Common Registration Assessment, Part 1

Semaglutide weekly injection dose steps for the GPhC assessment

Three original practice questions, with the working shown. Read the stated plan before calculating.

Published 20 October 2026. Independent revision material, not GPhC questions, not for patient care.

A lancet pen beside ampoules
Photo from Pexels, used under the Pexels licence. It is a stock image and does not show the exercise.

The BNF gives the usual adult schedule for semaglutide injection in type 2 diabetes as 0.25 mg once a week for 4 weeks, then 0.5 mg once a week for at least 4 weeks.

The BNF schedule can then increase if necessary to 1 mg once a week for at least 4 weeks, and then to 2 mg once a week.

Each question fixes the values needed for its arithmetic. Write the unit beside every step and keep each weekly step separate. All plans and patients here are fictional; these are revision materials, not for patient care.

The method

  1. Identify the dose and the number of weeks in each step of the plan.
  2. One injection each week means the number of injections equals the number of weeks.
  3. Multiply the dose by the number of weeks for each step's total.
  4. Add the step totals only when the question asks for an overall total.
  5. Write mg beside every figure and check each step before moving on.

Three practice questions

Work each one on paper first, then open the answer. All patients and prescriptions are fictional.

Question 1

A fictional plan uses semaglutide 0.25 mg once a week for 4 weeks, then 0.5 mg once a week for 4 weeks. How many injections is the whole plan, and what is the total dose?

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Answer: 8 injections, 3 mg in total

Working: 4 + 4 = 8 weekly injections. 4 × 0.25 = 1 mg and 4 × 0.5 = 2 mg, so 1 + 2 = 3 mg in total.

Question 2

A fictional plan uses semaglutide 0.25 mg once a week for 4 weeks, then 0.5 mg once a week for 4 weeks, then 1 mg once a week for 4 weeks. What is the total dose over the 12 weeks?

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Answer: 7 mg in total

Working: 4 × 0.25 = 1 mg, 4 × 0.5 = 2 mg, 4 × 1 = 4 mg. 1 + 2 + 4 = 7 mg.

Question 3

A fictional plan holds semaglutide at 2 mg once a week for 12 weeks. What is the total dose?

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Answer: 24 mg in total

Working: 12 × 2 = 24 mg.

Exam approach

Weekly schedules reward tidy columns. One line per step with its dose, weeks and subtotal beats one long mental sum.

Where marks are lost

  • Treating once a week as once a day and multiplying by seven.
  • Adding the step doses together without multiplying each by its number of weeks.
  • Writing the total without the unit.

Frequently asked questions

Are these official assessment questions?

No. They are original revision exercises, not official GPhC questions and not for patient care.

Do I need to memorise the schedule?

The exercise supplies it. In the assessment, read any given product information exactly as written.

How should I check the answer?

Check each step's total against its own dose and weeks, then add the steps.

Sources

The questions above are original and use fictional patients and prescriptions. PreRegExamPrep is not affiliated with or endorsed by the General Pharmaceutical Council.

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More calculation topics

See also the formula sheet, the eight sample questions and the approved calculator page.