UPDATED: November registration exam pass rate jumps to 66%
Two-thirds of candidates who sat the November 2023 registration exam achieved a passing mark, the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) and the Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland (PSNI) have announced.
Of the 1,067 candidates who sat the exam last month (November 2), 700 were successful, resulting in an overall pass rate of 66%, the GPhC and the PSNI revealed today (December 5).
Meanwhile, some 367 (34%) of candidates failed the exam, they said.
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It marks a 10 percentage point increase on the pass rate for last November's registration exam, when 56% of candidates passed the assessment.
The exam was sat by a record number of candidates, the highest recorded since the GPhC changed its registration exam to allow candidates to better demonstrate their clinical abilities in 2016.
Candidate breakdown
Of the 1,067 candidates, the GPhC revealed that 500 (48%) were first-time sitters – 303 (61%) of whom passed.
Second-time sitters made up 457 (44%) of those examined and third-time sitters made up the final 85 students (8%), it said.
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At 72%, second-time sitters had the highest pass rates compared to other candidates, while third-time sitters had the lowest pass rate at 59%, it added.
“Every success for the future”
GPhC director of education and standards Mark Voce congratulated “all those who passed” the assessment and wished them “every success for the future”.
Mr Voce said that he looked forward to successful candidates “joining [the GPhC] register to continue to the next stage of their career”.
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He pointed “candidates who unfortunately did not pass the assessment” to information on the GPhC’s website that “outlines all the possible options of what to do next”.
He also stressed that advice is available from “the independent charity, Pharmacist Support, who can offer help with wellbeing and mental health, as well as practical support”.
