Practice Assessment of Competence at Entry (PACE)

PACE is the practice-based assessment of a pharmacist applicant’s readiness to safely and independently practise as a pharmacist performing the authorized acts of the profession. The PACE Assessment Criteria are based on the National Association of Pharmacy Regulatory Authority (NAPRA) Entry-to-Practice Competencies for Pharmacists.

Successful completion of PACE is a registration requirement for Ontario pharmacist applicants who graduated from a pharmacy degree program outside of Ontario and who are applying for licensure as a pharmacist in Canada for the first time.

Since the PACE assessment focuses on measuring a candidate’s practice-readiness as a pharmacist, PACE assessors do not provide training on how to practise as a pharmacist. Candidates should have registered as a pharmacy student or intern in Ontario and gained experience practicing in the scope of the profession and/or practised in a similar scope elsewhere before applying for PACE. For more information about preparing for PACE, please see the Candidate Toolkit for PACE.

If you are a pharmacist applicant, a pharmacist interested in becoming a PACE assessor, or a pharmacist interested in helping candidates prepare for PACE, please review this information as well as the more specific information at the bottom of this webpage.