KAPS EXAM GUIDE

Exam format

The KAPS exam consists of 200 questions delivered over two 2-hour sessions (a total of 4 hours of assessment) with
a 60-minute scheduled break in between.

Before starting the exam, you are given 15 minutes to complete a tutorial designed to familiarise yourself with the
exam software. You're given 5 minutes at the end of the exam to complete a survey.

All questions are multiple-choice questions with one correct answer out of four options.

KAPS is a closed-book exam. This means you cannot bring any printed or handwritten reference materials into the
exam with you.

We base our exams on the latest information, which you can find in relevant:

 journals
 publications
 textbooks

It's up to you to find this information. We do not endorse any external reference sources.

Distribution per content area

Content area Approximate distribution per content area

Paper 1

Pharmaceutical Chemistry 30%

Physiology and Pharmacology 70%

Paper 2

Pharmaceutic 30%

Therapeutics 70%

Exam scoring

You must complete all questions in the paper or papers you sit.

To pass the exam, you need a mark of at least 50% in all subsections of the exam.

Paper 1 Pharmaceutical chemistry 50%

Pharmacology and physiology 50%

Paper 2 Pharmaceutics 50%

 Therapeutics 50%

You need an overall mark of at least 50%.

You will receive a results certificate indicating your outcome. We'll email you or your agent when your results are
available. Expect this to be around 2 weeks after you sit the exam.

Content areas for the KAPS exam

The KAPS exam consists of 2 papers:

 Paper 1: Pharmaceutical chemistry, pharmacology and physiology

 Paper 2: Pharmaceutics and therapeutics

Paper 1: Pharmaceutical chemistry, pharmacology and physiology

Pharmaceutical Chemistry

You'll need to show you understand and have suitable knowledge in the following content areas:

Paper Content assessed Indicative elements

1

1 Organic chemistry  Nomenclature

 Drug class recognition
 Reaction types
 Functional group reactivity
 Drug stability
 Acid-base reactions

2 Stereochemistry  Nomenclature
 Optical activity
 Geometric isomerism
 Conformation

3 Physical and  Kinetics

inorganic chemistry  Acid-base reactions
 Phase equilibria

4 Analytical  Spectroscopy
chemistry  Redox reactions
 Assay techniques
 Diagnostic agents

5 Biochemistry  Nomenclature
 Structures
 Biochemical classes
 Thermodynamics
  Biochemical pathways

6 Structure-activity  Relationship between a chemical or 3D structure and its biological

relationships activity

7 Medicinal  Structure-activity relationships

chemistry  Drug presentation and delivery
 Drug formulation and stability
 Drug metabolism
 Mechanism of drug action
 Modern drug development
 Absorption, distribution and elimination of drugs

8 Drug metabolism  Breakdown and conversion of medicines through regularly occurring

bodily process, leading to active ingredients and by-products of the
original medicine

Pharmacology and physiology

You'll need to show you understand and have suitable knowledge in the following content areas:

Paper Content Indicative elements

1 assessed

1 Biochemical  Principles of drug action

pharmacology  Drug interactions
 Receptor pharmacology
 Autonomic transmission
 Endocrine pharmacology
 Cardiovascular pharmacology
 Anti-inflammatory agents and analgesics
 Antibiotics
 Diuretics
 Local and general anaesthetics
 Vitamins
 Drugs affecting nutritional and metabolic function
 Drugs affecting the central nervous system

2 Systemic  The mechanism of drug action as it relates to specific organs and disease
pharmacology states

3 Chemotherapy  Antibacterial drugs

 Antiviral drugs
 Antifungal drugs
 Antiprotozoal drugs
  Anthelmintic drugs
 Anticancer drugs

4 Toxicology  Common side effects

 Signs of toxicity
 Mechanism of toxicity

5 Pathophysiology  Alteration of physiological processes by drugs or disease states

6 General  Normal bodily functions including but not limited to the central nervous,
physiology digestive, cardiovascular, lymphatic, nervous, respiratory, urinary, endocrine
and reproductive systems and their integration
 Blood and other body fluids

Paper 2: Pharmaceutics and therapeutics

Pharmaceutics

You'll need to show you understand and have suitable knowledge in the following content areas:

Paper Content assessed Indicative elements

2

1 Physical pharmacy  Solvents

 Types of preparation
 Solutions
 Suspensions
 Emulsions

2 Biopharmaceutics  Dissolution
 Drug absorption
 Bioavailability and bioequivalence
 Drug interactions with a biopharmaceutical basis

3 Pharmacokinetics and  Biological half-life

pharmacodynamics  Elimination rate constants
 Apparent volume of distribution
 Clearance
 Steady state considerations
 Drug protein binding
 Drug metabolism
 Drug interactions
 Pharmacogenetics
 Relevant calculations
 4 Pharmaceutical microbiology  Preservation
 Antimicrobial agents
 Sterilisation technology

5 Formulation  Formulation of drugs for various routes of

administration
 Parenteral dose forms
 Controlled release preparations
 Evaluation of particular dose forms

6 Dose forms, including  Drug products

extemporaneous preparation  Constituent drug substances
 Combination compounded products for use via various
routes of administration

Therapeutics

You'll need to show you understand and have suitable knowledge in the following content areas:

Paper Content assessed Indicative elements

2

1 Calculations  Dilutions
 Percentages
 Densities
 Sensitivity of balance
 Proportions
 Isotonicity
 Milliequivalents and milliosmoles
 Buffers
 Dose calculations from body weight or surface area
 Stability

2 Posology and dose  Appropriate dosages of common medications

determinations  Dosage regimens of common medications

3 Medicine choice  Demonstrating an understanding of the clinical processes

used for choosing the most appropriate drug for the
presenting patient and their condition

4 Surgical dressings, applications  Drug choices for surgical dressings

and associated drug delivery  The use of and choices for surgical dressings
systems

5 Adverse reactions to drugs  Adverse reactions for drugs

  Relevant patient counselling and advice

6 Drug interactions  Drug interactions

 Relevant patient counselling and advice

7 Drug information  Using information sources to find drug and health

information relevant to conditions and disease states

8 Managing minor ailments  Non-prescription prescribing

 Diagnosing minor illness
 Rational over-the-counter product selection
 Over-the-counter drug information