Both sets of questions are completely different and separate from each other.
There are 490 questions in the e-Course and 305 questions in the Mock Exam.
Getting access to both exposes candidates to nearly 800 questions and as there are only 305 in the actual exam this is nearly three times the number!
No, there are no pre-requisites to take the exam.
However, many of the exam units require a knowledge of human biology so the hours of study are likely to be less for someone with this background than for a person who has done no biology since a GCSE several years ago.
The exam will require those people who do not have a science background to study in more depth, but the knowledge they will gain will enable representatives to have meaningful conversations with healthcare professionals about the products their company supplies.
Individuals do not need to be employed as a representative to register for or take the Exam.
Cancellation and rebooking of the virtual exams is very easy and can be done at the last minute by logging into the ABPI MyLearning account.
Yes.
Each unit can be sat at different times. You book the exam time you require and you will be allocated the time allowed for each unit.
Exam papers are marked electronically. The likelihood of an error in marking is very low and all marginal scores are checked prior to uploading the results to individual profiles.
Therefore, we do not routinely remark papers, as there is very little room for error. Where a candidate requires a manual remark in spite of the above, there is an administration fee of £30 + VAT per paper, which is refunded if the mark is changed.
If you want to appeal your score based on any other factors that you feel may be relevant, you have 14 days from the date of the exam to do so in writing to ABPI Head of Education and Exam.
You will see a preliminary score on submitting your Online Exam.
An e-mail alert advising that your results are available will be sent when your results are available. This is usually within a week of the exam. If there is any delay you will be informed by email. You will need your log in details to access your results, which can be found at the bottom of your profile page.
Certificates will be sent within a few weeks of you passing the exam. These will be sent to the email address on your profile - please make sure this is correct. You do not have to order or pay for your first certificate.
The ABPI Code of Practice Clause 16.3 states that representatives must take an appropriate examination (this includes disease area units) within their first year of employment as a representative and must pass it within two years. This time limit does not apply to candidates not currently employed in the promotion of medicines to prescribers. If you have any queries about your individual circumstances, contact the PMCPA.
If you are sitting optional disease units, you must select units from one of the following:
The current Intermediate and Advanced Programmes have undergone a slight change due to a restructure of the Unit M1 content covering the NHS and the ABPI Code of Practice. As a result, the NHS content and the ABPI Code of Practice content will be examined separately through a ‘5 mandatory unit model’ in contrast to the current ‘4 mandatory unit model’ from 2 May 2025.
Consequently, learners who have enrolled on their programme pre 1 May 2025, have until 1 December 2025 to complete the qualification under the current ‘4 mandatory unit model’. Any learner not completing the qualification by 1 December 2025 will automatically be transferred to the ‘5 mandatory unit model’, although this does not mean you would need to then retake units already passed, with the exception of the current Unit 1. Learners whose attainment date is before 1 December 2025, and who complete the qualification by their attainment date, will not be affected by any incoming changes.
To sit the ABPI Exam, you must purchase the learning manuals. You can obtain a free set of the electronic Learning Manuals alongside your Programme registration for a fee of £185. You also have the option to purchase a hard copy set of the Learning Manuals for £61 via the Online Store. There is free postage within mainland UK (international delivery charges apply for overseas delivery). These learning manuals cover all the material for both the Advanced and Intermediate Programmes.
The cost to sit each unit is £142 + VAT
Mandatory units sitting (4 mandatory unit model): £568 + VAT
Mandatory units sitting (5 mandatory unit model): £710 + VAT
Optional disease area units sitting: £426 + VAT
The total cost of ordering both types of learning materials and both mandatory and optional units is therefore £1379.00 + VAT (course enrolment pre-1 May 2025/4 mandatory unit model) or £1521.00 + VAT (course enrolment post-1 May 2025/5 mandatory unit model) (excluding hard copy Learning Manuals).
Please note that this does not include any resits which can be booked at the same cost of £142 + VAT per unit.
It depends on your background knowledge.
Most of the units require knowledge of human biology, so if you have a life science degree or a recent Biology A-Level (or equivalent) you will not need to study as many hours as someone with little biology knowledge. If you have no prior knowledge of any of the topics you may need to study for 75 hours per mandatory unit, and for 50 hours per optional unit. This is consistent with programmes equivalent to Level 3 qualifications.
Acceptable photo ID for authentication: a valid Government-issued Passport, Driver’s Licence or National ID card. Any candidate who is unable to meet the requirements of the photo ID authentication will NOT be permitted to take the examination. ABPI will NOT refund the examination fees for candidates who do not meet the ABPI Exam identity authentication requirement.
If you have changed your details you need to bring the evidence e.g. marriage certificate.
You will need to contact the Exams department on 020 7930 3477 to ask for your qualification registration to be changed.
Provided that you are still within your time limit to pass the exam, you can re-sit the unit(s) you have failed. This is booked in the same way and at the same cost as your original booking.
You do not need to re-sit any units you have previously passed.​
You must ensure you have a secure place to take the exam, have installed the secure browser and met all technical requirements before the start of your exam.
You will be able to launch your exam from 15 minute before your scheduled proctor slot i.e. 09:45 for a 10:00 slot. Please note you may need to wait a few minutes for the proctor to become available, particularly if you launch the session early. You will then connect to your proctor, for an environment scan and ID check, which usually takes 5-10 minutes.
Once this is completed, the proctor will instruct you to start the exam. The exam page may take a little while to load and appear blank in the meantime. If this happens, do not panic, your time will not start until the exam page has loaded. Please do not refresh the page or use the back button.
The exam questions consist of multiple-choice questions with four options and one correct answer. Answers are selected by clicking the single best answer. You will be able to navigate forwards and backwards between questions using the navigation pane and highlight questions to come back to.
Once you are finished, you will click "Submit" followed by "Yes, I am sure" to submit your answers. If you have not submitted your answers by the end of the time allowed, your answers will be submitted automatically.
The proctor will ask you some final questions and ask you to shred any notes you have made in view of the camera. You may then close the session window.
Representatives who promote medicines on the basis of price only may take the ABPI Level 3 Certificate rather than the full Diploma.
If you have registered for the Certificate you will only be able to book units related to your qualification.
The ABPI Exam Award is an opportunity for the highest achieving Exam candidates to be recognised at the highest level. The candidates who completed the IQ Level 3 Diploma exam in 2020 will be considered for the 2020 award. We expect this to be an annual award going forward. We have developed the exam award criteria below with input from the ABPI exam steering group:
Must have achieved Distinction in the ABPI Diploma exam in the year in question. The date the last set of exams were taken will determine the appropriate year. If more than 5 people achieve Distinction in the year, the 5 exam candidates with the highest overall marks will be considered for the award. The winner must be employed by a pharmaceutical company in a customer-facing role at the time the award is being considered.
A decision on the award winner will be made after taking into account the marks achieved in the exam and the company endorsement of this candidate. We hope that this will provide an opportunity for candidates who have excelled in the exam to be recognised in the presence of their managers and other ABPI members and stakeholders.
To pass the ABPI exam, you must achieve at least 60% in each unit. If you are taking Unit 6, you must achieve at least 60% in both your 6a and 6b exams.
To achieve Distinction, candidates must meet all the following criteria:
If you are sitting the accredited Level 3 Diploma and achieve a Distinction, you will receive a certificate from the ABPI as well as from our external awarding body.
You must bring:
Photo ID (driving license or passport) in the name that you are registered on the ABPI Exams website. If your name has changed and you have not contacted the ABPI, please bring proof of your change of name. You will not be allowed to sit your exam without photo ID.
A basic calculator. The calculator should not be able to store data and may be inspected by the invigilator. Calculators must not be designed or adapted to offer any of these facilities:
The ABPI is committed to managing the ABPI examination to the highest standards of transparency and ethics. They expect all candidates and ABPI staff and contractors to be honourable in all aspects concerning the attempting and management of the exam process.
However, all institutions face the risk of things going wrong from time to time or of unknowingly harbouring illegal or unethical conduct. ABPI is committed to highest standards of openness, probity and accountability to prevent such situations occurring or to address them when they do occur.
From the exam regulations 10.1:
A variation to the regular examination arrangements is made for candidates with medically certified special needs such as dyslexia, poor eyesight or other disability affecting ability to take multiple choice examinations at the usually appointed exam centres or sittings. This variation includes (but is not limited to) an ability for ABPI to provide such candidates an added time of up to 25% extra time for completion of the examination paper, or to use a large print copy of the exam questions.
When creating your profile on the Exams site you should complete the appropriate field to indicate that you have special needs. Please then contact the ABPI via the Contact us page or by phoning +44 (0)207 930 3477 to discuss your requirements further.
When you create your personal profile, you are required to state the date you started working in a promotional role in the pharmaceutical industry for the purpose of compliance with the Prescription Medicines Code of Practice Clause 16.3. The Code requires that representatives sit the exam within their first year and allows a maximum of 2 years for someone to pass the exam. Once you have exceeded 2 years from the date you started working in a promotional role you will not be able to book an exam unless you have received permission from the PMCPA to be allowed extra time.
You will be asked a mixture of questions across all areas of the unit.
The ABPI exam requires understanding of the subject matter, not just recall of key facts. This results in more sustained learning and ability to apply what has been learned in other situations.
Some exam questions require information to be interpreted to identify the correct answer to the question.
You may be examined in the use of the statistical methods covered in UNIT 4 in all other units.
The content is in Unit 4 of the learning materials (Advanced and Intermediary) may be examined in all other units.
You should bring a calculator to all exams.
Visit www.exams.abpi.org.uk to register your details and apply.
For more information about Distinctive Learning
and the ABPI examination
