Do not depend on memorised answers or station guesses you cannot verify.
Practise with purpose, learn from expert guidance and always keep safe, patient-centred care at the centre.
Start your PSI or New Zealand OSCE preparation with Elite Expertise.
Contact Elite ExpertiseKey Takeaways
- An OSCE tests what you do in a real-life style situation, not just what you know.
- Both the PSI and New Zealand exams look at clinical skills, communication and professional behaviour.
- Neither regulator publicly gives a fixed number of stations for the current format. Check the instructions for your own sitting.
- You cannot predict exact stations. Practice skills, not guessed questions.
- Timed mock stations, role-plays and feedback are the best way to improve.
Frequently Asked Questions
The PSI OSCE is part of the TCQR exam for eligible overseas-qualified pharmacists who want to register in Ireland. The New Zealand Assessment Centre is the final practical assessment for eligible intern pharmacists who have finished the required training. Both test practical clinical and professional skills, but the rules and registration steps are different.
The PSI's current public information does not give a fixed number of stations. Check the guidance you receive for your sitting.
The current public guidance describes a circuit of timed clinical cases, but it does not give a fixed number for the current format.
Prepare for clinical assessment, patient counselling, medicine safety, professional communication, clinical thinking and knowing when to refer. These are areas to practise, not a promised list of questions.
Yes. Online training can give you mock stations, simulated patient role-plays, guided practice and trainer feedback. Just make sure the course fits your own exam, and confirm the official requirements before your assessment.
Practise out loud, use timed mock stations, review your feedback and repeat the cases that were hard for you. Focus on asking the right questions, explaining your thinking, speaking clearly and putting patient safety first.
