PEBC® Exam Changes for 2027: The New Certification Pathway

For the full route from Document Evaluation to a provincial licence, including language tests, see our guide for international pharmacy graduates.

• Straight to Part I. With a valid Document Evaluation, you apply directly to Part I (MCQ) of the Qualifying Exam. There is no separate screening exam before it.
• Part I before Part II. On the new pathway you must pass Part I before you can apply for Part II (OSCE).
• Document Evaluation must be valid for your sitting. It is valid for five years from approval. If it expires before the first day of your exam window, you need a Document Re-evaluation, completed at least 2 business days before the application deadline. Once you pass Part I, it stays valid for the rest of the pathway.
• Candidates already part way through follow PEBC's transition rules, which depend on their history with the former exam. Read them on PEBC's new pathway page rather than relying on a summary.

PEBC is increasing the number of Qualifying Exam sittings in 2027. Part I runs in four multi-day windows (February, May, July and November), and Part II runs on three dates (February 21, May 30 and November 6). July has no OSCE. Deadlines and results dates are on our PEBC exam dates 2027 page.

Part I content follows the Pharmacist Qualifying Examination Blueprint, Ver. 03-2026, which PEBC bases on the 2024 NAPRA Professional Competencies for Canadian Pharmacists at Entry to Practice. Compared with the earlier competencies, it adds two under Professionalism: promoting equity, diversity and inclusion in the practice environment, and promoting a culture of patient safety and continuous quality improvement.

Clinical Care still carries the highest weighting. See the weights and a 12-week plan in our PEBC exam guide.

• Attempts: still up to four per Part.
• Canadian graduates: PEBC lists no change to their pathway.
• Graduates of ACPE-accredited US Doctor of Pharmacy programs: PEBC says the change does not affect their pathway.
• Streamlined pathway candidates: they already went directly to Part I, so nothing changes for them.
• The exam itself: Part I is still a computer-based multiple-choice exam and Part II an in-person OSCE.

1. Check your Document Evaluation date. Make sure it will still be valid on the first day of the window you want, or start a re-evaluation early.
2. Pick a sitting and note its deadline. The February 2027 deadline is November 19, 2026; the May 2027 deadline is February 18, 2027.
3. Study for Part I first. On the new pathway it is your first exam, so practise case-based MCQs under timed conditions before you think about the OSCE.