The results of the common registration assessment for pharmacists, held jointly by the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) and Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland (PSNI), have been published.
GPhC Director of Education and Standards, Mark Voce, said:
“Congratulations to all those candidates who passed this year’s registration assessment. We look forward to them joining our register and wish them well for the future.
“The assessment is one of the main ways we test that trainees can demonstrate they understand how to apply knowledge and are able to make professional judgements in pharmacy practice. This is fundamental in assuring patients and the public that they are in safe hands.
“Unfortunately, there will be candidates who did not pass the assessment, and we understand this can be a difficult time for them. There is information on our website outlining all the options that may be available, including the independent charity, Pharmacist Support, who can provide help with mental health and wellbeing.”
Further information and statistics
Table 1: June 2023 summary statistics
| Candidates | Number | % of Total |
| Total number of candidates | 2,805 | 100 |
| Overall pass | 2,150 | 77 |
| Overall fail | 655 | 23 |
Table 2: Breakdown of statistics - GPhC candidates (2,681 total)
| Candidates | Number | % of Total |
| Number of first time sitters | 2,353 | 88 |
| Number of second time sitters | 229 | 9 |
| Number of third time sitters | 99 | 4 |
| First time sitters - pass | 1,863 | 79 |
| Second time sitters - pass | 114 | 50 |
| Third time sitters - pass | 58 | 59 |
Table 3: Registration assessment results for previous years (summer sittings)
| Registration year | Total sitting | Total passing | Pass rate % |
| 2022 | 2,697 | 2,147 | 80 |
| 2021 | 2,907 | 2,371 | 82 |
| 2020 | 2,942 | 2,128 | 72 |
| 2019 | 2,942 | 2,318 | 79 |
| 2018 | 2,823 | 2,208 | 78 |
Notes to Editors
• Information on how papers are created and marked can be found on the Assuring the registration assessment page of the GPhC website.
• For successful candidates there is information on registration in the registration section on our website
• For unsuccessful candidates there is information on next steps as well as help and support in the Results and registration section of our assessment webpage