GPhC registration assessment pass mark reaches 77%

The delayed data for the summer 2025 exam also reveal that first-time candidates achieved a pass rate of 80%.
Trainee pharmacist working on laptop

The pass rate for the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) summer 2025 registration assessment was 77%, two percentage points higher than the pass rate for the summer 2024 exam.

The exam results, published on 29 July 2025, show that of 2,913 candidates who sat the summer 2024 assessment, 2,247 passed (77%) and 666 failed (23%), following a ‘technical problem‘ earlier in the day, meaning pharmacy trainees were unable to access their results.

As previously reported in The Pharmaceutical Journal, the pass rate has fluctuated in recent years, with the lowest pass rate recorded in 2019 (72%, 2,128 out of 2,942) and the highest pass rate being recorded in 2022 (80%, 2,147 out of 2,697).

Of the 2,503 candidates sitting the exam for the first time on 24 June 2025, 2,016 (80%) passed.

The pass rate for the 269 trainees sitting the assessment for a second time was 53% (142), while 63% (89) of the 141 candidates taking the exam for the third time passed.

Trainees cannot take the exam more than three times.

Feedback from the summer 2025 exam, prepared by the board of assessors, shows a variation in the proportion of weighted questions included in the assessment, compared with summer 2024.

All questions in the exam are derived from an assessment framework, which trainees are encouraged to use as the basis for their preparation.

Different expected learning outcomes within the framework are weighted differently, with data showing that 67% of the summer 2025 questions were mapped to high-weighted outcomes; 27% to medium-weighted outcomes; and 6% to low-weighted outcomes.

In summer 2024, these weighting figures were 67%, 25% and 8%, respectively.

Commenting on the results, Duncan Rudkin, chief executive of the GPhC, said: “The registration assessment is a vital part of the journey to becoming a registered pharmacist and it provides evidence and reassurance that successful candidates will be able to apply their knowledge appropriately and are able to make professional judgments when practising. 

“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.”

Last updated
Citation
The Pharmaceutical Journal, PJ, July 2025, Vol 315, No 7999;315(7999)::DOI:10.1211/PJ.2025.1.366399

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