www.nspharmacy.ca, the official website of the Nova Scotia Pharmacy Regulator (NSPR), provides information about the pharmacy regulator, pharmacist and pharmacy technician registration, pharmacy licensure, and pharmacy practice in our province.

The information on this site is intended as a resource to pharmacy professionals and future pharmacy professionals, and to the public.

Public interpretation of health information on this site should not be substituted for the advice of a healthcare professional. For specific health matters, visitors to this site are encouraged to consult their pharmacist or other appropriate healthcare provider.

Occasionally, alternate websites are referenced on this site. This does not imply an endorsement by NSPR. The Nova Scotia Pharmacy Regulator does not endorse specific organizations, products, or therapies.

Nova Scotia Pharmacy Regulator is located in Mi’kma’ki, the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi’kmaq People, and we acknowledge them as the past, present, and future caretakers of this land.

We respect and honour the Peace and Friendship Treaties that were signed in this territory, setting the terms of coexistence between settlers and the Mi’kmaq people. These Treaties remain in place today.

We recognize our responsibility to uphold the Treaties in the spirit of Reconciliation and collaboration. We acknowledge the harms that have created and continue to create health inequities for Mi’kmaq People, and we commit to moving forward in partnership.

We are all Treaty People.

We recognize the histories, legacies and contributions of African Nova Scotians, a distinct people with connections to the original 52 land-based Black communities. African Nova Scotians have been a key part of enriching the culture and history of Mi’kma’ki for more than 400 years.

Mi’kma’ki includes all of Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, part of New Brunswick, the Gaspé region of Quebec, part of Maine, and southwestern Newfoundland.

Jurisprudence Examination

One of the qualifications for licensure with the NSPR is competence in jurisprudence. This is demonstrated by the successful completion of the Jurisprudence Examination (JP Exam).

This exam is designed to assess an applicant’s knowledge and understanding of the rules that impact pharmacy practice in the province. It is not intended that applicants memorize the material; however, they must be able to interpret and apply the pertinent legal requirements and procedures to be followed when practising in Nova Scotia.

Carefully review each section below and if you have further questions related to the JP Exam, please contact us at exams@nspharmacy.ca.

Note: Approval to write the Jurisprudence Examination does not guarantee your eligibility for licensure. The Jurisprudence Exam is only one component of your licensure requirements.

The examination fee is non-refundable. If you have questions about your eligibility, please contact the NSPR Licensing and Registrations team before you apply.

Successfully complete the NSPR Jurisprudence Examination, with an exception for those applicants who have actively held a NSPR practising licence within the preceding two-year period.

Jurisprudence Examinations are scheduled on the last Wednesday of each month, excluding December, from 10:00AM – 1:15PM (Atlantic Time). NSPR JP Exams are administered online via an exam link at the designated start time. No proctoring software required.

Various question formats are used in the exam, including multiple choice, select all that apply, yes/no, and true/false.

To Register

The cost to register can be found in the Schedule of Fees.  A payment link will be emailed to you following submission of your application.   

Submit the appropriate application at least two weeks prior to the exam date:

Application Pharmacist Jurisprudence Examination
Application Pharmacy Technician Jurisprudence Examination 

Exam Rules

  • Applicants are given 3 hours and 15 minutes to write the JP exam. Applicants must commence at the designated start time.
  • Applicants are required to turn off any chat or email notifications on their devices while writing the exam. In addition, sharing any of the questions on the exam with others is strictly prohibited.
  • Completion of the exam must be an individual effort, so applicants are not permitted to collaborate with others while writing it.
  • The jurisprudence exam is “open book”. You can access our website and other resources during the exam, however, we caution you with the use of resources outside of our website, as external links and sites may not have the most up-to-date references. Requesting assistance from other individuals or chat groups, using notes provided by others, etc. is strictly prohibited.

The exam is based on the most up-to-date and relevant provincial and federal legislation and regulations; the code of ethics; standards of practice; practice provisions or directives; and practice policies, positions, and guidelines that pertain to pharmacy practice.

There is new legislation that governs the practice of pharmacy in Nova Scotia. This includes:

• The Regulated Health Professions Act
• The Regulated Health Professions Act General Regulations
• The Regulated Health Professions Regulations Respecting Pharmacy
• The Nova Scotia Pharmacy Regulator (NSPR) By-laws

NSPR Standards of Practice, Polices, Position Statements, and Guidelines remain in place.

The jurisprudence exam is “open book”. You can access our website and other resources during the exam, however, we caution you with the use of resources outside of our website, as external links and sites may not have the most up-to-date references. The NSPR has prepared two documents that you may find helpful when preparing for the exam.

No additional NSPR documents will be provided beyond those listed below:

Pharmacy Jurisprudence in Nova Scotia

Prescriptions Regulations Summary

The following two questions provide examples of the types of multiple choice questions that are included in the exam:

If a new prescription is presented for a drug which has been previously prescribed and still has refills remaining on it, which of the following actions would be the most appropriate to take?

  • Log the new prescription and continue to refill the previous prescription until the new prescription is needed.
  • Tell patient to hold on to the new prescription until it is needed (after current refills run out).
  • Put the new prescription on the patient profile, adding to it the remaining refills from the previous prescription, and cancel the previous prescription.
  • Cancel the remaining refills on the previous prescription and fill the new prescription.

Injectable medications previously dispensed for the purpose of providing Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) can be accepted back into pharmacy inventory.

  • False
  • True

Exam results can take up to 10 business days to release. The pass mark is 70%. Applicants are notified of their results by email.

Results of a successfully completed NSPR JP Exam are valid for two years. If an applicant does not license within that two-year period, they will be required to re-write the exam.