GPhC registration assessment, bit by bit.
The GPhC assessment is now the Common Registration Assessment, and it is the only exam on this page that fences calculations into a paper of their own. That structure is a gift to anyone who plans around it, because it tells you exactly where your maths has to be perfect and where it has to be fast.
GPhC at a glance
Common Registration Assessment, set by the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC). Trainee pharmacists in Great Britain completing the foundation training year.
| Part 1 | 40 calculation questions in 2 hours, calculator permitted |
|---|---|
| Part 2 | 120 questions in 2 hours 30 minutes, no calculator |
| Part 2 shape | 90 single best answer items plus 15 extended matching sets of two |
| Passing | Both parts must be passed in the same sitting; marks do not compensate |
Where pharmacology actually sits in the GPhC
The no-compensation rule is the fact that should shape your revision. A candidate who is strong clinically and weak at arithmetic does not scrape through on the strength of Part 2, because a fail in Part 1 is a fail overall regardless of how well the other paper went. Treat calculations as a pass-or-fail gate you clear early, then spend the remaining months on the clinical paper where the marks actually vary.
What the GPhC publishes about its blueprint
The GPhC publishes a registration assessment framework for each year of sittings rather than fixed percentage weightings per therapeutic area. Work from the current framework document for the year you are sitting, not from a previous cohort’s notes.
Part 1 is a gate, so clear it first
Forty questions in two hours sounds generous, and it is, provided the method is automatic. The danger in Part 1 is not difficulty but hesitation: a calculator will do the arithmetic, yet it will not tell you whether to divide by weight or by body surface area, nor catch a milligram written where a microgram was meant. Drill the decision, not the sum. Once you can name the right formula in a couple of seconds for any question type, Part 1 stops being a threat and becomes the paper you bank.
Part 2 forbids the calculator for a reason
The second paper still contains arithmetic, but it is arithmetic you are expected to do in your head because a pharmacist at a counter has no other option. That changes what you practise. Learn the round numbers: common strengths, standard dose ranges, what a tenfold error looks like. The point of mental arithmetic here is not speed, it is the reflex that says a number is wrong before you have worked out what the right one is.
Extended matching rewards class thinking
Fifteen sets of extended matching questions sit in Part 2, each set offering eight options against two questions. Extended matching punishes rote association and rewards knowing where a class boundary falls, because the distractors are usually drugs from the same family as the answer. If you know only that a drug treats a condition you will be stuck between four plausible options; if you know what separates the members of that class, the set collapses to one.
A study plan shaped by the blueprint
Timings below assume you are revising alongside other commitments rather than full time. Shorten it if you have a clear run at the exam, but keep the order: the slowest skills to build belong at the front, where there is still time for them to settle.
| Months 1-2 | Calculations to automatic. Method recognition first, arithmetic second. |
|---|---|
| Month 3 | Mental arithmetic without the calculator, for Part 2 conditions. |
| Months 4-5 | Clinical pharmacology by therapeutic area, extended-matching style. |
| Month 6 | Timed papers under real conditions, both parts in one day. |
Calculations you should be able to do cold
These are the calculation types that turn up most often in GPhC questions. Each one opens a free calculator with the formula, a worked example and the mistake that costs most people the mark.
- Dilution calculator (C1V1 = C2V2) — Dilution
- Alligation calculator — Alligation
- Ratio strength and percentage converter — Ratio strength
- mg/kg dose calculator — Weight-based dose
The full set lives in the pharmacy calculators hub, and every one of them is free with no sign-up.
Read next
Common questions about the GPhC
What is the Common Registration Assessment?
It is the name now used for the GPhC registration assessment taken by trainee pharmacists in Great Britain. It runs in two parts: a calculations paper and a longer paper on the safe and effective pharmacy care of the public.
Can I use a calculator in the GPhC assessment?
A calculator is permitted in Part 1, the calculations paper. It is not permitted in Part 2, so any arithmetic in the clinical paper has to be done mentally or on paper.
Do the two parts compensate for each other?
No. Trainees must meet the pass mark or better in both Part 1 and Part 2 in the same sitting, and a strong result in one paper does not offset a fail in the other.
How many questions are in the GPhC assessment?
Part 1 has 40 calculation questions over two hours. Part 2 has 120 questions over two and a half hours, made up of 90 single best answer items and 15 extended matching sets of two questions each.
Check the official source
Examination formats, eligibility rules and sitting dates change, and this page is a study-planning summary rather than a registration guide. The figures above were taken from material published by the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), and you should confirm the current requirements there before you commit to a plan or pay a fee. Our study guide for United Kingdom covers what the rest of the pathway looks like.
Preparing for a different exam?
One page per exam, because the papers genuinely differ. Our side-by-side comparison sets out how they diverge on format, calculations and clinical weighting.
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