Exit Exam now mandatory for D.Pharm students, PCI directs state councils not to register new passouts until exam is cleared

New Delhi Diploma in Pharmacy ( D.Pharm) candidates from next year have to give exit exam in order to get their degrees and qualify to practice, a recent circular issued by the Pharmacy Council of India (PCI) has mandated. The exam will be held in July-September 2024 for the 2022–24 academic session, the PCI has informed 

Further, the Pharmacy Council of India (PCI) directed the various state pharmacy councils and registration tribunals not to register the candidates admitted to the Diploma in Pharmacy program during the 2022-23 academic session and passed in the 2023-24 academic session as pharmacists until they pass the exit examination and fulfil the other prescribed conditions under section 32(2) of the Pharmacy Act.

The Medical Dialogues team had earlier reported that in February 2022, the Pharmacy Council of India, via a Gazette notification, released the "Diploma in Pharmacy Exit Examination Regulations, 2022" which called for a Diploma in Pharmacy Exit Examination after the completion of the course, making it mandatory for registration and a license to practice as a pharmacist. The exit examination was further scheduled to take place twice a year or as frequently as may be required as per the schedule of examinations announced by the prescribed authority. The examination date and centre will also be assigned to candidates by the prescribed authority based on the availability of the examination centres, the council stated.