Pre-registration Manual

Registration assessment preparation

5.4  Preparing for the registration assessment

After each assessment sitting, the board of assessors - who are responsible for setting and assuring the registration assessment - produce feedback about the topics that candidates found difficult. Use the latest feedback documents below to help you prepare for your attempt:

The registration assessment framework  [PDF 209.46 KB] sets out the outcomes that will be tested and gives an idea of some of the topics this may cover.

Sometimes there are changes in practice close to the assessment day. You should answer any questions in the assessment as you would in practice on that day. If there has been a change in practice that affects a question after it has been written, this will be considered by the Board of Assessors after the sitting.

Make sure that if you attend any study days, or use any study materials, that they are up to date.

5.5  Requesting a reasonable adjustment for the registration assessment

If you have a specific need which you feel could disadvantage you when sitting the registration assessment, you can request a ‘reasonable adjustment’ to the assessment conditions. The specific need can be a temporary or permanent one.

You can find out more about requesting an adjustment on the registration assessment application page of the main website.

When you request an adjustment, you must tell us:

  • the nature of your specific need
  • how this specific need would affect your ability to sit the assessment
  • what reasonable adjustment you are requesting and how it will support you during the assessment

You also need to include evidence to support your request. This evidence must be from a doctor or another appropriately qualified person, and must give details of how your specific need would affect you during the assessment. The person providing supporting evidence will need to have read and understood the assessment specification.

It is important that the evidence relates directly to the reasonable adjustment you are requesting.

Your request will be considered by the GPhC’s adjustment panel. This is an independent panel made up of an educational disability specialist and two members of the GPhC board of assessors (which sets and moderates the registration assessment).

If your request for an adjustment is not granted you have the right to appeal the decision. You must do this by the deadline given for the sitting. 

5.6  Making a decision to sit the registration assessment

Am I ‘fit to sit’?

It is very important that you only sit the registration assessment if you are fit to do so. Being ‘fit to sit’ means that you do not know of any reason why your performance would be adversely affected on the day of the assessment.

If you are aware of anything that might affect your performance on the day, you should not sit the assessment – even if it is a difficult decision to make.

You are eligible to withdraw from a sitting at any time up until the assessment begins. Once you have decided to withdraw, you will not be able to attempt the assessment. The final point at which you are able to withdraw from the sitting will be made clear to you. By continuing with the sitting after this point, you have declared yourself 'fit to sit'. This means that we will not consider as grounds for an appeal any reason that was known to you before your decision to sit the assessment.

You can find more information about deciding if you are fit to sit in the registration assessment application section of the main website.

5.7 Nullification requests

If you start the assessment and then have problems during the sitting which significantly affect your performance, you can request that your attempt is ‘nullified’ under the registration assessment regulations that apply to the sitting. You must let an invigilator know as soon as possible if you have problems during the sitting. They will fill in a report form to verify your problem. It is very important that you do not wait until receiving a 'fail' notification before contacting us to tell us anything that has affected your performance.

If your attempt is nullified, it will not count towards the three attempts you can have to pass the assessment, and you will not find out your result.

The decision to grant the nullification will be made by the board of assessors based on your request, and is not guaranteed to be accepted. They will not know what your marks were.

You cannot request a nullification after you have received your results.

If you decide to sit the assessment again, you must apply as normal and you will need to pay another entry fee.

You can find more information about nullification requests in the registration assessment section of the main website.