It is not long until many of us pre-registration students become newly qualified pharmacists. That prospect is exciting. However, there is just one last obstacle to overcome – passing the registration exam.

Passing the exam [in June] means a lot to us. It is a monumental milestone in our pharmacy careers and shows that all those years we have invested in completing the MPharm and pre-reg year have finally paid off. 

Preparing for it can be notoriously stressful. To add to this stress, the exam’s format has changed this year, and has left us feeling apprehensive. So, how have I overcome the exam jitters? I kick-started my preparation by attending many mock exams, including those held by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS), training provider ProPharmace and the British Pharmaceutical Students’ Association (BPSA). I may not have felt ready to take these exams, but taking the plunge has given my studying direction. It’s good practice – getting you used to the new style of questions and to time-keeping.

My tutor is supportive and allows me to do some learning when it’s quiet. But that’s not always guaranteed in a busy pharmacy. Most evenings, I set aside an hour or half to either revise over-the-counter queries that I have come across that day, read the British National Formulary (BNF) or practise some calculations. On the weekends, I spend longer. Some evenings, we pre-regs are just too exhausted to hit the books, and that’s OK. Personally, I might have an early night, lie in bed and browse the BNF app, or do Centre for Pharmacy Postgraduate Education (CPPE) quizzes on my phone. Every little helps. 

The main point is that it’s important to start preparing in advance and practise as many questions as you can. This, for me, is the key to consolidating and remembering facts. It also helps to apply what I learn in practice, for example, by counselling a new medicine service (NMS) patient on a drug or condition I revised earlier.

However, preparing for the exam has not been easy. There is a vast amount of complex stuff to learn. I tackle this by creating revision flashcards for common drugs. This helps to summarise and break down the information overload I experience when reading the BNF. I find learning bitesize key facts is more retainable and far less overwhelming. I’m also trying to meet the objectives in the General Pharmaceutical Council’s (GPhC) framework for the exam, rather than learning straight off the BNF or any other resource.

I have had to train my mind to ignore the negative or panicky thoughts about how behind I feel or whether I can learn so much in time for the exam – otherwise, it becomes all-consuming. Admittedly, it is not an easy thing to do, but being optimistic is often a self-fulfilling prophecy. All I can do is try, and this thought has allowed me to plough through revision.

As graduates, we do not have the luxury of having two or three months of exam leave, as we did at university. So I advise other pre-reg trainees to pace yourselves and start now. It is not too late. It is impossible to learn everything, so focus on the main topics. Be ambitious, positive and, most importantly, believe in yourselves. You – and I – can do this! 

Shamimah Rahman is a pre-registration student in the south of England

Listen to C+D's pre-reg podcast to hear more ways to prepare for the exam

N.B. This podcast is funded by Actavis. The views and opinions expressed do not necessarily represent those of Actavis. Actavis has has no involvement in any of its content.

How are you preparing for the registration exam?

We want to hear your views, but please express them in the spirit of a constructive, professional debate. For more information about what this means, please click here to see our community principles and information