First Approved: February 2016
Last Revised: August 2025
Effective: August 2025; see below for implementation period for required test results
Purpose
All applicants must be able to speak, read, write and comprehend English or French with sufficient fluency to practise the profession. [Reference: Clause 8.(1)1. of O. Reg. 256/24 General Regulations under Pharmacy Act, 1991]
This policy defines the language proficiency requirements approved by the Registration Committee.
Scope
This policy applies to all applicants applying for a Certificate of Registration in any class.
Policy
- Initial application
The College accepts the following as evidence that the applicant is able to speak, read, write and comprehend in either English or French with sufficient fluency to practise the profession:
- Graduation from a pharmacist education program located in Canada that was accredited by the Canadian Council for Accreditation of Pharmacy Programs (CCAPP) while the applicant was attending the program; or
- Graduation from a pharmacy technician education program located in Canada that was accredited by the CCAPP while the applicant was attending the program, and whose admission requirements for applicants who are required to demonstrate their language proficiency through objective testing meet the minimum acceptable scores for one of the language proficiency tests listed below; or
- Graduation from a pharmacist education program that was accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) with “PharmD Program accreditation” status (i.e., not “International Accreditation” status) while the applicant was attending the program; or
- Submission of current (i.e., maximum of two years from the date of the test) results from a single test sitting that meet the minimum acceptable scores for one of the language proficiency tests listed below; or
- The applicant is fully licensed or registered as a pharmacist or pharmacy technician in another Canadian province or territory.
For test results dated on or after January 1, 2026 [implementation date]
English Language Proficiency Tests
Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program (CELPIP) – General
- Reading: 10
- Writing: 9
- Listening: 10
- Speaking: 10
International English Language Testing System (IELTS) – Academic format
- Reading: 7
- Writing: 6.5
- Listening: 7
- Speaking: 7
International English Language Testing System (IELTS) – General Training
- Reading: 8
- Writing: 7
- Listening: 8.5
- Speaking: 7.5
Occupational English Test (OET)
- Reading: B
- Writing: C+
- Listening: B
- Speaking: B
Pearson Test of English Core (PTE Core)
- Reading: 88
- Writing: 88
- Listening: 89
- Speaking: 89
French Language Proficiency Tests
Test d’Evaluation de Français (TEF) Canada – scores for tests taken after December 10, 2023
- Reading: B2 / 503
- Writing: B2 / 512
- Listening: C1/ 546
- Speaking: C1 /556
Test de connaissance du français (TCF) Canada
- Reading: 524
- Writing: 14
- Listening: 549
- Speaking: 16
For test results dated from December 31, 2023 to December 31, 2025, the College will accept current scores that met the previous pharmacist or pharmacy technician language proficiency requirements.
Alternative Way to Meet the Language Proficiency at Registration Requirement
If applicable, the application could be considered under the criteria established in the College’s Non-Objective Evidence of Language Proficiency Policy.
- Extending the validity of an applicant’s language proficiency test scores
The Registrar may extend the validity of an applicant’s language proficiency test scores to a maximum of three years (i.e., no more than one additional year from the original expiry date) after the test date if the Decision Criteria below are met.
Decision Criteria
The validity of an applicant’s language proficiency test scores will be extended on application without referral to a panel of the Registration Committee where:
- The applicant has, within the past two years, successfully completed a bridging program approved by the Board, the required practice-based assessment or the PEBC Qualifying Examination related to becoming registered as a pharmacist or pharmacy technician;
- The original test scores were acceptable to the College on the test date;
- The original test scores have expired within the past one year; and
- In the opinion of the Registrar, there is no other reason to question the applicant’s ability to speak, read, write and comprehend English or French with sufficient fluency to practise the profession.
If the above Decision Criteria are not met, the application will be referred to a panel of the Registration Committee for review, or the applicant may choose to submit current, acceptable test scores.