About the Pharmaceutical Common Achievement Tests
On the 6-year pharmaceutical educational program, students undertake participatory practical training with the aim of becoming pharmacists with practical ability. For students without a pharmacist’s license to take part in participatory training, certain conditions must be met to ensure the safety of patients and the protection of their rights (the consent of the patient, the legitimacy of the training goal, and the appropriateness of the student’s behavior). The purpose of the Common Achievement Tests is to ensure that students have sufficient basic knowledge, skills and the appropriate attitude for conducting practical training as a pharmacy student. The Common Achievement Tests use CBT to assess knowledge, and OSCE to evaluate skills and attitude.
About CBT
CBT (Computer-Based Testing) is a module of the Pharmaceutical Common Achievement Tests. It uses computers to evaluate knowledge and problem solving ability. Servers at the Pharmaceutical Common Achievement Tests Organization deliver a total of 310 multiple-choice questions at random to examinees. The questions cover both the minimum knowledge for specialists which are required of a pharmacy student and the minimum basic knowledge required before starting practical training. If the student has pursued their studies with normal diligence, there should be no need for any special preparation to pass the test.
About OSCE
OSCE (Objective Structured Clinical Examination) is an evaluation method developed to objectively evaluate basic clinical ability and attitudes (habits). It is equivalent to a practical test or a test using a simulated patient. In the OSCE, various small rooms called “stations” are prepared. In each station, the examinee must perform a task to assess their clinical ability in a specific area. The examinees move through the different stations as directed, performing the tasks in the time allotted on the task chart. Two examiners are assigned to each examinee, and they evaluate the examinee using an evaluation chart. Six tasks are assigned from five areas — handling patients and customers, preparing medications, inspecting prescriptions, performing aseptic techniques, and providing information, with two tasks from preparing medications.
2021 Chiba University Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences Common Achievement Test Results
| Test period | Number of successful candidates | Pass criteria | |
|---|---|---|---|
| CBT | 本試験 2022年1月12日、13日 追再試験 実施せず | 42 | Percentage of correct answers 60% or higher |
| OSCE | 本試験 2021年12月12日 追再試験 実施せず | 42 | Detailed evaluation 70% or higher General evaluation 5 or higher |
| Common Achievement Test review | 42 |
