GPhC Registration

Overview

The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) and the Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland jointly deliver the Common Registration Assessment across the UK, so the same exam is used in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Trainee pharmacists sit it as part of the route to registration as a pharmacist.

The assessment is developed and moderated by an independent Board of Assessors. Its stated purpose is to assure the public that trainees can apply the knowledge and skills needed for safe, person-centred care at the point of registration.

Who can apply

The 2026 regulations apply to every trainee pharmacist who sits the assessment. That includes graduates of an accredited MPharm degree, graduates of an accredited Overseas Pharmacists' Assessment Programme (OSPAP), and pharmacists qualified in the European Economic Area who need the assessment as part of their route to registration.

To be eligible to apply, you must hold approved foundation trainee pharmacist status. Further conditions depend on when your foundation training started.

• If you started before 2025/26, you may be eligible provided you meet the other requirements of your registration criteria. If you need to complete more training, you must restart it within the time windows set by your Statutory Education Body (SEB).

• If you started in 2025/26 or later, you can sit the summer sitting of the following calendar year only if you began training in your SEB's summer window. For the autumn sitting, you must have begun in your SEB's autumn window.

• In Northern Ireland, you must also have completed at least 39 weeks of training by the time of the assessment. Other Northern Ireland conditions are on the Society's website.

The decision to apply is yours. The GPhC publishes Ready to Apply guidance for trainees and their supervisors to help with it.

Exam pattern

The assessment is computer-based and is held only at Surpass-partnered test centres in the UK. There is no paper-based version. It is set in English, and dictionaries and translation tools are not allowed. Both parts must be sat on the same day, with a scheduled break between them.

Part 2 sections

• Section 1: 90 single best answer questions, each with five options.

• Section 2: 15 sets of extended matching questions. Each set has two questions that share the same eight options.

Question order is randomised. In Part 2 the order is randomised within each section, and the two questions of an extended matching set appear together.

A calculator is allowed in both parts. You can use the on-screen calculator or bring one of the models approved by the GPhC. Some questions come with reference material shown in a PDF viewer beside the question. You may do rough working on pen and paper supplied by the test centre. The assessment does not involve essays or long written answers.

Marking and results

One mark is given for each correct answer, and nothing is deducted for wrong answers or blanks. Each part has its own pass mark. To pass, you must reach or exceed the pass mark in both Part 1 and Part 2 in the same sitting. Marks from an earlier sitting cannot be carried forward.

Results are sent by the GPhC to trainees in Great Britain, and by the Society to trainees in Northern Ireland. A result shows the pass mark for each part, your mark for each part and the overall pass or fail outcome. Published results are final and individual marks are not re-reviewed. A trainee who fails may appeal, but only on the limited grounds set out in the regulations.

Fees

Assessment application fees are non-refundable once paid, even if you later decide not to sit. If you withdraw from a sitting, that sitting does not count as one of your attempts. If a sitting is nullified, a new fee applies for a later sitting and the original fee is not refunded.

How to apply

Sitting dates are on the GPhC and Society websites. Each sitting has its own application deadline, and a late or incomplete application means you cannot sit.

You must send a valid, complete application with all required documents by the specified date and in the specified way. In Great Britain the application goes to the GPhC, and in Northern Ireland to the Society. After your application is confirmed, you book a test centre place by following the booking process you are given. Keep your email, postal address and phone number up to date, because test centre seats can be allocated by proximity to your address.

Reasonable adjustments for specific needs can be requested, but the request must be made in advance, in the required format and by the stated date.

After the exam

You can sit the assessment a maximum of three times within the time limit for applying for registration as a pharmacist, so three attempts are not guaranteed. Every valid earlier sitting counts, whatever the delivery method. Withdrawing, a granted nullification or an upheld appeal does not extend the registration time limit. Once that limit expires, no further attempts are allowed.

Preparation tips

• Practise calculations without relying on multiple-choice options, since Part 1 needs an exact numerical answer with the correct units.

• Use the on-screen calculator in practice, or choose one of the approved models early so it feels familiar on the day.

• Learn to work with the reference material shown alongside questions.

• Check the permitted items list before the day. Only approved items may be at your workstation.

• Do not sit if you know something will affect your performance. Withdrawing before Part 1 does not use up an attempt.