A total of 2670 candidates have sat the GPhC’s first online registration assessments held on 17th and 18th March 2021. The vast majority of candidates sat in Pearson VUE test centres, with 83 candidates sitting remotely in Great Britain and overseas using Pearson’s OnVUE system.
The GPhC highlighted that a small number of individual candidates experienced some technical issues during the sittings. Several candidates sitting remotely were unable to sit the online registration assessment, with initial analysis suggesting this was due to internet connection issues they were experiencing.
A small number of candidates sitting in test centres also experienced some technical issues, which were largely resolved by the test centre staff. Our staff also worked with Pearson VUE to resolve wherever possible some other minor issues experienced by candidates.
There have been some concerns raised by candidates that the papers for each sitting were the same or very similar and that this could have an impact on which candidates pass the assessment.
The GPhC sought to reassure candidates that different papers were used for each sitting. The majority of the questions were different, with some questions appearing similar but having appropriately different answers. Although a number of questions were the same, this is standard assessment practice in high-stakes assessments to ensure consistency, fairness and reliability across the two sittings.
The GPhC said that there is a robust, thorough and evidence-based process for setting and moderating the papers and ensuring that fairness and an appropriate standard are maintained across papers.
Duncan Rudkin, Chief Executive of the GPhC, said:
“I would like to congratulate everyone who has now completed the assessment. And thank you to candidates for your patience and professionalism while waiting to sit the assessment, and during the assessment itself. We know many of you have faced significant difficulties during a very stressful year. Our thanks also go to all those colleagues, family members and friends who have supported candidates through this process.
“I am very sorry that a small number of candidates experienced technical issues, either at home or in test centres, and our team will be following up with them on an individual basis to explain their options.
“Some candidates have expressed concerns that the papers were very similar across the two sittings and this may lead to some advantage for some candidates. We would like to reassure candidates that there were different papers for each sitting.
“The Board of Assessors will be carefully reviewing the reports from each sitting and taking forward a thorough and evidence-based standard-setting process to set the standard across the sittings and papers, to make sure the outcomes are fair and robust. We would like to wish every candidate the best of luck for their results.”
Candidates who sat the assessment will receive their results on 29 April 2021.
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