Trainee pharmacists who were able to secure a place today (May 19) – when the booking portal first opened – were told their reservation will “remain in place”, the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) wrote in an email to candidates seen by C+D.

The regulator added that there are still 3,500 seats available across the UK.

The number of available spots is “significantly” higher than that of candidates who still need to book, “and therefore you should not have any issues booking a test space”, the GPhC added.

Issues explained

In another email to candidates, the GPhC explained that the issues affecting the system of its new exam provider – BTL Group – meant that the portal “was not displaying most of the places that are available, and most candidates were not able to successfully book”.

Earlier today, the regulator had to temporarily take down its booking portal while it addressed the issues experienced by several trainees trying to secure a spot for the June sitting.

While the booking platform has reopened this afternoon, candidates “will not be able to book until tomorrow”, the regulator stressed.

“We’re sorry for the stress and disruption this has caused,” the GPhC added in its emails to trainee pharmacists.

Earlier this year, the GPhC announced it had selected the BTL Group – a global provider of assessment technology services – to run its registration assessment for the next three years.

Meanwhile, the regulator had to cancel a number of bookings on Wednesday after some candidates managed to book a slot before the scheduled opening time of the booking platform.