How to pass the GPhC exam

You cannot prepare well for an exam you do not understand. The GPhC registration assessment is a computer-based exam sat in two papers, usually on the same day:

• •Part 1 — Calculations. Forty pharmacy calculation questions where you type in a numeric answer. There are no answer options to fall back on, so accuracy is everything.
• •Part 2 — Clinical. Around 120 questions in two formats: single best answer (choose one of several options) and extended matching questions (pick the best option from a longer list that serves several questions).

You have to pass both parts, and the pass standard is set for each sitting rather than being a fixed number, though it has typically sat around 70 percent. Every question maps to the GPhC framework, so nothing is examined that is not somewhere in that document. Reading the framework early tells you what is fair game and stops you wasting time on things that are not.

Most trainees revise across 3 to 4 months alongside their foundation year, then step it up in the final 6 to 8 weeks. Total hours matter less than consistency: an hour of questions most days beats an eight-hour cram once a week, because spacing your practice is what makes it stick.

A plan that works for a lot of people looks like this:

• •Months 1 to 2 — build foundations. Work topic by topic through clinical areas and calculation types. Get comfortable finding things in the BNF and MEP. Do questions in each area as you cover it, not at the end.
• •Month 3 — build stamina. Do mixed question sets rather than single topics, so you practise switching between areas the way the real paper forces you to. Start doing calculations daily.
• •Final 6 to 8 weeks — simulate the exam. Sit full, timed mock papers under exam conditions. Review every mock in detail. Fix the weak areas the mocks expose.

Calculations are, for most people, the part that decides the result, and they are also the most learnable part of the whole exam. A calculation question has one correct method and one correct answer, so once the method is automatic, you can secure those marks reliably in a way you never quite can with judgement-based clinical questions.

The exam-critical calculation types are well defined. Make sure you can do all of these without hesitation:

• •Unit conversions and dose-per-weight calculations
• •Concentrations, dilutions and percentage strengths
• •Infusion rates (mL per hour, drops per minute, dose per kg per minute)
• •Moles, millimoles and parts-per calculations
• •Displacement values, and calculations for children by weight and body surface area

Drill them until they feel boring. The aim is not to be able to do a calculation slowly with effort, but to do it quickly, correctly and under pressure, which only comes from repetition.

Part 2 tests whether you can apply knowledge safely, not whether you can recite facts. The questions are built around realistic scenarios: a patient, a prescription, a set of results, and you have to decide the safest and most appropriate action. Pure memorisation is not enough, because the exam is testing your judgement.

The highest-yield clinical areas to be strong in are:

• •High-risk medicines — warfarin, DOACs, insulin, methotrexate, lithium, opioids and the monitoring they need.
• •Interactions, cautions and contraindications — the ones that change what you would safely supply.
• •Responding to symptoms — over-the-counter treatment and, crucially, the red flags that mean refer.
• •Law and ethics (MEP) — legal classes, controlled drugs, emergency supply and professional standards.

You are not expected to hold the entire BNF in your head. You are expected to know your way around it well enough to find the right answer quickly under time pressure. In the exam, being able to locate a fact fast is worth more than half-remembering it.

Practise with the same references you will have on the day. Learn where the interactions appendix lives, how the treatment summaries are laid out, where renal and hepatic advice sits, and how the MEP is structured. Every second you save looking something up is a second you can spend thinking.

A surprising number of marks are lost not to gaps in knowledge but to how questions are read and answered. Tighten your technique and you recover marks you already deserve:

• •Read the actual question. Note whether it asks for the most appropriate, the least appropriate, the first action or the single best option. The wrong verb changes the whole answer.
• •Eliminate first. In single best answer questions, ruling out clearly wrong options often leaves a straight choice between two, which is far easier to call.
• •For EMQs, read the option list once, then the questions. Match the best fit for each stem; the best answer for one stem is not always the most obvious one.
• •Never leave a blank. There is no negative marking, so an educated guess can only help. Flag it, move on, and come back if you have time.

By the day itself the knowledge is either there or it is not, so your job is to convert what you know into marks without tripping over timing or nerves.

• •Watch the clock. Know roughly how long you can spend per question and keep to it. Do not sink ten minutes into one calculation while ten easier marks wait at the end.
• •Do the easy marks first. Answer everything you find straightforward on a first pass, flag the rest, and come back. Banking secure marks early settles the nerves.
• •In calculations, write out your working. A clear method makes slips easier to catch, and lets you re-check quickly at the end.
• •Look after the basics. Sleep the night before, know your route to the test centre, and arrive early. Being calm and rested is worth real marks.

The reasons people do not pass are remarkably consistent, which is good news, because it means they are avoidable:

• ✗Under-practising calculations. Treat Part 1 as a daily habit, not a topic you visit once.
• ✗Revising passively. Re-reading notes feels productive but changes little. Doing questions and reviewing your mistakes is what moves the needle.
• ✗Never practising under time pressure. If your first timed paper is the real one, timing alone can sink you. Sit full mocks first.
• ✗Ignoring weak areas. It is tempting to keep doing topics you are good at. Deliberately spend your time where you are weakest.