Our top tips for the GPhC registration assessment
1. Stay calm during the assessment
Upon arrival to the Pearson VUE test centre or upon logging into the online portal (if you are sitting the assessment remotely), make sure you have your identification documents ready for inspection.
Read all the details provided by Pearson VUE about the electronic assessment.
Once you are sat down at your station or room, and are ready to begin, take a deep breath, stay calm and start your assessment.
Remember, you have passed every assessment to get to this one.
2. Read the questions properly
Read each question thoroughly, highlight any key words in the question (using the online highlighter tool) and eliminate any extra information that may be used to set a scenario.
Don’t be put off by large introductory paragraphs, read through the detail and find the question that is being asked.
Pay attention to any terms in BOLD.
3. Answer all the questions in the assessment
Answer the questions you are confident with first, do not spend too much time on questions you cannot answer.
Use the 'flag for review tool' to flag any questions you are unable to answer or want to re-check, so you can identify these easily and come back to them later.
You can also use your wipeable notepad or whiteboard to jot down notes if useful.
There is no answer sheet to worry about for the online assessment, which should give you a bit more time per question.
4. Give yourself time in the assessment
Try and give yourself 5-10 minutes at the end of each paper to go through and answer any questions you were unable to initially complete, or were not confident with. If you have time check that you are happy with your answers, or have chosen the best possible option.
5. Know how to approach the different types of questions
There are three types of questions:
Calculations - part 1
Make sure you have the correct calculator model and remember these are now free type text answers so enter your answer clearly.
If you did not bring an online calculator, forgot it or experience a technical issue with the one you have with you, you can use the online calculator within the platform.
The number of decimal places required will be specified. Take care not to add any additional zeros or digits, which be easily done when you are typing quickly. You will not be required to type in the units, this will be provided.
Go through each calculation step carefully it may be useful to outline some of your calculation steps on your wipeable notepad or whiteboard to make it easier to spot any errors when re-checking. It might be best that you don't wipe your notepad or whiteboard too quickly, in case you want to revisit your workings.
If you need another notepad just raise your hand and ask for one. If you suspect that you might need more, perhaps ask early on so you'll have everything you need before you begin.
If there is time check your answer, see if you can go through each question twice and get the same answer on both occasions.
Single best answer (SBAs) - part 2
For these types of questions you are choosing the best answer from the options given, so you will need to use your clinical and professional judgement.
Think about any particular details that could affect your choice of answer such as age, gender and co-morbidities. What would you consider when working as a pharmacist in practice?
Try and answer the question without looking at the options, then pick an option that is closest to your answer.
Don’t be thrown off if there are other options that may be plausible, you need to consider the best option in that particular scenario - usually the 'most appropriate' option.
If you are confused and cannot select an answer, go back and read the scenario again to ensure that you have understood it correctly. If you are really struggling with a question, choose the most sensible answer as you may get it right. Are there any options that don't appear to be appropriate and can therefore be eliminated?
There is no negative marking, so you will not be penalised for providing an incorrect answer.
Extended matching questions (EMQs) - part 2
For these questions options can be used once, more than once or not at all. Just because you have used one option once before does not mean you cannot pick the same option again.
Similar to SBAs, try and answer the question without looking at the options, then pick an option that is closest to your answer. Again, there is no negative marking, so you will not be penalised for providing an incorrect answer.
Remember that the part 2 assessment may also include calculations, and you'll have access to a wipeable notepad but a different one to the one you will be given for part 1. You will NOT have access to a calculator for part 2.