Pharmacy FTY: Use Scenario-Based Questions To Prepare Effectively For The GPhC Exam
Becoming a registered pharmacist in the UK involves successfully passing the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) Common Registration Assessment. Understanding the exam's format, particularly its focus on scenario-based questions, is essential for effective preparation.
Unlike traditional assessments which focus on factual recall questions, the GPhC Common Registration Assessment includes only scenario-based questions, which simulate real-world situations to assess a trainee's ability to apply clinical and professional knowledge in practice. This reflects the professional demands of the pharmacy profession, emphasising the importance of critical thinking and problem-solving skills when applying existing knowledge to novel clinical scenarios encountered in practice.
While the exam excludes factual recall questions, many trainees still use this traditional study method while various study resources also rely on factual recall questions. While factual recall questions, or similarly the use of flashcards, allows trainee pharmacists to develop a robust foundation of clinical and professional knowledge I consider this step 1 of 2 when preparing for the CRA, step 2 being application of knowledge in practice.
To excel in the GPhC Common Registration Assessment, trainee pharmacists should adopt a well-rounded study approach. While acknowledging the exam's scenario-based focus, balancing theoretical understanding with practical application ensures a comprehensive and effective preparation strategy.
Here are three recommended ways to achieve this:
Regularly apply your knowledge in practice
Use scenario-based questions to prepare – particularly in the later stages of your exam prep
Develop your own scenario-based multiple-choice questions
Research suggests that creating their own multiple-choice questions (MCQs) empowers students through active learning and leads to better performance in assessments. Crafting questions forces engagement with course material, reinforcing understanding and identifying weak areas. This process simulates exam conditions, enhancing critical thinking skills and deepening comprehension. Challenges related to the time commitment involved in developing MCQs can be overcome by networking with other trainee pharmacists to share the workload when developing MCQs while prioritising high-weighted topics.
From my experience trainee pharmacists always mention that questions in the CRA were lengthier and more complicated than those they’d used to practise, suggesting they were relying on factual recall MCQs when preparing.
The following are examples of factual recall and scenario-based questions so you can see the important difference:
Factual recall question
Which of the following medications is most likely to be associated with hyponatraemia?
a. aspirin
b. bisoprolol
c. omeprazole
d. ramipril
e. simvastatin
Scenario-based question
While working as a pharmacist in primary care you are asked to review a 56-year-old man whose sodium was 129mmol/L (ref: 133-146mmol/L) from a recent blood test. He has a known medical history of hypertension, NSTEMI and gastro-oesophageal reflux disorder (GORD).
He takes the following regular medication:
aspirin 75mg once daily
bisoprolol 2.5mg once daily
omeprazole 40mg once daily
ramipril 5mg once daily
simvastatin 80mg at night
Which medication is the most likely cause of his abnormal blood result?
a. aspirin
b. bisoprolol
c. omeprazole
d. ramipril
e. simvastatin
Factual recall
Which of the following medications should be started first-line for a patient with type 2 diabetes and a low risk of cardiovascular disease?
a. alogliptin
b. empagliflozin
c. gliclazide
d. metformin
e. pioglitazone
Scenario-based question
While working in community pharmacy as an independent prescriber you are asked to review a 40-year-old woman in your type-2 diabetes clinic. She was recently diagnosed following an HbA1c result of 56mmol/mol. She has a medical history of depression and anxiety but no other conditions. She has failed to reduce her HbA1c through lifestyle changes alone and you calculate her QRISK score to be 8%.
Which of the following medications is the most appropriate first-line treatment for this patient?
a. alogliptin
b. empagliflozin
c. gliclazide
d. metformin
e. pioglitazone
As you can see, there’s a considerable difference between the complexity of factual recall and scenario-based questions with scenario-based questions typically taking more time to read and interpret. The exam will include a mix of questions of varying difficulties, all scenario-based, so it's essential to prepare for this format from the beginning.