(a) Purpose. — The purpose of the pharmacy licensure examination is to assess the competencies of the applicant to initiate the practice of the profession.
(b) Examinations. — The licensure examination for the candidates to a pharmacist license shall be comprised of two (2) examinations: a general examination and another on the legal aspects of the practice of pharmacy. The general examination shall measure the application of knowledge, judgment and skills needed for the practice of pharmacy and the other shall measure the application of knowledge in legal aspects of the practice of the profession.
The Board may employ consultants or agencies engaged in the preparation and evaluation of licensure examinations, but shall hold responsibility on the content of such examinations and on the determination of the minimum passing score which shall be obtained to approve the licensure.
(c) Examinations of the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy. — The Board, at the choice of the candidate, may offer the general examination and/or the examination on the legal aspects administered by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy, in lieu of the corresponding examinations prepared by the Board.
The candidates who choose to take these examinations shall pay the cost thereof, as established by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy, in addition to the examination application fee established by this chapter.
(d) Orientation to candidates. — The Board shall prepare and publish a handbook with the necessary information for the candidate to become acquainted with the standards and procedures that govern the administration of the examinations, types of examinations, methods of evaluation, and the minimum score required for its approval. This handbook shall be furnished to every person who requests admission for the licensure examination, upon previous submission of a money order or check payable to the Secretary of the Treasury, or credit or debit card, following the standards of the Secretary of the Treasury with regard to the form of payment. The Board shall determine the cost of such handbook taking as a base the costs of its preparation and publishing. The amount to be charged shall not exceed the real cost such expenses represent. The funds thus collected shall be covered into the special account established in § 409n of this title.
(e) Score of the licensure examination. — The Board shall establish, by regulations, the minimum passing score that the candidate must obtain to approve the licensure examination and the standards and procedures which shall govern the administration and evaluation of the examination. The right to verify their answers in the examination shall be granted to the candidates, within the next ninety (90) days after the date they receive the results thereof.
The candidate may repeat the examination in which he/she obtained a lower score than the minimum score required up to a maximum of five (5) times. For the purposes of the license issuance, the examinations shall expire six (6) years after their approval.
History —Sept. 3, 2004, No. 247, § 4.04.