Examination Blueprint

The Jurisprudence Exam assesses a candidate’s knowledge of federal and provincial legislation affecting pharmacy practice in Ontario. It is based on an examination blueprint that outlines the key topic areas to be tested (i.e. exam sections) and the relative weight of each of the topic areas (i.e. number of multiple choice questions or items within each section). Some of the key elements within each topic area are provided to clarify each section and help guide exam preparation. Candidates are expected to be aware of the various acts and regulations, standards and policies related to each section of the Jurisprudence Exam.

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The Jurisprudence Exam is one assessment of the “Ethical, Legal and Professional Responsibilities” competency from the Professional Competencies for Canadian Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians at Entry-to-Practice.

Section A: Conditions for Sale* (10 items)

  • NAPRA Drug Schedules

Section B: Narcotics/Controlled Drugs* (21 items)

  • Prescription requirements
  • Record keeping
  • Methadone
  • Loss/disposal
  • Narcotics Safety and Awareness Act (NSAA)

Section C: Filling & Labeling (23 items)

  • Prescription authorization
  • Transfers/copies
  • Records/receipts
  • Compounding/manufacturing
  • Labelling/prescription record requirements
  • Child-resistant packaging, multi-medication packaging/mailing and delivery

Section D: Billing & Pricing (10 items)

  • Ontario Drug Benefit/Special Authorizations
  • Interchangeability/off-formulary interchangeability/DIDFA

Section E: Pharmacy Operations (15 items)

  • Operation requirements/supervision/library
  • Ownership/accreditation/inspections
  • Designated Manager
  • Signage/advertising

Section F: College Structures/Entry to Practice/Scope of Practice (19 items)

  • Controlled Acts/scope of practice
  • Registration requirements for all OCP members
  • College structure and function/College committees

Section G: Ethics/Standards/Responsibilities (22 items)

  • Standards of practice/documentation
  • Confidentiality/privacy
  • Professional misconduct
  • Professional judgment (e.g. refusal to fill)
  • Reporting requirements/forgeries
  • Code of Ethics

Total number of items = 120

*Candidates are provided with
NAPRA’s National Drug Schedules and the Prescription Regulation Summary Chart (Summary of Laws) (also available in French) for reference during the examination.

Examination Scoring

A criterion-referenced pass/fail standard is determined for each examination. This process involves the participation of a representative group of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians using a common standard setting procedure to determine how many correct answers a candidate must obtain to meet the minimum passing standard. This standard setting method takes into account the difficulty of each test item for a minimally competent candidate in determining a final pass score for each examination.

Each successful candidate’s performance must meet or exceed the final pass score. A candidate’s performance is not compared to any other candidate’s performance and there is no pre-set pass/fail quota for the examination.

All test items on the examination undergo a complete item analysis to help ensure that candidates’ final scores are both fair and valid. Any test item failing to perform in the anticipated manner is eliminated from scoring and the total minimum performance level (or pass score) for the examination is adjusted accordingly for all candidates.

If you have questions about the Jurisprudence Exam e-mail jurisprudence@ocpinfo.com