Any individual who wishes to practice as a pharmacist or pharmacy technician in Newfoundland and Labrador must successfully complete the College of Pharmacy of Newfoundland and Labrador’s Registration Examination. The exam is designed to assess the applicant’s knowledge of and ability to interpret and apply provincial acts and regulations, bylaws, standards of practice, guidelines, and policies as they pertain to the practice of pharmacy in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Eligibility
upcoming exam dates
Exam sitting will be held at the College of the North Atlantic (CNA) campuses in Corner Brook, Grand Falls-Windsor, and St. John’s on the following dates:
The time the exam is written may vary by site and will be confirmed upon application approval. The deadline to register for each exam sitting is four weeks before the exam date.
The College reserves the right to cancel an exam sitting if there is insufficient enrollment. If an exam sitting is cancelled, applicants will be notified at least two weeks before the scheduled date of the sitting and any fees paid will be applied to a future sitting.
Sittings may also be scheduled on a case-by-case basis in Labrador with a minimum of six weeks notice. Please email registration@cpnl.ca for more information or to request a sitting.
Application
Exam
The exam is open-book and consists of multiple-choice and fill-in-type questions. Emphasis is given to provincial legislation, regulations, bylaws, Code of Ethics, and standards of practice, but questions may also require knowledge of federal legislation and standards that govern the practice of pharmacy in Canada. Applicants will be given three hours to write the exam.
Although the CPNL Registration Exam is open-book, the College does not provide printed material for purchase. All applicable references can be found on the College website. The following is a list of references that applicants should refer to when preparing for the exam:
Provincial Pharmacy Legislation
Standards of Pharmacy Operation
Standards of Practice
Guidelines for Pharmacy Practice
Code of Ethics
Other
Completed applications are reviewed in the order they are submitted. Applicants will be notified by email at least two weeks before the exam sitting date, which, if approved, will include the exam sitting date, location, and other related information.
Registration Exam fees are non-refundable and non-transferrable. Once approved, applicants may request a one-time change to a later date at the same location. The request must be made by emailing registration@cpnl.ca no less than one week before the original exam sitting date.
Results
Satisfactory completion of the registration exam shall be a total mark of not less than 70%. Applicants will be advised within two weeks following the scheduled exam date whether they were “successful” or “not successful” in completing the registration exam requirements. No final mark or exam paper will be returned to any applicant.
The results of the exam shall be considered valid for a period of two years from the date it is written. If an applicant has not completed all registration requirements during this time, they must successfully re-write the exam before being registered.
Applicants are permitted a maximum of three attempts at the registration exam. An appeal for a fourth attempt may be considered if accompanied by evidence of successful completion of remediation acceptable to the College.