Common Registration Assessment, Part 1

Zopiclone tablet strengths and bedtime doses for the GPhC assessment

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

Published 23 October 2026. Independent revision material, not GPhC questions, not for patient care.

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The BNF lists zopiclone tablets in two strengths: 3.75 mg and 7.5 mg.

The BNF gives the usual adult dose as 7.5 mg once a day at bedtime for up to 4 weeks, with 3.75 mg used to start in older patients.

Each question fixes the values needed for its arithmetic. Write the unit beside every step and keep a single dose separate from a supply total. All prescriptions and patients here are fictional; these are revision materials, not for patient care.

The method

  1. Identify the exact strength, dose and frequency supplied in the question.
  2. Calculate one dose first; divide prescribed mg by mg per tablet.
  3. Scale to the stated duration only when a supply is requested.
  4. Keep the bedtime frequency in view: one dose each night.
  5. Check the tablet count is a whole number before reporting it.

Three practice questions

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

Question 1

A fictional prescription specifies zopiclone 7.5 mg once a night at bedtime using 7.5 mg tablets for 14 days. How many tablets is the course?

Show the answer

Answer: 14 tablets

Working: 7.5 ÷ 7.5 = 1 tablet a night. 1 × 14 = 14 tablets.

Question 2

A fictional prescription specifies zopiclone 7.5 mg once a night using 3.75 mg tablets for 7 days. How many tablets is the course?

Show the answer

Answer: 14 tablets

Working: 7.5 ÷ 3.75 = 2 tablets a night. 2 × 7 = 14 tablets.

Question 3

A fictional plan limits zopiclone 7.5 mg once a night at bedtime to the stated 4 weeks using 7.5 mg tablets. How many tablets is the whole course?

Show the answer

Answer: 28 tablets

Working: 4 weeks is 4 × 7 = 28 nights. 7.5 ÷ 7.5 = 1 tablet a night. 1 × 28 = 28 tablets.

Exam approach

Decimal strengths trip people up here. Treat 3.75 mg and 7.5 mg as separate numbers and do the division before the multiplication.

Where marks are lost

  • Mixing up the 3.75 mg and 7.5 mg strengths when the strength is stated in the question.
  • Reporting a nightly total when the question asks for the whole course.
  • Forgetting to convert the 4-week limit into nights.

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 strengths?

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

How should I check the answer?

Check the requested unit, then work backwards from the quantity to the stated dose and duration.

Sources

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

Practise until the method is automatic

Try 15 free questions with worked answers. No sign-up required.

More calculation topics

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