UPDATED: June registration exam pass rate drops to 77%, GPhC and PSNI announce

Some 77% of candidates passed the June 2023 sitting of the registration assessment, held jointly by the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) and the Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland (PSNI), it was revealed this morning (July 28).

This summer’s pass rate is down three percentage points on last June’s assessment, when 80% of candidates passed.

Of the 2,805 trainee pharmacists who sat the assessment this June, 2,150 achieved a pass mark, while 655 candidates (23%) failed.

First-time sitters (1,863 trainees) achieved a 79% pass rate, second-time sitters (229 trainees) achieved a 50% pass rate, and third-time sitters (58 trainees) achieved a 59% pass rate, according to the GPhC.

In comparison, just 56% of 937 candidates passed November's registration exam, marking a five percentage point drop on 2021's November sitting.

It was the lowest November pass rate since PSNI and the GPhC started holding a “common” registration exam in 2021, with candidates from all four UK nations sitting the same assessment for the first time.

The regulator’s director of education and standards Mark Voce congratulated those who passed the assessment, and said that the regulator was looking forward to them “joining our register”.

Mr Voce said that the assessment was a “fundamental” means of assuring patients and the public of the competency of pharmacy professionals. He directed unsuccessful candidates to the independent charity, Pharmacist Support, for “mental health and wellbeing” support.

"Congratulations and welcome!"

Successful candidates took to Twitter to announce their results.

Trainee pharmacist Sadie Scott tweeted that five years of "hard work" had "finally [paid] off".

Meanwhile, trainee pharmacist Alex Winter said he was "over the moon" to have passed the exam.

And Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) English Pharmacy Board vice chair Brendon Jiang extended his congratulations to successful candidates, telling them "you are the future of pharmacy".

C+D reported on July 3 that a petition calling for a review of the June registration assessment, described by some as “highly problematic”, had racked up over 800 signatures at the time.

In June, Mr Voce said that preparations for the exam were “on track”, after the June 2022 registration assessments were marred by “exam chaos”.

The GPhC has provided information for successful candidates regarding how to register with the regulator, and for those who failed their assessment, the GPhC has shared resources for the next steps and support that unsuccessful trainees can access.

And Zhyar Said, owner of a trainee pharmacist educational platform on Instagram called @Revise_Pharma, has provided C+D with some top tips on what candidates should do now they have received their results.

Want to hear what the foundation year is really like? Listen to C+D clinical and content custom editor Nana Ofori-Atta's candid chat with Marvin Munzu of Pre Reg Shortcuts in this podcast, where they share trainees' experiences of what the foundation training year is really like.