Pharmaceutical Jurisprudence Examination
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Regulation 280/96

29. (1) The following are additional requirements for the issuance of a certificate of registration as a pharmacist:
The applicant must have successfully completed an Examination in Pharmaceutical Jurisprudence approved by the Council.

POLICY

1. Applicants must complete the Pharmaceutical Jurisprudence requirement by successfully passing an examination in Pharmaceutical Jurisprudence provided by the College.
2. The examination in Pharmaceutical Jurisprudence is valid on Application for a Certificate of Registration as a Pharmacist for 4 years from the date of successful completion.
3. Applicants may attempt the examination a maximum of three times in a 3 year period.
4. Applicants may write this examination at any stage in the registration process.
5. Results of examinations will be available in writing by letter or email within 4 to 6 weeks.
6. The Pharmaceutical Jurisprudence Examination is based on the Ontario College of Pharmacists' standards and policies, and Federal and Provincial acts and their regulations, which control the production, distribution, advertising, sale and use of drugs. The specific acts are:

  • Regulated Health Professions Act and Code
  • Pharmacy Act and Regulations
  • Ontario College of Pharmacists Bylaws and Policies
  • Drug and Pharmacies Regulation Act and Regulations
  • Drug Interchangeability and Dispensing Fee Act
  • Ontario Drug Benefit Act and Regulations
  • Food and Drugs Act and Regulations and Schedules
  • Controlled Drug and Substances Act and Regulations and Schedules
Applicants should be familiar with practical interpretation of all above legislation as it affects current pharmacy practice in Ontario.
7. The Pharmaceutical Jurisprudence Examination may be offered in French if candidates provide notice with their application.

Approved: June Council, 1995
Revised: September 1995, September 1997, September 2000

CONDUCT OF THE EXAMINATION:
  1. The examination is held 4 times a year, in January, April, July and October. Sittings and arrangements for the following centres may be made upon receipt of the examination applications: Calgary, Chatham, Edmonton, Halifax, Kingston, London, Montreal, North Bay, Ottawa, Saskatoon, St. John's, Sudbury, Thunder Bay, Toronto, Vancouver, Windsor and Winnipeg.
  2. The time allotted for the examination is 2˝ hours.
  3. The National Drug Schedules and Summary of Federal and Provincial Laws will be provided for use during the examination. Since this section of the examination is an open book, you should be familiar with the schedules, but do not need to memorize each drug and its schedule.
  4. The use of reference material other than the material provided at the examination is not permitted. Applicants must not communicate with each other in any way during the examination. Any infraction of these rules will result in disqualification of the applicants involved.
  5. The OCP Application for Jurisprudence Examination/Seminar is attached and must be submitted by the deadline indicated for each of the examination sittings. The application deadline is strictly enforced. Any applications postmarked after the deadline date must include both the applicable examination fee and the late fee. The College reserves the right to refuse any application received after the deadline.
  6. Applications for the examination will be acknowledged no later than two weeks before the examination date and will include the time, date and place of the examination.
  7. Your OCP Number will be marked on the application form placed on your desk at the examination centre. This number and your name must be recorded on the examination paper and on the answer sheet.
  8. Past examination papers are not available. Sample questions are included below.
  9. Examination fees are set annually. Fees are non-refundable, unless you withdraw at least 14 days prior to the date of the examination.
  10. Although the examination can be taken at any stage in the registration process, it is strongly recommended that you successfully pass the jurisprudence examination prior to internship.

MINIMUM PERFORMANCE LEVELS:

The Ontario College of Pharmacists has undertaken a standard setting process to ensure that the questions on the tests are relevant to practice and test a wide range of knowledge. A Minimum Performance Level (MPL) is set for each question by a committee of practicing pharmacists. The passing mark for each examination sitting is determined by summing up the minimum performance level across all items for a particular test.

All candidate responses are subjected to an item analysis to ensure the psychometric integrity of each item. Any item failing to meet the criteria will be eliminated from the test scoring and the MPL for the examination will be adjusted accordingly.

TYPE OF QUESTIONS:

While it must be stressed that a candidate should have a thorough knowledge of all legislation affecting the practice of pharmacy, it is suggested that the following matters, as they are dealt with in the various Acts and Regulations, receive particular attention. The approximate percentage of questions on each administration are indicated in brackets. Please note that the examination questions may not be laid out in this sequence.

(33%) 1. Sale of drugs with particular emphasis on the various Federal Schedules. You should understand the significance of the Schedules (and their Parts) and be able to indicate the Schedule in which a particular drug is found, as well as requirements for storage, prescription writing and record keeping. This section of the examination is open book and Drug Schedules will be provided. You should also be familiar with requirements for narcotic and controlled drug prescriptions, storage and record keeping.

(17%) 2. Filling and labelling prescriptions (e.g., prescription labels, transfers, copies, faxing, mailing, etc.).

(8%) 3. Billing and pricing of prescriptions (e.g., fees,I interchangeability, quantities, pricing, no substitution, etc.).

(12%) 4. Operation of a pharmacy (e.g., ownership, opening/closing, advertising, accreditation standards, operational requirements, etc.).

(17%) 5. Ethics, standards, professional responsibilities (e.g., standards of practice, professional misconduct, confidentiality, reporting, etc.).

(12%) 6. Other (e.g., scope of practice, registration requirements, complaints, discipline, title, “controlled acts”, prescribers, etc.).

SAMPLE QUESTIONS:

The following are some sample examination questions designed as a guide to assist you in determining the depth of questions that might be expected. All questions are multiple choice, with only one correct answer from a choice of three or four possible answers.

1. What is the condition for sale for Ibuprofen (AdvilŽ) 200 mg tablets?
  1. May be sold in any retail outlet.
  2. May be sold from the self-selection area of the pharmacy.
  3. Requires professional intervention from the pharmacist.
  4. Requires a prescription

2. What is the condition for sale for tincture of Iodine 5% Topical?
  1. May be sold in any retail outlet.
  2. May be sold from the self-selection area of the pharmacy.
  3. Requires professional intervention from the pharmacist.
  4. Requires a prescription.

3. A patient presents a prescription for an antiarrhythmic medication with two refills from a physician licensed in another province. Using professional judgement, the pharmacist may
  1. dispense the prescription but not the refills.
  2. dispense the prescription including the refills.
  3. not dispense the prescription unless it is co-signed by an Ontario physician.
  4. not dispense the prescription under any circumstances.

4. Which name is permissible for a nutrition and health food store in Ontario?
  1. Mother Nature’s Medicines
  2. Wellness Pharmacy
  3. Healthy Herbal
  4. Holistic Drug Mart

5. Which of the following situations is considered “professional misconduct”?
  1. Failing to provide a prescription delivery service
  2. Offering a store coupon for purchasing OTC merchandise
  3. Failing to keep records on dialogue regarding all nonprescription drugs
  4. Returning a previously dispensed drug to stock
answers: 1a, 2b, 3a, 4c, 5d

JURISPRUDENCE SEMINARS
  1. A few weeks before each examination, College staff offer a one-day Jurisprudence Seminar to review pertinent jurisprudence topics and answer candidates’ questions. This seminar is intended as a review ONLY. It is not intended to teach the scope of Jurisprudence as it applies to pharmacy practice in Ontario. Once you have registered for the examination, staff will inform you of the seminar date and Toronto location. If you are not attending the seminar, you may access the seminar handouts on the OCP website. Attending the seminar and/or reviewing the manual or seminar handouts are optional.
  2. Legislation documents are not provided at the seminar. If you wish to have legislation available for reference, you are responsible for bringing your own.
  3. The OCP Application for Jurisprudence Examination/Seminar is attached and must be submitted by the deadline indicated for each examination.
  4. Applicants registered for the seminar will be notified of the date and time at least two weeks prior to the scheduled date.
  5. Seminar fees are set annually. Fees are non-refundable, unless you withdraw at least 14 days prior to the date of the seminar.

SEMINAR CONTENT
  1. Structure and Function of the College
  2. Licensure and Registration as a Pharmacist
  3. Drug Distribution & Drug Scheduling
  4. Drug and Pharmacies Regulation Act
  5. Drug Interchangeability and Dispensing Fee Act
  6. Code of Ethics
  7. Discipline, Fitness to Practice
  8. Ontario Drug Benefit Act and Regulations