GPhC approved calculators for 2026

Approved models

7

Calculator allowed in

Part 1 and Part 2

Spare calculator

Permitted

The approved models

The GPhC lists these seven models for sittings in 2026. No other calculator is permitted, including calculators on a phone or watch.

Check the model name printed on the device, not just the brand. Casio makes many models and only the ones above are on the list.

On-screen calculator or your own

A calculator is permitted in both Part 1 (40 calculations) and Part 2 (120 questions). You can use the on-screen calculator provided or bring an approved physical calculator. In Part 2 the on-screen calculator only displays on questions that require a calculation. A spare physical calculator is permitted.

Rules that catch people out

• Invigilators inspect all items before you enter the room and will ask you to remove anything not approved.
• Phones, watches of any kind and other electronic devices are not allowed unless approved in advance through reasonable adjustments.
• Being in possession of a calculator that is not an approved model is listed in the regulations as an example of misconduct.
• Failing to bring a functioning approved calculator is not grounds for nullification or appeal.
• Part 1 answers are typed in as numbers only. Use a decimal point (for example 22.3). A comma as a decimal separator is marked incorrect. Commas in whole numbers over 999 are optional.

Which should you choose?

Either choice is allowed in both parts, so you can decide on the day. Whichever you pick, practise with that exact device for the whole of your revision so the keystrokes cost no thought.

What the Board of Assessors says about Part 1 calculations

A good calculator does not fix the mistakes that cost marks. The Board's feedback on the June 2025 and November 2025 sittings repeats the same Part 1 themes:

• Round at the right stage. Sometimes rounding belongs at the end. Sometimes it belongs earlier: when working out a total supply, round an individual dose before you multiply up. Where the question gives a rounding instruction for the final answer, such as one decimal place or the nearest mL, follow it.
• Round up or down on purpose. For oral liquids supplied with an oral syringe, think about the graduation marks on the syringe.
• Read the dose expression. Doses appear as a set frequency (500 mg every 8 hours, 2.5 mg/kg twice daily) or as a total daily dose (150 mg/kg/day in 3 divided doses). Work out dose, frequency, formulation and duration before calculating a quantity to supply.
• Sense-check the answer. Adding 100 mL of diluent to a 10 mL vial is not realistic. A patient cannot take part of a capsule, and ampoules are single use.
• Use the right units. Give the answer in the units the question specifies.
• Preparation calculations. Use displacement values when reconstituting a powder, and for IV infusions use the infusion time, concentration and rate, then check the remaining volume as a safety check.

Drill these on our topic pages: rounding, displacement volumes and IV infusion calculations.

Day-before checklist

• Decide: on-screen or your own approved model.
• If bringing one, check the model name against the table above, put in fresh batteries and pack a spare of an approved model.
• Remember Part 1 answers are typed as numbers only, with a decimal point and no other characters.
• Do one timed set of 40 calculations with exactly the calculator you will use.

Practise with the calculator you will use

Pick one approved model or the on-screen calculator early and use only that in revision, so the keystrokes are automatic by the sitting. Our calculation questions and the free pharmacy calculators are there for practice. Sitting dates are on the exam dates page and the marking rules on the pass mark page.

Frequently asked questions