Requesting Alternate Test Site — 2011
In order to increase the accessibility of its certification and recertification examinations to all potential candidates, the Board of Pharmacy Specialties invites groups of interested individuals to request alternate test sites. The applicant group may represent any combination of BPS-recognized specialties (Ambulatory Care Pharmacy, Nuclear Pharmacy, Nutrition Support Pharmacy, Oncology Pharmacy, Pharmacotherapy, Psychiatric Pharmacy) and may include both certification and recertification candidates.Within the contiguous 48 states:
Applicant groups must have at least 10 individuals committed to sitting for one of an examination.Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and foreign countries:
No proctor fee will be charged for establishing an alternate test in the contiguous 48 states.
Alternate exam sites must be at least 200 miles from any of the BPS-designated test sites (below).
Designated exam sites for the 2012 BPS examinations include: Al Ain, UAE Albany, NY Alexandria, Egypt Amersterdam, Netherlands Anchorage, AK Asheville, NC Atlanta, GA Baltimore, MD Bangkok, Thailand Bangor, ME Beiruit, Lebanon Birmingham, AL Boston, MA Cairo, Egypt Chapel Hill, NC Charleston, SC Charlottesville, VA Chicago, IL Cincinnati, OH Dallas, TX Denver, CO Des Moines, IA Detroit, MI Doha, Qatar Ft. Lauderdale, FL Hong Kong Honolulu, HI Houston, TX Indianapolis, IN Jackson, MS Jacksonville, FL Jeddah, Saudi Arabia Kansas City, MO Las Vegas, NV Los Angeles, CA Louisville, KY Madison, WI Madrid, Spain Melbourne, Australia Memphis, TN Minneapolis, MN Montreal, Quebec, Canada Nashville, TN Nasr City, Egypt New York, New York Omaha, NE Penang, Malaysia Philadelphia, PA Phoenix, AZ Pittsburgh, PA Portland, OR Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Rochester, NY Salt Lake City, UT San Antonio, TX San Diego, CA San Francisco, CA Savannah, GA Seattle, WA Seoul, Korea Singapore, Singapore Spokane, WA St. Louis, MO Tampa, FL Tucson, AZ Tulsa, OK
Groups in Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and foreign countries with fewer than 10 candidates who are requesting an alternate site will be required to pay a proctor fee of $750 (per group). If the group cannot identify a test site that meets BPS specifications (see below), BPS’ testing consultant will provide a site for a fee of $250 per group. Proctor and site fees must accompany the request for establishing an alternate site.All requestors:
Designated international exam sites for the 2011 BPS exams include: Al Ain, United Arab Emirates; Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; Madrid, Spain; Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Seoul, Korea; Singapore, Singapore.
Requests for alternate sites must be submitted using the online form linked below by July 1. Once approved, the alternate site will be added to the list of testing locations for the current exam year. This will allow all individuals to who desire to sit for the exam at the site to select it when completing their online application. When submitting the request, you must include the names and email addresses of ten individuals committed to taking the exam at the alternate site.
BPS will not be responsible for notifying other candidates in the area or the profession-at-large of these designated alternate sites. However, candidates who are not part of the original group requesting an alternate site, may request to sit for an examination at a BPS-approved alternate site.
Examination dates for BPS specialty certification examinations are set by the Board and remain the same regardless of site. The next exam date is October 1, 2011.
IDENTIFYING A TEST SITE
Identify a potential exam site in your area, using the requirements noted below. The Board prefers to administer exams at Schools/Colleges of Pharmacy or Hospitals, where the space can be provided on a complimentary basis. Hotels are a last option.If there is a fee for the test room, the applicant group is responsible for paying this fee. BPS will contract with the identified facility for rental of the space and the applicant group will provide BPS with a check/money order/credit card number to cover this fee. The Board's testing consultant will contract with local individuals to proctor the examination. BPS staff will coordinate all exam logistics with the testing consultant.
Test Site Specifications
- The examination room needs to be as quiet a space as possible with good ventilation and lighting. Rest rooms and a water fountain must be nearby.
- There must be adequate writing surface for the candidates to open their booklets (which measure 17" x 11" when open) and to lay their answer sheets (8 1/2" x 11") flat. Tables or large desks work best.
- There should be approximately three feet of open space around each candidate (front, back, each side).
- The examination room must have space for a registration desk immediately inside the entrance to the room and space for tables or coat racks on which candidates can leave their books, purses, briefcases, jackets, etc. It is best if the room can be set so that candidates enter at the rear of the room in order to diminish distractions as candidates leave the room. However, this is not mandatory.
- There must be space for a head table/podium at the front of the room from which the chief examiner can provide verbal instructions to the candidates.
- Either a chalk board (with chalk and erasers) or a flip chart (with marker) must be located near the podium.
- The test site, test room, and rest rooms must be accessible to the handicapped.
- Sufficient parking must be available at the test site.
- A cafeteria, fast food outlet, or vending machines with sandwiches and the like must be accessible for the lunch break.
| 7:00 am | Chief proctor arrives and adjusts set-up if needed |
| 7:30 am | Assistant proctor(s) arrive |
| 8:00 am | Begin admitting candidates to examination room |
| 8:30 am | Begin examination instructions and distribute Part I materials |
| 9:00 am | Begin administration of Part I |
| 11:30 am | Part I concludes — Break (recertification candidates dismissed) |
| 12:45 pm | Begin readmitting candidates to examination room |
| 1:15 am | Begin examination instructions and distribute Part II materials |
| 1:30 pm | Begin administration of Part II |
| 4:00 pm | Part II concludes |
| 5:00 pm | Proctors finish administrative details |
Reminder
The alternate site request form must be submitted to BPS by July 1. After a request is approved, we will arrange for payment with the site coordinator and post the site details on the BPS website.
ALTERNATE SITE REQUEST FORM
