PEBC Blueprint and Competency Weights for the Part I MCQ
Updated · 6 min read
As at 12 Oct 2026, PEBC's Qualifying Examination Blueprint (Ver. 03-2026 (as of May 2026), based on the 2024 NAPRA Professional Competencies) weights Part I at about 50% Clinical Care, 20% Distribution, 11% Knowledge & Expertise, 4% Communication & Collaboration, 3% Leadership & Stewardship and 12% Professionalism.
The six competency areas
| Competency area | Weight | Of 150 scored | In our 200-question mock |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1A Clinical Care | 50% | about 75 | 100 |
| 1B Distribution | 20% | about 30 | 40 |
| 2 Knowledge & Expertise | 11% | about 16-17 | 22 |
| 3 Communication & Collaboration | 4% | about 6 | 8 |
| 4 Leadership & Stewardship | 3% | about 4-5 | 6 |
| 5 Professionalism | 12% | about 18 | 24 |
What each area looks like on the exam
- 1A Clinical Care (50%): assessing a patient, choosing and monitoring therapy across cardiovascular, endocrine, respiratory, infectious, neurological and mental health, GI and renal, pain, self-care and special populations.
- 1B Distribution (20%): prescription review and dispensing, drug schedules, calculations, compounding, storage, inventory and recalls.
- 2 Knowledge & Expertise (11%): evidence-based practice, study designs and biostatistics, drug information sources, applying evidence to one patient.
- 3 Communication & Collaboration (4%): patient-centred communication, shared decisions, working with prescribers and the team, documentation.
- 4 Leadership & Stewardship (3%): public health, screening, antimicrobial stewardship, harm reduction.
- 5 Professionalism (12%): Canadian pharmacy law, ethics, privacy, patient safety and medication incident reporting.
Our topics are mapped to these areas; the descriptions above are our summary of the blueprint, not PEBC's wording.
Using the weights to plan
Spend study time roughly in proportion: half on clinical therapeutics, a fifth on dispensing, law-adjacent distribution and calculations, and the rest spread across evidence, law and ethics. The small areas still decide results: Professionalism alone is worth about 18 scored questions.
More: PEBC MCQ exam format · How to prepare.
Sources
- PEBC, Pharmacist Qualifying Examination Blueprint, Ver. 03-2026 (as of May 2026), pebc.ca (checked 12 Oct 2026)
PEBC can change its format, fees and dates. Confirm on pebc.ca before you apply.
Frequently asked questions
What are the PEBC Part I competency weights?
Clinical Care 50%, Distribution 20%, Knowledge & Expertise 11%, Communication & Collaboration 4%, Leadership & Stewardship 3%, Professionalism 12% (Blueprint Ver. 03-2026).
What is the PEBC blueprint based on?
The 2024 NAPRA Professional Competencies for Canadian pharmacists at entry to practice.
Go deeper: study notes
Related guides
Put it into practice
Free account, 650+ original practice questions, instant explanations and full timed practice exams.
Build a daily practice habit — a few exam-style questions a day, with worked answers. Free to start.
Start practicing →PEBC Prep is an independent study aid. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to The Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada (PEBC). 'PEBC' is used only to describe the examination. All questions are original practice material, not past or real exam questions.