PCOA Exam
The Pharmacy Curriculum Outcomes Assessment® (PCOA®) is an essential tool used by colleges of pharmacy to evaluate their doctor of pharmacy curriculum, and it allows students to become familiar with the examination process prior to sitting for the licensure exams after graduation.
The PCOA is suitable for students in all professional years and provides data to the colleges that can be used to help review an individual student’s performance and their year-to-year progress through the curriculum.
About the PCOA Assessment
The PCOA is comprised of 225 questions that are delivered in a computerized form. The exam will be remotely proctored by ProctorU for the 2022-2023 academic year. The PCOA Content Areas are based on outcomes from the 2015 US Colleges of Pharmacy Curricula Survey.
The PCOA is offered throughout the academic year during testing windows held each month. Colleges of pharmacy select a three-day testing session, Monday through Friday, during the first three weeks of a monthly testing window. The last week of the month is reserved for student reschedules and retakes. Scheduling excludes weekends and certain holidays, and Administrators should consider high-volume testing dates when selecting a testing session.
Holiday Reminders:
- January 16, 2023 – Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
- February 20, 2023 – President’s Day
- May 29, 2023 – Memorial Day
- June 19, 2023 – Juneteenth observed
- July 4, 2023 – Independence Day
High-volume Testing Dates:
- January 12–14
- February 10–11
- March 10–11
- April 14–15
- June 9–10
PCOA Registration Deadlines
Administrators and students have separate registration deadlines within each monthly testing window.
- Information for Administrators, including registration deadlines, rescheduling an exam, and troubleshooting, is included in the Administrator Information section.
- Information for Students, including registration procedures and deadlines, is included in the Student Information section.
Refer to our list of school codes when registering for the exam.