100+ Free SAPC FQP Exam Practice Questions

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Question 1

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A pharmacist conducts a small research project on adherence in the pharmacy and intends to collect patient data. Which requirement reflects ethical research conduct?

Using patient records without consent because it is internal

Skipping any review because the sample is small

Obtaining ethics approval and informed consent, and protecting participant confidentiality

Publishing identifiable patient details to make findings convincing

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Sample SAPC FQP Exam Practice Questions

Try these sample questions to test your SAPC FQP Exam exam readiness. Each question includes a detailed explanation. Start the interactive quiz above for the full 100+ question experience with AI tutoring.

1A prescription requires 60 g of a 2% w/w hydrocortisone ointment, but only a 1% w/w base stock and pure hydrocortisone powder are available. How much pure hydrocortisone powder must be added to 60 g of the 1% ointment to raise it to 2% w/w (assume final mass increases by the powder added)?

A.Approximately 0.61 g

B.Approximately 1.2 g

C.Approximately 0.30 g

D.Approximately 6.0 g

Explanation: 60 g of 1% contains 0.6 g drug. Let x g be added; final concentration = (0.6 + x)/(60 + x) = 0.02. Solving: 0.6 + x = 1.2 + 0.02x, so 0.98x = 0.6, x = 0.61 g. This is a standard alligation/enrichment calculation tested in Applied Pharmaceutics.

2Most small-molecule drugs degrading by hydrolysis follow first-order kinetics. If a solution has a shelf-life (t90) of 24 months at 25 degrees C, what is the most accurate statement about the relationship between t90 and the rate constant k?

A.t90 = 0.693/k, the half-life expression

B.t90 = 0.105/k, derived from the first-order integrated rate law for 10% loss

C.t90 = k/0.105, an inverse of the correct relationship

D.t90 is independent of k for first-order reactions

Explanation: For a first-order reaction, t90 (time for 10% degradation) = 2.303/k x log(100/90) = 0.105/k. This is the standard expression for shelf-life in pharmaceutical stability, distinct from the half-life (t50 = 0.693/k).

3A pharmacist must accelerate stability testing for a new oral solution. According to the Arrhenius relationship, what is the primary rationale for storing samples at elevated temperatures (e.g. 40 and 50 degrees C)?

A.Higher temperature changes the order of the degradation reaction to zero-order

B.Elevated temperature eliminates the need to measure the rate constant

C.Reaction rate increases predictably with temperature, allowing extrapolation of degradation back to storage conditions

D.Heating prevents microbial growth so only chemical stability remains

Explanation: The Arrhenius equation (k = A x e^(-Ea/RT)) shows the rate constant rises with temperature. By measuring k at several elevated temperatures, a plot of ln k versus 1/T lets the pharmacist extrapolate the rate at normal storage temperature and predict shelf-life much faster than real-time testing.

4A child-resistant container is required for a dispensed solid oral dosage form. Which feature defines a container as 'child-resistant' under good pharmacy practice packaging standards?

A.It is impossible for any person to open without a key

B.It is opaque to protect from light only

C.It is a single-use blister that cannot be resealed

D.It is significantly difficult for most children under 5 to open but not unduly difficult for adults to use correctly

Explanation: A child-resistant container is designed so that it is significantly difficult for children under five years of age to open or gain access to the contents within a reasonable time, while not being unduly difficult for adults to use properly. This balances safety with usability.

5When formulating an aqueous oral solution for a poorly water-soluble weak acid drug, raising the pH above the drug's pKa will most likely:

A.Increase aqueous solubility because more drug exists in the ionised (salt) form

B.Decrease aqueous solubility because the un-ionised form predominates

C.Have no effect on solubility because pH does not influence weak acids

D.Cause precipitation by converting the drug to its free acid

Explanation: For a weak acid, raising the pH above the pKa shifts the equilibrium toward the ionised conjugate base, which is far more water-soluble. This is the basis of using salt forms and pH adjustment to solubilise weakly acidic drugs in liquid formulations.

6A well-formulated pharmaceutical suspension should exhibit controlled flocculation. What is the main advantage of a flocculated (rather than deflocculated) suspension?

A.It produces a dense, tightly packed cake that resists redispersion

B.The sediment forms loosely and redisperses readily on shaking, avoiding a hard caked sediment

C.It permanently prevents any sedimentation from occurring

D.It increases the particle size to above 100 micrometres for faster settling

Explanation: In a flocculated suspension, particles form loose aggregates (flocs) that settle quickly but form a high, loose sediment that is easily redispersed by shaking. This prevents the dense, non-redispersible cake (caking) that occurs in deflocculated systems.

7An emulsifying agent with an HLB value of approximately 4 is most suitable for forming which type of emulsion?

A.Oil-in-water (o/w)

B.A microemulsion only

C.Water-in-oil (w/o)

D.A self-emulsifying solid dispersion

Explanation: The hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB) scale guides emulsifier selection. Low HLB values (around 3 to 6) favour lipophilic surfactants that stabilise water-in-oil emulsions, whereas higher HLB values (8 to 18) favour oil-in-water emulsions.

8A patient is to receive a suppository for systemic drug delivery. Which physiological feature of rectal absorption helps a drug partly avoid first-pass hepatic metabolism?

A.All rectal blood drains directly through the liver via the portal vein

B.The rectum has no blood supply, so absorption is purely lymphatic

C.Rectal pH is so acidic that all drugs are fully ionised and absorbed unchanged

D.The lower and middle rectal veins drain into the systemic circulation, bypassing the portal vein

Explanation: Drug absorbed from the lower and middle rectal veins enters the inferior and middle haemorrhoidal veins, which drain into the systemic circulation, partially bypassing first-pass hepatic metabolism. The upper rectal vein drains into the portal system, so the avoidance is only partial.

9During tablet manufacture by wet granulation, the principal purpose of adding a disintegrant such as croscarmellose sodium is to:

A.Promote breakup of the tablet into granules and fine particles to aid dissolution after ingestion

B.Bind the powder particles together to give tablet hardness

C.Lubricate the die wall to ease tablet ejection

D.Mask the bitter taste of the active ingredient

Explanation: A disintegrant such as croscarmellose sodium (a super-disintegrant) swells and wicks water into the tablet, causing it to break apart into granules and primary particles. This increases surface area and is essential for rapid dissolution and bioavailability of immediate-release tablets.

10Which of the following best describes the deposition of an aerosol particle with a mass median aerodynamic diameter (MMAD) of about 2 to 5 micrometres in the human respiratory tract?

A.It deposits almost entirely in the oropharynx and is swallowed

B.It is most likely to deposit in the lower airways and alveolar region, ideal for pulmonary delivery

C.It is exhaled without depositing because it is too small

D.It impacts only on the nasal turbinates

Explanation: Particles of roughly 1 to 5 micrometres MMAD penetrate to the small airways and alveoli, the 'respirable fraction' targeted for inhaled therapy. Larger particles (over 5 micrometres) impact in the oropharynx, while very fine particles (under 1 micrometre) are largely exhaled.

About the SAPC FQP Exam Exam

The SAPC Professional Examination assesses pharmacists with foreign qualifications seeking registration in South Africa under the Pharmacy Act, 1974 (Act 53 of 1974). It comprises three open-book MCQ papers (300 questions in total) covering applied pharmaceutics and pharmaceutical chemistry, applied pharmacology and toxicology, and applied pharmacy practice within the South African legal framework. A pre-registration evaluation during internship also confirms the candidate's exit-level competencies.

Assessment

Three open-book MCQ papers on the SAPC online platform: Applied Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Chemistry (90 MCQ, 3 h), Applied Pharmacology and Toxicology (90 MCQ, 3 h), and Applied Pharmacy Practice in a Legal Framework (120 MCQ, 4 h).

Time Limit

3 hours per science paper; 4 hours for the Pharmacy Practice in a Legal Framework paper

Passing Score

A minimum of 50% must be achieved in each paper to pass and qualify for registration; candidates have up to 4 attempts within 4 years.

Exam Fee

Prescribed booking fee payable to SAPC, revised annually (3.6% adjustment noted for 2026); the exact 2026 amount is published in the SAPC fee schedule and not posted openly online. (South African Pharmacy Council (SAPC) — NOTE: id prefix 'hpcsa' is a misnomer; pharmacy is regulated by SAPC)

SAPC FQP Exam Exam Content Outline

30%

Applied Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Chemistry

Pharmaceutical calculations, compounding and dispensing, dosage form design, sterile products and aseptic technique, biopharmaceutics and pharmacokinetics, pharmaceutical analysis, and organic and medicinal chemistry (90-MCQ, 3-hour paper).

30%

Applied Pharmacology and Toxicology

Pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics, drug actions on body systems, antimicrobials and chemotherapy, vaccines, drug interactions, adverse reactions, pharmacovigilance, and the toxicology and management of poisoning (90-MCQ, 3-hour paper).

40%

Applied Pharmacy Practice in a Legal Framework

Integrated dispensing and pharmaceutical care, rational medicine use, screening and referral, pharmacy administration (financial, marketing and human resources), communication, ethics, and South African pharmacy legislation (120-MCQ, 4-hour paper).

How to Pass the SAPC FQP Exam Exam

What You Need to Know

Passing score: A minimum of 50% must be achieved in each paper to pass and qualify for registration; candidates have up to 4 attempts within 4 years.
Assessment: Three open-book MCQ papers on the SAPC online platform: Applied Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Chemistry (90 MCQ, 3 h), Applied Pharmacology and Toxicology (90 MCQ, 3 h), and Applied Pharmacy Practice in a Legal Framework (120 MCQ, 4 h).
Time limit: 3 hours per science paper; 4 hours for the Pharmacy Practice in a Legal Framework paper
Exam fee: Prescribed booking fee payable to SAPC, revised annually (3.6% adjustment noted for 2026); the exact 2026 amount is published in the SAPC fee schedule and not posted openly online.

Keys to Passing

Complete 500+ practice questions
Score 80%+ consistently before scheduling
Focus on highest-weighted sections
Use our AI tutor for tough concepts

SAPC FQP Exam Study Tips from Top Performers

1Map your study to the SAPC exit-level outcomes and the three papers; because the exams are open-book, practise finding answers quickly in the SAMF, Standard Treatment Guidelines and the PSSA Pharmacy Law Compendium rather than memorising everything.

2Drill pharmaceutical and clinical calculations (concentrations, dilutions, paediatric and infusion doses) under timed conditions, since calculation questions appear across all three papers and reward speed and accuracy.

3For the legal-framework paper, work through case-based scenarios applying the Pharmacy Act, the Medicines Act scheduling system and GPP, as the paper tests applied judgement rather than rote recall of section numbers.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many papers and questions are in the SAPC professional examination?

There are three open-book MCQ papers: Applied Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Chemistry (90 questions), Applied Pharmacology and Toxicology (90 questions) and Applied Pharmacy Practice in a Legal Framework (120 questions), for 300 questions in total.

What is the pass mark for the SAPC foreign-qualified persons exam?

Candidates must achieve a minimum of 50% in each paper to pass and qualify for registration. A candidate is allowed up to four attempts within a four-year period.

When and how is the exam written?

The professional examination is written twice a year, in May and September/October, as an open-book MCQ assessment on the SAPC online platform at venues determined by the South African Pharmacy Council. Bookings must be made at least one month before the exam date.

Which legislation underpins the pharmacy practice paper?

The Applied Pharmacy Practice in a Legal Framework paper covers the Pharmacy Act, 1974 (Act 53 of 1974), the Medicines and Related Substances Act, 1965 (Act 101 of 1965) and related statutes, alongside Good Pharmacy Practice standards and the Code of Conduct.