Many universities and institutes conduct entrance exams for those who wish to pursue further studies in Pharmacy from Indian institutes and universities.

B. Pharm is the preferred choice for science background students from cities, tier-II, and tier-III cities of India. And after the completion of B.Pharm degree, some go for BD, Sales and Technical Writing jobs in the Pharma Industry and some go for MBA Pharma or M.Pharm to gain more valuable knowledge and advance their career in many different ways. Many also start preparing for Bank PO, SSC, SI and other entrance exams to completely change their field and get a government job.

So, like any other bachelor’s degree, B.Pharm is also a gateway to many career options.

But if you love Pharma and are willing to remain in the scientific field you have to crack competitive exams. Some competitive exams are mentioned below. You can make a note of it and plan your strategy to get admission to the college or university of your choice.

ALL INDIA LEVEL ENTRANCE EXAM FOR B.PHARM GRADUATE

Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE)

You can crack this entrance exam for pursuing a degree in Master of Technology in Pharmaceutical technology from institutes such as the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Mumbai, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi and Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati. 

Birla Institute of Technical Science Higher Degree (HD ) Entrance Test

As a B.Pharm graduate, you can clear this entrance exam to pursue your M.Pharm degree from prestigious BITS Pilani. The conducting body of this test is BITS itself.

Graduate Pharmacy Aptitude Test (GPAT)

Graduate Pharmacy Aptitude Test (GPAT) is an all-India level entrance test for admission in M.Pharm courses in All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) approved colleges.  GPAT is usually conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) in the month of January.

NIPER  JEE

National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research Joint Education Research (NIPER JEE) is a national level test for courses such as Master of Surgery(Pharmacology), MS in pharmacy),  M.Pharma, Master of Business Administration (Pharm), M.Tech (Pharma) and doctorate in pharmacy. Pharma Students or professionals who will crack this entrance exam will get admission in the institutes listed below.

· National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (Mohali, Punjab, India)

· National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India)

· Nirma University (Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India)

· National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (Guwahati, Assam, India)

· National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (Kolkata, West Bengal, india)

· National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (Hyderabad, Telangana, India)

STATE-LEVEL EXAM LIST For a B.Pharm Graduate

Delhi Common Entrance Test (CET)

Delhi Common Entrance Test (CET) or Delhi Polytechnic examination is conducted by the Department of Training and Technical Education, Delhi. This test allows candidates to pursue a diploma in pharmacy.

Goa Common Entrance Test (GCET)

It is a test conducted by the Department of Technical Education, Goa for courses in Pharmacy offered by institutes and colleges of Goa, India.  The Goa government organizes this test in May.

Himachal Pradesh Common Entrance Test (HPCET)

This state-level entrance exam is conducted in pen-paper-based mode. It is organized by the Himachal Pradesh Technical University (HPTU). You can opt for this test to get admission to the colleges of Himachal Pradesh for doing M.Pharm.

Gujarat Common Entrance Test (GUCET)

The conducting body of this test is Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board (GSEB) for admission in diploma and degree course in Pharmacy across various institutes in Gujarat.  Around 140 colleges accept its test score and domicile is not necessary to secure admission in colleges and institutes of Gujarat. The test is expected to happen in the second week of July 2021. The mode of examination is paper and pen only.

Uttarakhand State Entrance Exam (UKSEE)

This state-level entrance test is organized by Uttarakhand Technical University. This test is for admission in the Masters in Pharmacy course in colleges of Uttarakhand.

Odisha Joint Entrance Exam (OJEE)

The conducting body of this test is the State Government of Odisha. This test is for admission in M.Pharm courses across several institutes and colleges of Odisha. The registration process for this exam usually begins in the first week of February.

Punjab Technical University Exam

This exam is conducted by the I.K. Gujral Punjab Technical University. The admission is given after counseling. Registrations for the PTU exam begin in the last week of April.

Chhattisgarh Pre Pharmacy Test

This test is organized by Chhattisgarh Vyapam or Chhattisgarh Professional Examination Board, Raipur. Candidates can opt for this exam to enroll in various programs like D.Pharma and M.Pharma across various colleges and institutes of Chhattisgarh.

Kerala Engineering, Agricultural and Medical Entrance Exam

The exam is organized by the Commissioner of Entrance Examination, Kerala. You can give this test to enroll for the M.pharm course in private and government colleges of Kerala. Registration for this exam starts in the first week of February month.

 Rajasthan University of Health Sciences  (RUHS) Pharmacy

Through the RUHS pharmacy entrance exam, you can go for admission to various affiliated colleges of Rajasthan. Online Registration opens from the last week of June.

TS PGECET

The examination is usually held in May and is regulated by Osmania University.

Andhra Pradesh Post Graduate Engineering Common Entrance Test

You can opt for this paper to take admission in the M.Pharm course offered by various colleges of Andhra Pradesh. It is an offline mode exam.

University Level Entrance Exam Option

Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) Entrance Exam

The lush green campus of JNU New Delhi offers an Integrated M.Sc-Ph.D program for pharmacy graduates. There is also an option to exit from this course after the completion of MSc.  Also there is an entrance exam known as the JNU Combined Entrance Examination for Biotechnology to pursue a degree in Master of  Technology in  Biotechnology,  MSc Biotechnology,  MSc (Agri) Biotechnology and MVsc. Here the selection is purely based on merit. The application for this exam starts in May and ends in June.

For doing M.Tech in Biotech you can also try to crack entrance exams such as Delhi Technological University Entrance Test and NSIT M.tech Entrance Test.

Banaras Hindu University M. Pharm Entrance Test

If you have a B.Pharm(Ay.) degree with at least 50 percent marks, this is the best university to pursue a degree in M. Pharm (Ayurveda). To be there you have to crack their entrance test first. The last date to submit an application for this exam is 31^st May 2021.

Jamia  Hamdard Pharmacy Entrance Test

The Jamia Hamdard Pharmacy Entrance Exam is conducted by Jamia University, Delhi.  The university is affiliated to the Delhi Board of Technical Education. You can opt for this entrance test to take admission in various streams of the M.Pharm program. Registration for this entrance test starts in the month of March.

Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University

A Central University of India offers fewer seats at a very nominal fee. You can get your degree in M.Pharm Pharmaceutics, M.Pharm Pharmaceutical Chemistry, M.Pharm Pharmacology, M. Pharma Regulatory Affairs,   M.Pharm Pharmaceutical Analysis and Ph.D Pharmacy. The online admission form for this university starts from May.

Kumaun University Nainital

M.Pharm Pharmacology, M.Pharm  Pharmacognosy, M.Pharm Pharmaceutical Chemistry and M.Pharm Pharmacognosy are courses which you can opt from  this university. The students are admitted through the qualifying exam B.Pharm or as decided by Kumaun University.

After Master’s if you want to do Ph.D  (Pharmacy) this university also offers the same. Students are admitted through an entrance test conducted by the Directorate of Research and Extension.

Union Public Service Exam after B.Pharm

With a few years of experience or as a fresher in case there is a vacancy, you can also attempt to crack the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) Exam to get a government job.  You can become a Scientific Officer, Assistant Professor, Pharmacists and Drug Inspector in Ministries and government institutes.

MBA Pharma after B.Pharm

If academics, government jobs, or pure scientific jobs are not your cup of tea. And you want a managerial type of role within the pharma, life science, medical device and bio tech industry then you must attempt to crack some management institute exam and get a job as a Pharma Marketing Manager, Pharma Brand Manager, Medical Representative, etc. Few are listed below:

· Narsee Monjee Aptitude Test (NMAT): This test is for getting admission to Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies, Mumbai.

· Jamia Hamdard University, New Delhi: You have to give Jamia an entrance paper to get admission here. From here you can earn your MBA degree at a very nominal fee of Rs 4 lakh.

· SIES College of Management Studies: Take CMAT (Common Management Aptitude Test) or MAT (Management Aptitude Test) and score well to get admission here.

· IES Management College and Research Centre, Mumbai:  Similarly, CAT (Common Aptitude Test), CMAT or MAT for this one also.

Why Crack Competitive Exams after B. Pharm? 

If I talk about competitive exams it’s a tough nut to crack but possible with the right strategy. You can separate your profile from the rest of the candidates during job interviews or for further studies. Big organizations and institutes also hire candidates in bulk from good institutes of India.

So you can work hard with a pinch of luck to get admission to good institutes of India for further studies or jobs. If you don’t clear the exam in one attempt, you can work on your weak areas by taking several mock tests and use your rest of the time to do a job within the pharma industry. This will help you to gain relevant experience and will definitely give you an edge during the interview in the future.

Final Thoughts

Who knows what comes next in Corona times but as a pharmacy graduate, as per your family or your budget, you can give any number of competitive exams in India.  But prepare hard with the right strategy and give your best to score good marks in competitive exams. Utilize lockdown time and make the best use of delayed entrance exams date. Otherwise, you may face undesired exam results. But don’t lose hope in case you don’t crack any of these. You can try your hands in emerging roles such as data science, digital marketing, pharmaceutical copywriting and medical writing by upskilling yourself everyday.