The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) has finally revealed the results of the common registration assessment for pharmacists held jointly with the Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland (PSNI), after delays caused by technical issues.
Some 2,913 candidates sat the June registration exam, with 2,247 candidates passing, delivering an overall pass rate of 77%, the GPhC announced today (July 29).
Read more: PSNI reveals 90% June registration exam pass rate amid GPhC IT chaos
This is up two percentage points on last year, returning to the pass rate achieved by candidates in June 2023.
The GPhC said that its records show that the “vast majority” of candidates have now been able to access their results, after technical issues with the myGPhC platform meant candidates could not see their exam results.
The majority of candidates (86%) were first-time sitters of the exam, who achieved a pass rate of 80%, the regulator revealed.
The 9% of candidates sitting the exam for the second time garnered a pass rate of just over half (53%) and among the 5% of candidates on their third attempt, almost two-thirds (63%) were successful, it said.
“Strict criteria” for appeals
“I’d like to congratulate all those candidates who have passed the registration assessment after sitting this summer,” GPhC chief executive Duncan Rudkin said.
“The overall pass rate is testament to the hard work that has been put in and I wish those registering with us every success in their careers as valuable members of the future healthcare workforce,” he added.
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Rudkin stressed that there are “a range of options available” for candidates who “unfortunately didn’t pass the assessment”, with all the relevant information on the June 2025 registration assessment page.
The GPhC pointed to charity Pharmacist Support for help with “mental health and wellbeing”.
It added that candidates have the right to appeal a result, although there are “strict criteria for appeals to be considered”.
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The GPhC came under fire earlier today after it issued an apology for the technical issues preventing candidates from accessing their results.
One pharmacist commenting on X branded the situation “such a disappointment” and “really not good enough” while another commenter said it is “completely unacceptable”, referring to the incident as “sheer incompetence”.
Meanwhile, the PSNI earlier announced an overall pass rate of 89.5% among candidates who sat the June registration assessment in Northern Ireland.
