A revised blueprint for the Pharmacist Evaluating Examination has been approved and will be implemented for the June 2025 sitting of the exam. The current blueprint will be in effect for the October 2024, January 2025, and March 2025 sittings of the exam.
Background
The blueprint for the Pharmacist Evaluating Examination was last revised in 2015. At that time, most Canadian, CCAPP-accredited pharmacy programs were offering a four-year Bachelor degree. Since that time, all faculties of pharmacy in Canada have transitioned to an entry-level PharmD program.
The revised blueprint was developed to accurately reflect the curriculum of the Canadian, CCAPP-accredited entry-level PharmD programs. As well, the revised blueprint is intended to better align the exam with the expectations of pharmacy practice, while still serving as an assessment distinct from the Pharmacist Qualifying Examination.
Revised Blueprint
A major change in the blueprint relates to the removal of Biomedical Sciences as a distinct subject area for evaluation. With the transition to the PharmD program, these subjects are not included in the pharmacy curriculum (i.e., they are prerequisites to admission).
With the elimination of Biomedical Sciences from the blueprint, the proportions of the exam devoted to Pharmacy Practice and the Behavioural, Social, and Administration (BSA) Pharmacy Sciences have been redistributed to better reflect their emphasis in the curriculum. In particular, the blueprint has been expanded to include some new subject areas in the curriculum (i.e., health equity, social determinants of health, Indigenous health, cultural diversity/safety).
The approximate percentage of questions for each of three major subject areas represented on an exam is shown in the Table below, along with the subcategories of knowledge tested in each area.
Since the revised blueprint predominantly represents a redistribution of subject areas traditionally included on the Pharmacist Evaluating Examination, its introduction is NOT anticipated to have an impact on pass rates.
Revised Length and Duration
When the revised blueprint is implemented for the June 2025 sitting of the exam, the number of items will be reduced to 140 in total (reduced from 150). This reduction in the length of the exam is possible as a result of the elimination of the subject area of Biomedical Sciences. The exam will still consist of two sections, with 84 minutes allocated to each section to complete 70 questions.