The Day of the Examination - Part II (OSCE)
Examination Day Schedule
Part II of the Pharmacist Qualifying Examination takes place in all examination centres on the same day but the start times vary across Canada. There are two possible sittings, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Candidates will be randomly assigned to one of the two sittings.
The schedule follows the same pattern for all possible sittings, for a total of 5 to 6 hours:
0.5 to 1 hr
Admission and registration (may include a wait time)
0.5 hr
Candidate orientation regarding the schedule and
procedures for the day; escorting of candidates to their
first exam station
1.5 hr
First 8 stations and 2 rest stations
20 min
Break
1.5 hr
Last 8 stations and 2 rest stations
0.5 to 1.5 hr
Completion of feedback questionnaire, sign-out, collection of personal belongings and leaving the premises (may include a wait time) |
Please Note: Although snacks and water will be offered halfway through the examination, you are encouraged to eat well before arriving and to bring your own food with you for your additional needs. All food must be packaged in clear (see-through) bags or containers with all wrappers removed.
Admission and Identification
Your PEBC Identification / Card of Admission will be sent to you 2-3 weeks before the examination. It must be brought to the examination and presented for admission. At that time you will exchange it for your examination Identification Badge. If a female candidate cannot be identified due to a veil covering her face, a female examination staff member will be assigned to take the candidate to a private area where the examination staff member can confirm the candidate’s identity.
You must appear at the place and time listed on your PEBC Identification / Card of Admission. Do NOT attempt to enter the examination site before the time to report for registration (as shown on your PEBC Identification / Card of Admission). You will NOT be permitted to enter early for any reason, including use of the telephone or washroom.
If you arrive later than half an hour after the scheduled time to report for registration, you will not be permitted to enter that examination without the discretionary consent of the Chief Administrator.
Family members and friends of candidates are NOT permitted to enter the designated examination site, unless otherwise authorized. Only candidates for the scheduled examination who present their PEBC Identification / Card of Admission, will be permitted to enter the examination site.
When you report for registration, you will sign in at the registration desk and receive the following materials:
• your PEBC Identification Badge (to be worn throughout the examination)
• a badge holder (in which to place your Identification Badge)
• 2 copies of the Candidate’s Agreement. (Both copies are to be signed and handed in during the orientation before the examination. One signed copy will be returned to you before you leave the examination site.)
• a personalized Candidate Notebook
• a sheet of bar code labels (attached to the back of your Candidate Notebook)
• a pencil with eraser tip
When you arrive for registration, you must check in all personal belongings brought to the examination (other than your own snack), including books, wallets, purses, passports, personal identification, hand-bags or briefcases, paper items, coats and outerwear, all pocket contents and any digital or electronic items such as watches/timepieces, personal data assistants or any other devices.
All such personal belongings will be placed in supervised or locked storage during the examination, and will be returned when signing out. Avoid bringing valuables to the examination, as PEBC will NOT assume responsibility for loss or damage. Do not bring large items (such as suitcases) to the examination site, as there will not be any secure storage space for them inside the building.
If you must take any medication while at the examination site, bring it with you and show it to the examination staff at registration. Any packaging, inserts or related written material must be left at home or handed in to examination staff when you check in your personal belongings.
Examination Centre Conditions/Environment
Although PEBC attempts to ensure the comfort of all candidates and personnel, conditions are sometimes beyond our control (e.g., temperature fluctuations).You are strongly encouraged to dress for fluctuating temperatures in examination rooms.
Notes: There is no smoking on examination premises.
Please do not wear scented cosmetics and perfumes as some individuals are very allergic to such substances and you may be refused entry to the examination.
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Candidate Materials
• All materials essential for the examination will be supplied to you when you register or provided in the examination stations.
• The examination is open book, but you may
only use the references and examination materials which are provided in the examination stations. For a list of references that may be provided, please see
References - Part II (OSCE) Stations.
• No other materials may be used at any time while on the examination premises.
• Some of the written prescriptions or patient records provided in some stations may have only the drug’s trade name OR generic name.
• Photocopied reprints or excerpts (of specific chapters or sections) from some references are provided in some stations. These copies have been made with permission, under licence by Access Copyright.
• Do NOT mark or deface any of the references or examination materials. Candidates who mark or deface the references or examination materials in any manner may be charged for the cost of replacement.
• You may write only in your Candidate Notebook, on your Candidate Answer Sheets (provided in some stations), and on your Feedback Questionnaire (provided at the end of the examination).
During the examination period, you will NOT be permitted to carry anything with you, EXCEPT:
• your PEBC Identification Badge in a badge holder
• your Candidate Notebook containing a sheet of barcode labels
• a pencil (with eraser tip) supplied by PEBC
• your own snack, packaged in a clear plastic bag or see-through container; wrappers on food products (e.g., chocolate bars) must be removed.
You Must NOT Bring into the Examination (these items are strictly prohibited):
• any notes, published references or unpublished materials of any kind
• calculators, data organizers or other digital or electronic storage devices
• watches or any other timepieces of any kind
• communication devices of any kind, including pagers or cellular telephones
• computers of any kind, including hand-held devices
• photographic, recording or transmission devices or
• paper items of any kind, whether blank, printed, or written upon, including similar items such as wrappers on food
If any of the items listed above are brought to the examination centre, they must be turned in at registration and picked up after signing out. Please note that storage space is limited, and examination personnel will NOT be responsible for their security. You are urged not to bring these with you.
Notes:
The Chief Administrator, Examination Staff and Assessors have the authority to inspect all pockets on clothing and any materials brought into or used during the examination and/or to request that candidates remove outerwear and roll up their sleeves to permit inspection. At registration, you will be required to hand in all pocket contents and unauthorized items including wrist watches or other timepieces.
Any materials that may compromise the administration or security of the examination, that were not handed in at registration, will be confiscated and the candidate in possession of such may not be permitted to begin the examination, or to continue it if it has already begun. Confiscated items will be sent to PEBC for inspection, together with a report of the incident, and will be kept until any inspection or investigation is completed. |
Examination Process
Before Starting the Examination
• You will receive a brief orientation to the examination procedures and schedule. Questions regarding possible examination content or appropriateness of responses will NOT be answered at this time.
• You will be required to read, sign, hand in, and comply with the Candidate’s Agreement.
• You will receive a Candidate Notebook with an attached sheet of bar code labels. The bar code labels identify your PEBC Identification number. You must check the bar code labels to ensure that they match your PEBC Identification number on your Identification Badge and on your Notebook cover, then sign the Notebook cover to verify that the labels match. The whole Notebook with the attached label sheet must be kept intact throughout the examination and returned intact at the end of the examination.
• You will be instructed to sign your name on your Identification Badge, attach one bar code label just above your signature, place your Badge in a badge holder and wear your Badge throughout the examination.
• You will be allowed time to use a washroom before the examination begins.
• In some sites, there may be a wait time of up to 60 minutes before starting the examination.
Once the registration, distribution of materials and instructions and any wait times (if applicable) are complete, you will be escorted to the track and station where you will begin the examination.
• You may converse with examination personnel as required, in a discrete and confidential manner.
• From the time you register until you leave the examination premises, you and other candidates MUST NOT converse or communicate with one another in any manner, or speak or read out loud except when interacting with Standardized Clients or examination personnel. Violation of this rule may result in not being permitted to finish the examination and the cancellation of your standing in the session.
• You may write in your Candidate Notebook only when you are in an actual examination station, not during rest stations, breaks or other times.
• You will have at least four 7-minute rest stations during which time you may request permission to use the washroom facilities, accompanied/supervised by an examination staff member. Water will be provided in the rest stations.
• During the 20-minute break in the middle of the examination, you must remain in the station you just completed. During this time you may have your snack. Water will be provided.
Candidates should behave in a professional and courteous manner when interacting with examination personnel.
At the End of the Examination
You must:
• complete the Candidate Feedback Questionnaire (provided to you at the end of the examination);
• hand in the following materials:
• completed Feedback Questionnaire,
• Identification Badge and badge holder,
• Candidate Notebook with attached bar code sheet. Your Candidate Notebook must be intact, including the cover and inside pages, all unused bar code labels and full bar code sheet,
• snack bag;
• collect your PEBC Identification / Card of Admission (official receipt) and one signed copy of your Candidate’s Agreement;
• sign out on the candidates' register;
• retrieve any personal belongings that were checked in;
• leave only when you are officially instructed to leave by the Chief Administrator or registration staff;
• continue to observe all procedures and Rules of Conduct until you leave the examination site.
| Notes: In some sites, candidates must wait up to 60 minutes after finishing the exam stations and sign-out before being permitted to leave. The wait time is part of the examination period and all examination regulations (in this section) continue to be in effect. The examination ends only when candidates are officially instructed to leave the examination premises. You will not be allowed to leave until this time. |
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All candidates must:
• NOT remove materials used during or supplied for the examination;
• follow examination procedures, Rules of Conduct and Examination Staff directions from registration until instructed to leave the examination site;
• leave the examination site promptly after they have been instructed to do so; and
continue to maintain examination confidentiality at all times, as agreed to in the Candidate’s agreement
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Telephone Use, Messages and Transportation Arrangements
You will NOT be permitted to use a telephone at any time while you are at the examination site. An emergency contact name and telephone number are provided in the site information material which is sent with your ID / Card of Admission. This information may be given to whom it may concern, in order to contact you in the event of an emergency during the examination. Only emergency messages, received in English (or French, at the Montreal examination centre) will be relayed.
You must make all arrangements, such as transportation or meeting time and place, before entering the examination building. When arranging a meeting place, it must be outside of the examination building.