If you have passed the assessment 

Congratulations to those who passed the assessment. If you will be joining the register for the first time, take a look at our registering as a pharmacist page. This contains information about registration and looking for work. Click here to find out more.

We have plenty of available resources to help you to find your first job. For help with finding advertised jobs online look at our job vacancy sites page  Thinking about starting out as a locum? You can find out more about working as a locum at our locum webpage.

Find out more about being a newly qualified pharmacist

GPhC information

On the GPhC registration sitting webpage you can find the following guidance:

The results and registration section will be updated prior to the November sit. It contains information about registering, guidance for unsuccessful candidates and the appeals form. If you want to learn more about how the GPhC creates and marks exam papers, see their assuring the registration assessment page.

Registration as a pharmacist

Important: You cannot practise as a pharmacist until you have received your GPhC registration number and your name appears on the online register. Your first-year fee payment receipt is not proof of your registration.

If you have failed the assessment 

If you are unsuccessful at a registration assessment sitting, the GPhC will send you guidance with your results. This explains the appeals system, and tells you more about preparing to sit the assessment again. Read the guidance first but if you still have questions you should get in touch with the GPhC contact centre on 020 8713 8000.

It is only natural to feel disappointed if you have failed the exam. Feelings of anger, despair and disappointment are common; however, it is important to try to keep your perspective. You might find it useful to talk to a Listening Friend. Alternatively, you can find out more about using CBT to help you cope by clicking here.

Some trainees might face financial difficulties after failing the assessment. If you are struggling, you may be able to apply for financial assistance from us. We may also be able to help by referring you to a specialist Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) adviser for debt and benefits advice. If you would like to be referred contact us at info@pharmacistsupport.org 

Additional Support

Counselling (for psychological and emotional support)

Trainee pharmacists earning under £37,000 will be able to access eight counselling sessions fully funded by the charity.  If additional sessions are needed following this, individuals will be given the option to self-fund

The counsellors are there to help you deal with a variety of issues. By seeking constructive help, you may identify ways of addressing the root causes of your concerns in order to help you to cope. 

Find out more about our counselling and how to apply

Online support from Pharmacist Support

On our website, we have a practical area dedicated to you and your wellbeing needs. You can find a range of free resources, including:

• Wellbeing self-study learning modules
• Downloadable and printable resources to use with your team
• Tips and advice from your pharmacist family across the country
• Info about other useful tools and apps

Access online support now

Appeals

Trainees who have failed the assessment can no longer request a re-mark. You can submit an appeal if you believe that you have sufficient grounds to do so. 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,
• or on the grounds that the correct procedure has not been applied/followed.

Appeals based on medical grounds

If you have found out that you had a medical condition at the time of the exam that you did not know about on the day you sat the exam you might be able to submit an appeal. You will need to provide supporting documents from health care professionals to substantiate a claim for an appeal on medical grounds.

Appeals based on procedural issues

If something went wrong on the day, for example, you had IT difficulties or were late starting the exam owing to issues at an exam venue, you can put in an appeal on the grounds of procedural issues.

For further information, see the GPhC foundation manual.

The deadline for submitting an appeal is 2 January 2024. Appeals must be submitted to regexam@pharmacyregulation.org 

For full details about appeals, see the GPhC guidance.

Help with appeals

PDA membership is FREE to students, trainee pharmacists and for the first three months of being newly qualified and they can help with submitting an appeal to the GPhC. Further details can be found on the PDA website.

You could also take a look at the PDA advice and guidance about appeals.

Trainees who have failed three times

If you have failed your registration assessment three times, rest assured that there are a number of alternative career options available to you.

Remember that you do have a good science degree as well as your own skills, knowledge and experience and many graduate vacancies do not specify particular degree disciplines. Pharmacist Support’s  careers information provides options for pharmacy graduates  and has information on getting careers advice and career options. This includes alternative career suggestions such as teaching, further research and medical/scientific proof-reading.

You can also still submit an appeal. See above under appeals for further information.

Registering for another assessment

You can find future assessment dates and entry deadlines on the GPhC key dates page. There are no extra requirements needed to sit the registration assessment again. You might find it useful to reflect on whether you were ready to sit the assessment. Equally, you might want to consider whether there were any other factors that might affect your performance during exams.

Consider developing a SMART action plan to help you identify what you need to do to be ready to sit the assessment again, and to manage any factors that may affect your performance. For more information about setting SMART objects, see the GPhC foundation manual. 

The actions you need to take, and the resources you will need to help you will depend on the issues and objectives you identify.

If you are taking your third attempt at the assessment, you will no longer need to undertake a further six-month placement. The GPhC has now removed this requirement from the regulations, so if you are sitting for a third time in 2024 you will not be required to complete an additional placement.

Requesting adjustments 

Adjustment type 

The application form you will need to complete and the evidence you need to provide will depend on the type of condition you have: 

• complete application A if you have a specific learning need, including dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia, and dyspraxia. You will need to include a report of a diagnostic assessment as part of your application. 
• complete application B if you have any other type of condition or need. You will need to ask a healthcare professional to complete part of the form too. 

If you have more than one condition or need, or you have conditions that fall into both A and B you may need to put in more than one form. If you are putting in more than one request, it is best to submit all the applications at once so that the GPhC can assess all your needs for the exam.  

Requesting adjustments for a resit

If you have failed your first or second attempt at the assessment and are planning to register to sit the Autumn 2023 assessment and you need adjustments, such as extra time, you may have to put in a fresh application to the GPhC. If you applied for an adjustment for the June 2023 exam you will have been granted one of the following adjustment types:

• An adjustment for one sit only – this is for people who have a temporary impairment that they are likely to make a full recovery from, for example, a broken bone
• An adjustment that can be used for all attempts at the exam in 2023 – this is for people who have an ongoing medical condition that is unlikely to improve
• An adjustment that can be used for all attempts at the exam regardless of when the exam is sat – this is also for people who have an ongoing medical condition that is unlikely to improve

If you did not submit a request for an adjustment for the November 2023 exam, you will need to submit a request for an adjustment if you plan to take the June Assessment. If you did apply for an adjustment for the November exam and only received an adjustment for one sit, you will need to submit a new request. The deadline for requesting adjustments is 28 February 2024.

For further information about sitting the assessment see the GPhC website.

Dates for the Summer Assessment sitting 2024

The date for the next assessment is 25 June 2024.

The webpage was last reviewed and updated in November 2023.