Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada; Evaluating Examination; Applying for the Examination

Application Procedure
Examination Fee
Examination Centres
Changing Examination Centres
Bilingual Examination Booklet
Special Needs Testing Arrangements
Withdrawal/Refund Policies
Withdrawal/Absence for Special Circumstances

Application Procedure
You may apply for Document Evaluation and the Pharmacist Evaluating Examination online.  However, you cannot apply online for Document Evaluation and the Pharmacist Evaluating Examination at the same time. You must first apply for Document Evaluation and wait for PEBC to send you an email with your assigned PEBC Identification Number (usually takes one to two weeks). When you have received your PEBC Identification Number, you may then apply online for the next sitting of the Pharmacist Evaluating Examination. Please note that, if you apply online, you must still print off your completed online application form(s) and submit them, along with the checklist(s) and required documentation, to PEBC by the application deadline date. If you complete an application form online but do not send the printed form to PEBC, you will be charged an administrative fee of $100 (Canadian) and your application will not be processed and will be treated as a withdrawal.
If you have funds on account with PEBC, you cannot apply online and you need to print off the application form(s) and complete them manually. Application forms are available: Application form in printable PDF format. You must download and print a copy of the form. PEBC is developing an online application and payment process. Please visit the PEBC website regularly for updates. There are English and French versions of the application forms. Please select the correct version, choosing the same language in which you wish to take the examination. The checklist on page two of the application form must also be completed and signed before the application form is sent to PEBC.

Please note that application forms cannot be delivered in person to the PEBC office.

Please keep us informed about any changes to your contact information (address, telephone number, email address), by advising us in writing by fax, mail or email.

Instructions for first page of application:
1. Enter your name on your application exactly as it appears on your identification.

2. You must indicate the following:

• your chosen examination date
• preferred language for the examination
• preferred location (city) for the examination

3. Fill out all other information requested being sure not to miss anything as it is all required.

4. You will need two, identical, passport-acceptable photographs (with date taken, stamped or written on back by the photographer), for each application. They must have been taken within twelve months of the examination date. They cannot be photocopies or digital prints and must be identical. Staple one photograph to the top, left corner of each application form. Paste one photograph in the box provided in the bottom, right corner of each application form.

5. You will need to find an acceptable witness with any of the following qualifications:

• a notary public
• a commissioner for oaths
• a lawyer
• a staff person at a Canadian Embassy

6. While in the presence of your witness:

• Sign the application yourself in the space provided
• Have your witness fill in city, date, name, signature & title/profession
• Have your witness seal, stamp or sign the front of the photograph located in the bottom, right corner of the application. The signature needs to cover part of the photograph and application.

Checklist (page two of application):

A checklist has been provided that you will need to sign, date and include with your application. Please go through it carefully in order to double check that you are including all of the information required. If all of these instructions are not followed we may have to ask for documents to be resubmitted which could cause you to miss the deadline.

Receipt of Application:

Completed application forms (including checklists) and all supporting documents must be receivedno later than the application deadline date. This includes applications that were printed and paid for using the online process.  Applications that are received after the deadline date will NOT be processed but will be held for a future examination date.

Overseas candidates who require a visa to take the examination in Canada are strongly encouraged to apply for their visa prior to the application deadline date. Candidates are not eligible for a refund due to a visa refusal, unless they have withdrawn from the examination either before the application deadline date or at least 8 weeks before the date of the examination.

Please do NOT contact the PEBC office by telephone, fax or email to confirm receipt of your application or to check your examination location assignment. If you wish to know whether PEBC has received your application, you must send it by a courier service or by Canada Post (Security Registered), and request an Acknowledgement of Receipt from the delivery service.

Application receipt acknowledgement will NOT be provided by phone or fax. When your application has been received and reviewed by the PEBC office, an email acknowledgment will be sent to your email address within 2 to 4 weeks. Please note the email acknowledgment does NOT ensure that your application is accepted; it simply indicates that PEBC has received your examination application.

Examination Fee

The examination fee is $515 ($880 for the London, England centre).

Fees must be paid in Canadian funds, by certified cheque, money order or bank draft. Post-dated certified cheques are not acceptable. All payments from outside of Canada must be in the form of an international money order or bank draft, drawn on a Canadian bank. The international money order or bank draft must be one that can be cleared through the clearing system in Canada and not through a manual process (by collection).  Money orders or bank drafts issued by a non-Canadian based bank must indicate the transit number of the designated Canadian bank, using standardized coding which is encoded at the bottom of the money order.  If the transit number is not encoded PEBC will be unable to cash the money order and your application fee cannot be processed in time to take the examination you have applied for. PEBC is experiencing problems cashing some international money orders and bank drafts. This can lead to additional collection fees and delays in processing applications. PEBC encourages international candidates to use the online applications for document evaluation or examination fees and pay by credit card, if possible.

PEBC reserves the right to change fees for the Pharmacist Evaluating Examination, at any time, as required.

Examination Centres

The Evaluating Examination will be held at university locations in Canada each summer and winter, as approved by the Board. The examination centres include: Vancouver, Edmonton, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Toronto, Montreal, Halifax and St. John’s.

The examination will also be available overseas in London, England at an additional fee of $365 (Canadian funds).

It is recommended that you NOT make your travel arrangements more than one month in advance of the examination date.

Changing Examination Centres

If you wish to change examination centres after your application has already been submitted, you must mail your written request, together with an administrative fee of $50 (certified cheque, money order or bank draft) to the PEBC office. All payments from outside of Canada must be in the form of an international money order or bank draft, drawn on a Canadian bank. The international money order or bank draft must be one that can be cleared through the clearing system in Canada and not through a manual process (by collection).  Money orders or bank drafts issued by a non-Canadian based bank must indicate the transit number of the designated Canadian bank, using standardized coding which is encoded at the bottom of the money order.  If the transit number is not encoded PEBC will be unable to cash the money order and your application fee cannot be processed in time to take the examination you have applied for.The request and payment must be received no later than:

November 25, 2011 for the January 11 & 12, 2012 Pharmacist Evaluating Examination.

or

May 25, 2012 for the July 4 & 5, 2012 Pharmacist Evaluating Examination

Bilingual Examination Booklet

The Pharmacist Evaluating Examination is available in both official languages: French and English.

If you wish to have a bilingual (French/English) Examination Booklet, you must complete the French version of the application form and indicate that you wish to write the examination in French.

Special Needs Testing Arrangements

If you have a physical impairment, or other disability which substantially limits one or more major life activities, you may make a request for special needs accommodation, which must be submitted at the same time as your examination application. All requests for accommodation for special needs testing arrangements should be submitted to the Registrar-Treasurer and are subject to review and approval. Confidentiality will be maintained.

If you use assistive devices such as hearing aids or a wheelchair or any other assistive devices, then you must also submit a written request for accommodations together with the appropriate documentation and your application form. Should the need for an assistive device arise after submission of the application, you must notify PEBC immediately.

You must provide a request letter that clearly states the nature of your disability and its severity, and the nature of special arrangements requested. Your request must be accompanied by an official, original letter (on office stationery) from a qualified professional appropriate for evaluating the disability. It is your responsibility to provide acceptable documentation.

The intent of the letter from your professional evaluator is to provide *current supporting documentation, including:

• details of the disability, including a professionally-recognized diagnosis, diagnostic procedures, test results and other findings in support of the diagnosis
• history, time frame and assessment of current functioning
• description of the current functional limitation due to the stated disability and its impact on daily life and work activities
• description of the accommodations that have been provided by educational institutions
• specific recommendations for testing accommodation and why these are needed
• name, address, telephone number and qualifications/credentials of the professional expert.

*Current – i.e., completed within the last 6 months for psychiatric disabilities, last 3 years for learning disabilities, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and all other disabilities (NOTE:  this requirement does not apply to physical or sensory disabilities of a permanent or unchanging nature).

PEBC will assess such requests on an individual basis, and, if deemed appropriate, will provide reasonable testing accommodations. However, NO change will be made in the examination content or PEBC rules and policies. You will be required to sign an acknowledgement of the agreement reached with PEBC in advance of the examination date.

PEBC reserves the right to assign the centre(s) where the accommodations can be offered, as all accommodations may not be available at any given examination centre. This may require that a candidate accept assignment to a centre other than his or her preferred centre choice(s).

Since arrangements for some accommodations may have significant cost and other resource implications, a candidate who has signed an agreement to the conditions of an accommodation will be bound by those conditions.

Withdrawal/Refund Policies

If you withdraw or are absent from the examination, part of the examination fee for each application will be refunded according to the following conditions:
(i) If your notice of withdrawal is received, in writing, by fax or mail (including email), in the PEBC office on or before the application deadline (see General Information) an administrative fee of $100 for each examination application, will be charged. Your full fee less $100 will be refunded for each application.
(ii) If you withdraw after the application deadline and up to 8 weeks before the date of the examination, an administrative fee of 50% of the fee for each examination application will be charged. 50% of your fee will be refunded for each application.
(iii) If you withdraw less than eight weeks before the examination, your full fee for each examination application is forfeited.
(iv) Withdrawal due to failure to graduate will be considered case by case.  A refund minus an administrative fee of $100 for each examination application will be considered.
(v) Absence because of certified illness, emergency or bereavement, will be considered case by case.  Refunds of up to 50% of the examination fee will be considered.

When you request a refund, you must return your PEBC Identification / Card of Admission (if issued), along with appropriate supporting documents (e.g., original medical certificate).  The medical certificate must clearly indicate the nature of the medical issue that necessitated the withdrawal from the examination.  A medical certificate which is dated more than two days after the examination date will not be accepted.  All supporting documents must be received by PEBC within seven calendar days of the examination; there will be no exceptions to this policy. Candidates may choose to send the medical certificate or other supporting documentation by fax or PDF (e-mail), so that it is received by the PEBC office within seven days, and then immediately send the original documents by post or courier so that they are received by PEBC within 14 days.

Refunds are processed after the examination session.  After a withdrawal, when you re-apply for a future examination session, you must submit a new application form with new photographs and the necessary fee.  There is a processing charge of $20 for refunds prepared in the form of a money order (refunds for overseas cannot be processed in the form of a cheque). This amount will be deducted from the total amount of the refund.
Please note that candidates are not eligible for a refund due to a visa refusal, unless they have withdrawn from the examination either before the application deadline date or at least 8 weeks before the date of the examination.

Withdrawal/Absence for Special Circumstances

If unplanned incidents arise immediately before or during the examination or before dismissal from the examination, the Presiding Officer (Part I) or Chief Administrator (Part II) is authorized by the Board to make decisions regarding admission to or continuation through the examination, at his/her discretion.
If you are unable to attend an examination sitting or complete the examination because of illness or for a compassionate reason (e.g., bereavement), you must immediately notify the PEBC office. If the matter arises suddenly on the day of the examination or just before, you must immediately notify:

• the PEBC office
• for Part II (OSCE/OSPE), the Chief Administrator or examination staff in the assigned examination centre by calling the emergency contact number on your Location Information sheet included in your Identification / Card of Admission materials

Candidates are strongly encouraged not to attempt the examination and to make an appropriate withdrawal if, prior to the examination, they are ill or have extraordinary circumstances, including bereavement, that may affect their performance in the examination.

Any request for a refund or for another consideration must include documentation verifying the circumstances. The written request, together with appropriate documentation, must be received by the PEBC office no later than 7 calendar days after the examination.
If absent due to illness, you must provide an original medical certificate, verifying that you were examined at the time of the illness. The date of the certificate must be appropriate for or match the examination date (i.e., certificates dated more than two days after the examination date will not be accepted).
If absent due to bereavement, you must provide a copy of the death certificate, verifying that the bereavement was at the same time as the examination.
Refunds of up to 50% of the examination fee will be considered on a case by case basis for absences due to special circumstances.