The GPhC has announced that the postponed 2020 assessment will take place in two separate sittings. The first exam will be on the 17th March 2021 and the second will be on the 18th March 2021. All eligible candidates should have received an e-mail from the GPhC confirming these dates.

Exam venues

The online exams will all take place in Pearson VUE venues. These venues are Covid-secure, and safe social distancing has been made possible by holding two separate sittings. Each sitting will have different exam papers.

Applying to sit the assessment

Candidates will need to apply using their myGPhC account. All candidates will receive an e-mail from the GPhC confirming their eligibility to register. Registration will open in January 2021.

Requesting a reasonable adjustment

Candidates who have previously submitted a request for a reasonable adjustment will need to do so again. The form for requesting a reasonable adjustment will be available online in the next few weeks. Candidates who cannot attend a Pearson VUE venue for health reasons should submit a reasonable adjustment request. The GPhC will then contact these candidates individually to see if a safe alternative can be arranged.

Fit to sit

Candidates who are not fit to sit should not take the exam. This could be owing to personal reasons, unexpected ill-health, or simply feeling unprepared to tackle the exam. Whilst the GPhC would like all provisionally registered pharmacists to take the exam at the earliest opportunity, their advice is that only candidates who are fit to sit should take the exam. The next exam will go ahead in the summer as usual, so candidates will have further opportunities to sit the exam.

What happens next

The GPhC is planning to open a new assessment web page to deal with frequently asked questions. Candidates will get an e-mail informing them when the new web page goes live. The GPhC will also be hosting a webinar to ensure that everybody can raise any questions they have.

Candidates should note that whilst the way they sit the assessment will be different, the types of questions used, and the standard required to pass are not changing.

For further information, see the GPhC announcement.

For tips and guidance on revising and preparing for the exam, take a look here.