GPhC appoints new supplier for common registration assessment sittings

The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) has today confirmed that it will be working with a new provider, BTL Group Ltd, to run the common registration assessment sittings it holds jointly with the Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland (PSNI).

BTL provide the award-winning computer-based testing platform, Surpass, as well as test centres across the UK and internationally. They have extensive experience of delivering services to a range of clients, including the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health and the Royal College of Ophthalmology.

Candidates will sit the common registration assessment online in a network of test centres across Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

The GPhC and PSNI will run two sittings in 2022, as was the case before the pandemic. The next sitting will be in June 2022.

More information for GPhC candidates on assessment dates, the location of test centres and booking procedures will be available here on the GPhC website in the coming weeks. Trainees will be contacted when this is available.

GPhC Chief Executive, Duncan Rudkin said:

“I’m pleased to confirm that we have appointed BTL as the supplier for the common registration assessment for the next 3 years after a thorough tender process. BTL has extensive experience of running high stakes healthcare examinations similar to the common registration assessment. 

“The information provided by BTL during the tender process has given us the necessary assurance that they can support us in continuing to deliver a fair and robust assessment that tests candidates’ ability to register as a pharmacist. We will now work closely with BTL on arrangements for the sittings in 2022, to make sure we can provide a positive experience for candidates.

“This follows our earlier time-limited contract with Pearson Vue with whom we successfully delivered our first online assessments during 2021.”

Pharmaceutical Society NI Chief Executive and Interim Registrar, Trevor Patterson said:

“We are looking forward to continuing our partnership with the GPhC and building on the success of the November registration assessment by jointly delivering a UK wide common registration assessment for trainee pharmacists with the new provider BTL.”

BTL Managing Director, Sonya Whitworth, said:

"We are delighted to work with the GPhC and PSNI to deliver their registration assessment through our secure Test Centre Network. Prestigious medical testing organisations all over the world trust the innovative item and test development functionality in Surpass, and we look forward to sharing our experience and that of the Surpass Community with the experts at the GPhC.”

More information for GPhC candidates will be available on the GPhC website in early 2022, and all eligible candidates will be contacted in due course. 

For Pharmaceutical Society NI candidates, Further information will be available on the PSNI website in early 2022. NI candidates will be contacted directly by Pharmaceutical Society NI. 

About BTL

Established in 1985, BTL Group Ltd. has grown into a renowned global provider of assessment technology and services trusted by some of the world’s highest profile providers of high-stakes summative assessments. Since 2007, BTL’s core focus has been the development of its award-winning assessment platform, Surpass. Surpass has been used internationally to create, deliver and mark over 30 million computer-based tests to date. BTL’s success has been due to its innovative approach to technological development, its passion for significantly improving assessment for everyone, its creative core, and its refreshing approach to collaboration with partners and Surpass Community members.