Alternatively, you can scroll down and read all the articles linked above below. 

GPhC Registration Assessment Framework 2024

The GPhC exam framework consists of therapeutic areas, calculations and other areas related to pharmacy practice. Questions in part two of the GPhC exam relate to clinical care and these are mapped to key therapeutic areas. An individual question may map to multiple therapeutic areas: for example, a patient may be described who has hypertension and type 2 diabetes. The weighting given to individual therapeutic areas is shown below.

High weighted therapeutic areas

☑  Cardiovascular system

☑  Nervous system

☑  Endocrine system

☑  Infection

Medium weighted therapeutic areas

☑  Genito-urinary system

☑  Gastro-intestinal system

☑  Respiratory system

☑  Immune system and malignant disease

☑  Blood and nutrition

Low weighted therapeutic areas

☑  Musculoskeletal system

☑  Eye

☑  Ear, nose, and oropharynx

☑  Skin

☑  Vaccines

☑  Anaesthesia

Top GPhC Exam Tips!

In order to pass the GPhC exams for the therapeutic areas, you need to cover all the weighted areas giving more focus on the high weighted and medium weighted areas. For the therapeutic areas, you would need to read all the BNF treatment summaries, NICE guidelines and clinical knowledge summaries alongside common OTC conditions, OTC drugs and POM to P switches. In each therapeutic category, you would also need to learn the key prescribing information for the drug class and the individual drugs. The key prescribing information include: indications and dose, cautions and contraindications, side effects, drug interactions, use in pregnancy, breastfeeding, renal impairment and hepatic impairment.  You can learn about prescribing information from the BNF, the SmPC or from Clinical Knowledge Summaries (CKS).

You should go through the introductory pages of the BNF such as guidance on prescribing which cover a wide range of topics including  biosimilars, drugs and driving,  prescription requirements, emergency supplies, controlled drugs and adverse drug reactions. Additional topics in the BNF introductory section include guidance on IV infusions, medicines optimisation, antimicrobial stewardship and prescribing in special patient groups (children,  kidney or hepatic impairment, pregnancy, breastfeeding , elderly and palliative care). 

You would also be required to know how to deal with common emergencies that occur at the pharmacy including asthma, cardiac arrest, seizures (epilepsy), poisoning, fainting , basic life support, adrenal suppression and anaphylaxis.

You would also need to cover medicines, ethics and practice (MEP) legal and professional requirements and pharmacy practice guidance documents which can be found in your MEP, the RPS or the  GPhC website.

For tips for pharmaceutical calculations, please scroll down and read some of the published articles below.

The articles below were written by Experts from Focus Pre Reg Revision for the Pharmaceutical Journal and for the Chemist and Druggist.

1. Preparing for the GPhC registration exams: six steps to help you effectively plan your revision (Part 1).

This article introduces the GPhC assessment framework as a key document that you should refer to in order to narrow down your revision and focus on topics that will be asked in the GPhC registration assessment. The key areas highlighted in the article are the topics to be studied, future pharmacist outcomes and indicative assessment topics. The authors also included some GPhC Exam questions in the same format as they would appear in the real exam with additional tips provided by four experts from Focus Pre Reg Revision. 

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2. Preparing for the GPhC registration exams: how to approach learning outcomes relating to professional practice (Part 2).

In this article, you will delve deeper into the GPhC assessment framework and zoom in into indicative assessment topics which are the key topics asked in the GPhC exams each year. You will learn about how indicative assessment topics can be used to revise on specific topics and how these topics can be asked in the GPhC exams. 

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3. Preparing for the GPhC registration exams: how to revise learning outcomes relating to clinical knowledge and therapeutic approaches (Part 3).

Part 3 concludes the series with more examples and again focusing on the GPhC assessment framework. Your knowledge of how to use the framework in the GPhC assessment should be improved after completing the three series of this article. The key topics to focus on for the GPhC Part 2 exam include, the High weighted therapeutic areas: Cardiovascular system, Nervous system, Endocrine system, Infection. The Medium weighted therapeutic areas are: Genito-urinary system, Gastro-intestinal system, Respiratory system, Immune system and Malignant disease, Blood and nutrition. The Low weighted therapeutic areas: Musculoskeletal system, Eye Ear, nose, and oropharynx, Skin, Vaccines and Anaesthesia.

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