Common Registration Assessment · Practice method
How to use mock exams for the GPhC registration assessment
The real timings, how long you have per question, when to sit mocks, how to judge any mock and how to review one.
Updated 1 October 2026
Short answer. Sit a baseline mock early, then more as the exam nears, always at real timing. The review is where the marks come from: log each miss, write the rule, and redo it a week later. The schedule below is our suggestion, not a GPhC requirement.
The real timings
Part 1: calculations
40 questions in 2 hours. About 3 minutes each.
Part 2: clinical and law
120 questions in 2.5 hours. About 75 seconds each.
Format details are in the GPhC specification, summarised on our exam format page. Per-question times are simple division of the published totals.
When to sit mocks
About 8 to 12 weeks out
One full-length mock as a baseline. Do not revise first. List the topics you missed and put them in the mistake log.
About 4 to 6 weeks out
One mock every two weeks, mixed with short topic sets on the weak areas the mistake log shows.
Final 1 to 2 weeks
Two or three full mocks at exam timing, with the calculator you will use on the day. Stop adding new topics.
Five checks for any mock exam
Use these on any provider, ours included.
- Does it use the real structure: Part 1 with 40 calculations in 2 hours and Part 2 with 120 questions in 2.5 hours?
- Does it run to the real time limit, and can you use the calculator model you will take on the day?
- Are the questions in single best answer and extended matching formats, like the examples the GPhC publishes?
- Does every question have a worked explanation that says why the wrong options are wrong?
- Does it show results by topic, so you can map misses to the framework?
The GPhC Board of Assessors does not endorse external revision materials, so check any mock against the official example questions for style and level.
How to review a mock
- Mark every wrong answer and every right answer you guessed.
- For each one, write one honest sentence about why: knowledge gap, misread, calculation slip or time pressure.
- Write the rule you will follow next time, then log it.
- Redo the same questions a week later without looking at the answers.
Use the free mistake log template to keep this in one place.
Related pages
- Calculation practice with worked answers
- Approved calculators for 2026
- Results and Board feedback themes
- 12-week study plan
Frequently asked questions
How many full mocks should I do?
The GPhC documents give no number. A sensible plan is one baseline early, then more as the exam gets closer, with two or three at exam timing in the last two weeks. Spend more time reviewing each mock than sitting it.
Does my mock score predict my result?
No mock can promise that. The GPhC says questions can be removed after a sitting, which adjusts the pass mark, so a fixed percentage from a mock is only a rough guide to your progress.
Should I mix Part 1 and Part 2 in one sitting?
They are separate papers with their own timings, so sit them separately. A calculation block of 40 in 2 hours and a clinical block of 120 in 2.5 hours matches the real format.