GPhC says it has secured additional centres in Scotland for March tests

The GPhC says it has secured additional test centres in Scotland and is working with Pearson VUE to complete the process of allocation for the upcoming registration assessment.

The latest statement from the pharmacy regulator came after provisional registrants encountered software glitches like wrongly booking into afternoon exams and asking many others to travel to distant places from their original location to get a test centre to write their exams in.

Duncan Rudkin, chief executive of the GPhC, said: “We are pleased to confirm that Pearson VUE have now been able to secure further test centre places in Scotland for the March registration assessment. This means that Scottish candidates who want to sit the assessment in Scotland should be able to do so.

“We’re working with Pearson VUE to complete the allocation of the test centre places to these candidates by the end of this week and they should receive confirmation emails as soon as their booking has been updated.”

“We’ve also worked alongside Pearson VUE to make sure that all candidates who had booked afternoon places in a small number of venues due to a technical glitch are rebooked into a new test centre place.”

The General Pharmaceutical Council has also reassured candidates that they will all be provided with an opportunity to sit the assessment scheduled on March 17 and 18.

“We have contacted the remaining candidates who have not yet booked to offer our help in finding them a place. There are still test centre places available across England and in Wales, so we are confident that everyone who wants to sit in March will be able to do so,” the GPhC boss said.

“We are also responding directly to candidates who have contacted us with any concerns or questions, including about the location of their sitting.

“I would like to apologise again for the anxiety and inconvenience this has caused candidates. We are committed to reviewing the issues from this sitting and taking all possible steps to avoid these issues happening in the future.”