The General Pharmaceutical Council has announced that it will hold two separate sittings of the online pre-registration assessment in March next year.
The exams will take place at Covid-secure Pearson VUE test centres. There will be two sittings – each with different papers – and candidates will sit the two papers which make up the assessment at one of their local Pearson VUE centres on one day, either Wednesday March 17, or Thursday March 18 2021.
The application form will open in January. Candidates need to apply to sit the assessment through their myGPhC account and those who need any ‘reasonable adjustment’ can request for it using the same form.
The GPhC emphasises that although the way in which candidates will sit the assessment will be different this time, the types of questions used and the standard required to pass it will remain the same as in previous years.
Meanwhile, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society has welcomed the announcement, and is calling for further details to be clarified as quickly as possible.
"Trainees will be concerned about reasonable adjustments especially when there may be a last minute change such as a requirement to self-isolate at short notice," said RPS director for education Gail Fleming said.
"We're now urging GPhC to act quickly to publish the further details they have committed to providing. These are urgently needed to alleviate the ongoing concerns of those due to sit the assessment.
“We know how stressful it's been for trainees waiting for details of the exam, whilst working hard to support patients and the public during these difficult times.”
Graeme Duncan 
