PEBC 2026 Blueprint Changes, Explained

The structure: nine competencies became six

The old nine competencies were consolidated into six domains. Clinical care still dominates the exam, with providing care (clinical) at roughly half and distribution at about a fifth, so the centre of gravity has not moved. The notable shift is that Knowledge and Expertise roughly doubled in weight, and Professionalism now absorbs the old ethics, legal, and quality-and-safety material into one domain.

What was added

These are new or expanded testable areas, not background reading.

• Equity, diversity, and inclusion: cultural safety and humility, the unique experiences of Indigenous peoples, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action, and recognising systemic racism in healthcare. This is the single biggest content addition.
• Social determinants of health, now its own testable area rather than background context.
• Prescribing, de-prescribing, and adapting, treated as entry-to-practice skills rather than advanced practice.
• Pandemic and emergency preparedness, broadened beyond COVID-19 to medical, environmental, and security emergencies in the pharmacy.
• Shared electronic health records, with the shift from being a viewer to being a contributor who actively documents allergies, de-prescribed medications, and other updates.
• Point of care testing, with clinical and procedural questions.
• Safety culture, framed as active risk mitigation: anticipating high-risk situations and responding to incidents and near misses.

What was removed

Several management-flavoured areas were deleted, including staff supervision and management, organisational and time management, and workload management. If your older study material leans heavily on those, you can safely de-prioritise them.

What it means for your prep

Keep clinical therapeutics as the core of your study, because that is still where most of the exam lives. Then make sure you are not blindsided by the new areas: be ready for EDI, social determinants, prescribing and de-prescribing, point of care testing, and EHR documentation scenarios, since these are exactly the topics older question banks under-cover.