The organisers of the protest – provisionally scheduled for the regulator’s Canary Wharf offices on October 17 – argue that “the lives of hundreds of pre-reg students have been affected by the unfair and unrealistic standards set for this year’s September exam”.

Echoing complaints made by a number of students and pre-reg tutors over the last two weeks, the event's organisers alleged a “vast difference in difficulty” between the June and September assessments.

However, the organisers told C+D today (October 11) that they are waiting for the official "go ahead" from the British Pharmaceutical Students' Association (BPSA), before the protest is confirmed.

"We need [the BPSA's] support," a pre-reg trainee helping to organise the event said. "The students do not want to get into any trouble so we are aiming to take all the necessary precautions and correct procedures beforehand."

"We feel we have no other option but to carry out a protest as we wish to stress to GPhC the urgency and unfairness we students have had to endure," the spokesperson added.

The group is hoping for a 60-70% turnout at the protest, it added.

C+D has been unable to contact the BPSA at the time of going to press. The GPhC told C+D today that it is aware of the planned protest.

The regulator said last week  that the time limits for the June and September exams were the same. 

The results of the exam will be released on October 28, and the board of assessor’s report – which will evaluate the assessment – will be presented to the council in November, the regulator added at the time.

Listen to C+D's podcast on standing out as a newly qualified pharmacist: