Just under one in eight candidates who sat June’s registration exam passed, the General Pharmaceutical Committee (GPhC) has announced.

Of 2,942 pre-registration students who sat the exam last month, 79% (2,318) achieved a pass mark, the regulator said today (27 July).

This pass rate is marginally higher than last year’s June registration assessment, which saw a 78% success rate.

 

Congratulations to successful candidates

 

GPhC chief executive Duncan Rudkin said: ‘I want to congratulate the trainees who passed this year’s registration assessment and wish them well for their future careers.  I also want to acknowledge the hard work of tutors and education and training providers in helping trainees prepare for this important step.

‘The registration assessment allows us to test that pre-registration trainee pharmacists can demonstrate that they understand how to apply their knowledge appropriately and make professional judgements in pharmacy practice. By only registering those who pass this challenging assessment, we can provide assurance to patients and the public that the pharmacists on our register can practise safely and effectively.’

 

Controversy

 

June 2018’s registration exam came under fire from some students, who told the British Pharmaceutical Students’ Association (BPSA) that paper two of the assessment was ‘not a true nor accurate reflection of real life practice of the day-to day practice of a newly pharmacist’.

In response, the GPhC said: ‘We have recently met with the BPSA to discuss their feedback and we will be producing a report for the September 2018 council meeting setting out our responses to the concerns raised.’