Your options if things went wrong during your assessment day
Information for candidates at the Nottingham venue
The GPhC has already announced that candidates at the Nottingham venue will have grounds to appeal if they fail. They will be contacting all of the Nottingham candidates individually to offer further advice.
Information for candidates at other venues
We realise that other candidates may have also experienced issues at their exam venues. There are a number of options open to you if things went wrong during your sit. You could consider all of the following:
- Withdrawal from the exam
- Annulling the exam
- Waiting for your result and appealing if you fail
- Joining the GPhC provisional register
When to withdraw
You can withdraw from the exam if things went wrong for you on the day and you decided not to sit the exam. This option is only available to you if you left the exam venue before the cut off point announced by the invigilator and is shown on your computer screen. The deadline for applying to withdraw from the June sit is Wednesday 6th July at 5:00 pm. If you withdraw from the exam it will not count as one of your three attempts at the exam. You must complete the GPhC form for withdrawal otherwise the June sit will count as one of your three attempts at the sit.
Access the GPhC withdrawal form
When to annul
If you remained at the venue after the cut off point but had issues on the day that impacted your exam performance you might want to consider requesting an annulment. You must provide supporting evidence as part of your request. If you reported your concerns to an invigilator on the day you should have a record of this, for example, the invigilator would provide you with a report code that you can use as evidence that your concerns were documented.
If your attempt is nullified, it will not count towards your three attempts at the exam, and you will not be informed of the marks you obtained. The deadline for submitting an annulment request has now been extended to 09:00 am on Monday 11 July 2022.
Access the GPhC annulment form
When to appeal
If you are going to appeal you will have to wait until you receive your results and know whether you have passed or failed. If you have failed and you feel that your performance was impacted by things that went wrong on the day you may have grounds for appeal.
The GPhC stresses that an appeal can only be made on the basis of:
- new information/circumstances coming to light that you could not have been aware of on the day, for example, you discover that you are suffering from a medical condition that you did not know about at the time of your exam sit.
- the grounds that the correct procedure has not been applied/followed, for example a late start to your exam, or you were denied adjustments that had already been granted.
Members of the PDA can contact the organisation for advice on submitting an appeal to the GPhC. Further details can be found on the PDA website.
Joining the provisional register
The GPhC has just announced that it will be reopening the provisional register. This will mean that candidates who experienced significant delays during the June sit will be able join the register as a provisionally registered pharmacist. The provisional register will be open from 1 August 2022-1 February 2023. This will allow candidates time to sit the November exam and join the register as a fully qualified pharmacist.
The same criteria and guidance would apply as was in place previously for provisionally-registered pharmacists employed between July 2020 and January 2022. This includes employers carrying out risk assessments and providing senior pharmacist guidance and support during the period.
Unsure about which option to pick?
We would recommend that candidates who are unsure about which option is best suited for their exam experience contact the GPhC as a matter of urgency. They will be able to talk you through your options and offer guidance as to what you should do next. You can contact the GPhC directly on 020 3713 8000.
Keep up to date with GPhC announcements
The GPhC are actively considering a number of options to help support candidates who experienced problems on the day. You should keep an eye on the GPhC main website and also check your MyGPhC e-mail account for updates.
Has the assessment experience left you stressed?
If you have been negatively impacted by the assessment, help is at hand. For some trainees, it can be much easier to speak to somebody outside of friends, family and peers about issues such as assessment-related anxiety, stress and depression.
Listening Friends at Pharmacist Support
Our Listening Friends peer support service provides pharmacists, trainees, and students the opportunity to talk anonymously and in confidence to a volunteer pharmacist. This may be about any stresses they may be facing in the workplace or in their studies.
More Listening Friends information
Counselling through Pharmacist Support
For individuals struggling with anxiety, depression, or other mental health difficulties, at Pharmacist Support we offer pharmacists and their families, trainees, and students up to twelve sessions of funded counselling. The service is run by an independent partner with trained counsellors.
More Counselling information
Other talking therapy
The term ‘talking therapy’ covers all the psychological therapies that involve a person talking to a counsellor or therapist about their problems. It is a safe space to talk, cry, shout or just think. There are many types of talking therapies and counsellors/therapists available, some of these may be paid for services and some can be free or ran by volunteers. It can be worth doing some research to find the method and therapist that really suits you.
Find out more about talking therapy on the NHS website
Immediate support
Our charity office opening times are Monday – Friday, 9am – 5pm. If you need support outside of these times, or you require urgent mental health assistance, we recommend you contact the Samaritans, your GP or visit your local A&E department.
