GPhC Exam Day: What to Bring, What to Expect and How to Pace Both Parts

The week before

The last week is for logistics and light revision. Do one thing for each of three areas.

• Route. Check your allocated centre in your myGPhC account. Plan the travel time. If the centre is far away, consider staying nearby the night before.
• Items. Lay out your photo ID, an approved calculator with fresh batteries if it needs them, and any permitted items you want.
• Revision. Read your error log, the high-risk drug list and your unit conversions. Do not start a new topic.

If you have any health or access need on the day, check what you arranged as a reasonable adjustment. Adjustments are decided before the application deadline, not on the day.

What you may take to your desk

The 2026 specification lists the permitted items. They include approved photo ID, an approved calculator or calculators, a single highlighter pen, a ruler, glasses (not smart glasses), water in a clear bottle, cough sweets, medication, unpackaged tissues, a plain cushion and eye drops or ointment. Rough-working pen and paper are issued and must be returned.

Approved calculator models include the Aurora DT210 and HC133, the Casio HS-8VA, MX-8B and MX-8S (and their WE versions), the Casio SL-300SV and the Catiga CD-8185. Anything not on the permitted list should be left out of the room. Confirm the current list on the GPhC site, because lists are reviewed.

The structure of the day

Arrive early. The break length is set in the GPhC arrangements for your sitting, so read them in advance. Avoid going through the paper with other candidates during the break. It rarely helps and it can unsettle you for Part 2.

A routine for Part 1

1. Use the first minute to settle. Check the calculator works and clear its memory.
2. Take each problem in order. Question order is randomised, but you can navigate. Do easier problems first if you prefer, as long as you are careful to return.
3. Write the units on your rough paper. The paper is issued for this, and it is returned.
4. Cap each problem at about four minutes. Flag it and move on if you are stuck.
5. Type the answer exactly as requested. Check the units and decimal places.
6. Use the last 10 minutes for flagged items and for re-doing a few answers with a different method.

The full method is in the calculations paper guide.

A routine for Part 2

Part 2 gives 120 questions in 150 minutes, about 75 seconds each. Section 1 has 90 single best answer questions. Section 2 has 15 sets of two questions that share eight options.

• Read the question line before the scenario. You will then read the stem for the facts that matter.
• Spot the high-risk word. Weekly methotrexate, anticoagulant, insulin units, valproate, a child's weight or a Schedule 2 drug should slow you down on purpose.
• Use resources efficiently. Up to 25% of questions have a resource, such as a label or SPC extract. Go straight to the relevant row.
• Answer every question. There is no negative marking. Flag uncertain ones and return.
• For EMQ sets, read the eight options first. They apply to both questions in the set, and an option can be used once, more than once or not at all.

Pace yourself against checkpoints. Aim to finish the 90 single best answer questions with 40 to 45 minutes left for the 30 matching questions and a review. Adjust the split after a mock.

Pacing Part 2 with checkpoints

At 75 seconds a question, the arithmetic of Part 2 is simple, and a table of checkpoints saves you from watching the clock all the time. Aim to be at or ahead of these points, and use any spare time at the end for flagged items.

Your own rate will differ. Some candidates are quicker at law and recall items and slower at long scenario stems. A timed mock tells you where you are fast and where you are slow, and you can then shift the checkpoints. The aim is a rhythm, not a rigid schedule.

Check-in and the first ten minutes

Expect an identity check against your approved photo ID, instructions about belongings and a briefing on the system. Listen to the briefing even if you have heard it before, because details for your sitting can differ. Once the clock starts, use a few seconds to arrange the rough paper, check the calculator and take three slow breaths. Then work as you practised.

The first questions set your mood. If you meet a difficult one early, flag it and carry on. A hard question in the first five is not a sign about the rest of the paper, and every question is worth the same one mark.

Common mistakes on the day

• Spending six minutes on one calculation and then rushing the last ten problems.
• Misreading units in the stem, for example a dose per day treated as a dose per administration.
• Skipping the rounding instruction at the end of a long problem.
• Over-reading resources and running short of time in Part 2.
• Changing answers without a reason. Change an answer only if you can name the specific fact that changes it.
• Leaving gaps. There is no negative marking, so every question should have an answer before you finish.

Handling nerves

Some anxiety is normal and can sharpen attention. What helps is a routine you have already used in mocks: the same first minute, the same flagging rule, the same checkpoints. Do two full timed mocks in the same conditions you will meet on the day, including the calculator and a break at the right moment. By exam day, the format should feel familiar, and the only unknown should be the questions.

Managing the break and your energy

A 270-minute assessment is long. Eat something you know agrees with you, drink water, and move around during the break. Do not use the break to check calculations from Part 1, because you cannot change them and the worry will cost you in Part 2. Treat Part 2 as a new exam.

Reasonable adjustments on the day

If the GPhC approved reasonable adjustments for you, check the arrangements in your confirmation. They might cover extra time, rest breaks, a separate room or equipment. Bring any documents the confirmation asks for, and speak to the invigilator at check-in so that the arrangements start on time. Adjustments are decided before the application deadline, so if you think you need one now, contact the GPhC at once at regexam@pharmacyregulation.org.

If something goes wrong on the day

• Technical problem. Tell the invigilator immediately, and ask for the problem to be recorded. Raise it with the GPhC afterwards.
• Feeling unwell. Tell the invigilator before you sit if possible. Illness or circumstances known before the sitting are not grounds for an appeal.
• Disturbance. Report it on the day and in writing afterwards.
• Misconduct allegations. There is a short appeal window, given in the regulations as 14 days.

The GPhC contact for the assessment is regexam@pharmacyregulation.org.

The night before

Do a short, calm review: your one-page sheet of conversions and law numbers, and ten minutes on the error log. Pack your bag, charge your phone, set two alarms and eat a normal meal. A late night of cramming costs more than it gains, because Part 1 needs accuracy and Part 2 needs reading stamina. Aim for your usual hours of sleep.

After the paper

Results are sent individually, with the pass mark, your marks for each part and the overall outcome. For November 2024, they arrived about five weeks after the sitting. Nothing you can do changes the marks, so plan something restful. When the result arrives, use pass mark and scoring to read it, and resits and what to do after the exam if you need to rebook.

Return to the GPhC registration assessment hub.