Common Registration Assessment · 2026 framework
Common Registration Assessment Practice Questions (CRA / GPhC Exam)
The GPhC pre-registration exam has been renamed the Common Registration Assessment. The questions, the structure, and the standard are the same — the framework, weighting and rules have been refreshed for 2026. Practise here with framework-aligned questions in every format.
What changed when the GPhC renamed the exam to the CRA
The Common Registration Assessment is the same licensing exam UK trainee pharmacists have always sat — it is just delivered jointly now with the Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland under the unified name. The 2026 framework, regulations and specification documents all use “Common Registration Assessment” (CRA). Older revision sites still call it the GPhC exam, the registration assessment, or the pre-reg exam. They all refer to the same assessment.
Three things in particular changed for the 2026 sittings:
- Calculator policy. A calculator is now permitted in both Part 1 and Part 2 — either an onscreen calculator built into the Surpass platform, or a physical model from the GPhC’s permitted-items list. Older guides telling you to drill mental arithmetic for Part 2 are out of date.
- Framework refresh. The 2026 framework names two domains (person-centred care and collaboration; professional practice) and three core content areas (clinical therapeutics; law, governance and regulation; pharmacy knowledge and supporting evidence). Each question is mapped to a learning outcome and weighted high, medium or low.
- Joint delivery with Northern Ireland. The same paper is sat by trainees registered in Great Britain (under the GPhC) and Northern Ireland (under the PSNI). Some guidance documents now appear on both regulators’ websites.
The 2026 CRA framework, in plain terms
Every CRA question is mapped to a numbered learning outcome in the framework, and outcomes are weighted high, medium or low. The weighting drives how the Board of Assessors balances papers between sittings — and it should drive how you allocate study time.
In the June 2025 sitting, the mapping was:
- 67.1% of questions mapped to high-weighted outcomes
- 27.1% to medium-weighted outcomes
- 5.8% to low-weighted outcomes
That is roughly 94% of available marks in the high+medium bands. Studying low-weighted outcomes evenly with the rest is poor time allocation. The framework PDF lists each outcome with its weighting; download it and treat it as your scope document.
The two domains
Person-centred care and collaboration — clinical decision-making, communication, working with other healthcare professionals, safeguarding, equality and diversity. The skin-conditions-across-diverse-skin-tones thread sits here.
Professional practice — pharmacy law and ethics, supply and dispensing, services delivery, evidence-based practice, MHRA safety information, and continuing professional development.
The three core content areas
Clinical therapeutics — the bulk of Part 2. Cardiovascular, respiratory, endocrine, CNS, GI, infection, dermatology, paediatrics, geriatrics, women’s health. Drawn from the BNF and BNFC, NICE guidance, and MHRA safety information.
Law, governance and regulation — emergency supply, controlled drugs, prescription validity, professional standards, GPhC and other regulator rules. A persistent weak area per the Board of Assessors’ published feedback.
Pharmacy knowledge and supporting evidence — pharmaceutics, pharmacokinetics, drug formulation, pharmacology, and the underlying science. Underpins both other content areas.
CRA-style sample questions
One worked sample in each CRA format. These are CRA-style practice questions, not real exam questions — the Board of Assessors does not endorse third-party question banks.
A clinical pharmacist is reviewing Mr O'Brien, a 57-year-old male with co-existing AF on warfarin (target INR 2.0-3.0), frequent INR fluctuations, and CKD stage 3. Current medications include metformin 1 g BD, gliclazide 80 mg BD, ramipril 5 mg OD, and atorvastatin 40 mg ON. HbA1c 72 mmol/mol. Fasting glucose 12.4. eGFR 45. ACR 8 mg/mmol. In the context of this clinical picture, a patient diagnosed with type 2 diabetes is interested in lifestyle interventions to manage their condition. Which of the following recommendations is NOT appropriate?
- A. Engage in 150 minutes of moderate exercise weekly
- B. Follow a low-carbohydrate diet
- C. Limit alcohol intake to one drink per day
- D. Take a daily multivitamin
- E. Monitor blood glucose levels regularly
Show worked answer
Correct answer: D
Step-wise Management of Asthma
- A. SABA as needed
- B. Low-dose ICS
- C. Add LABA to existing ICS
- D. High-dose ICS + LABA
- E. Add LTRA
- F. Consider tiotropium
- G. Systemic corticosteroids
- H. Biologic therapy
- I. None of the above
Show worked answer
Correct answer: [{"stem": "A patient with occasional asthma symptoms, using their SABA inhaler more than twice a week.", "correct_answer": "B"}, {"stem": "An asthma patient not well controlled on a low-dose ICS, experiencing nightly symptoms.", "correct_answer": "C"}, {"stem": "A patient with severe asthma not controlled on high-dose ICS + LABA, with FEV1 <80% predicted.", "correct_answer": "H"}]
A 62 kg patient with an eGFR of 8 mL/min/1.73m² is prescribed amikacin at 15 mg/kg once daily. The BNF recommends a maximum single dose of 1500 mg and the following renal dose adjustments: eGFR 0-14 mL/min/1.73m²: reduce to 25% of normal dose. Amikacin injection is available as 50 mg/mL in 2 mL vials. What is the correct amikacin dose for this patient?
- A. 232.5 mg
- B. 465 mg
- C. 58.12 mg
- D. 77.42 mg
- E. 2325 mg
Show worked answer
Correct answer: A
A patient is started on carbamazepine for epilepsy — initiation using the following titration schedule: 100 mg twice daily for 7 days; 200 mg twice daily for 7 days; 300 mg twice daily for 14 days; 400 mg twice daily for 28 days. Carbamazepine is available as 100 mg tablets. Tablets come in packs of 84. How many packs should be dispensed for the primary drug?
- A. 1.67 pack(s) of 84
- B. 5 pack(s) of 84
- C. 3.33 pack(s) of 84
- D. 10 pack(s) of 84
- E. 20 pack(s) of 84
Show worked answer
Correct answer: B
For more practice across every format, see the full bank of GPhC exam questions and the focused calculations practice section.
CRA vs GPhC exam — which name does each source use?
If you are reading older revision content alongside official material, the terminology mismatch can feel confusing. Here is which source uses which name in 2026:
| Source | Term used in 2026 |
|---|---|
| GPhC official documents | Common Registration Assessment (CRA) |
| Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland | Common Registration Assessment |
| Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) | Registration assessment / CRA |
| Pharmaceutical Journal | Registration assessment / CRA |
| Most student forums and revision sites | GPhC exam / pre-reg exam |
| This site | Both, interchangeably |
CRA practice — frequently asked
Is the Common Registration Assessment the same as the GPhC exam?
Yes. From 2025, the General Pharmaceutical Council and the Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland refer to it as the Common Registration Assessment (CRA). It is the same licensing exam most students still call the GPhC exam. The structure, scope, and standard are the same — only the name and some framework details have been refreshed for 2026.
When did the GPhC exam become the CRA?
The Common Registration Assessment name was formally adopted for the 2025 sittings and is the term used in the 2026 framework, regulations, and specification documents. Older revision guides and student forums still use “GPhC exam”, “registration assessment”, or “pre-reg exam” — these all refer to the same assessment.
What is in the CRA framework for 2026?
The framework specifies two domains — person-centred care and collaboration, and professional practice — and three core content areas: clinical therapeutics; law, governance and regulation; and pharmacy knowledge with its supporting evidence base. Every question in the CRA is mapped to a learning outcome weighted high, medium or low.
How is the CRA structured?
Two parts sat on one day. Part 1 is 40 free-numerical calculation questions over two hours. Part 2 is 120 multiple-choice questions over two and a half hours — 90 Single Best Answer questions (Section 1) and 30 Extended Matching questions (Section 2, delivered as 15 sets of two questions sharing eight options each). A calculator is permitted in both parts.
What does the CRA framework weighting tell me about how to study?
In the June 2025 sitting, 67.1% of questions mapped to high-weighted learning outcomes and 27.1% to medium-weighted outcomes — roughly 94% of marks concentrated in those two bands. Studying low-weighted outcomes evenly with the rest is poor time allocation. Prioritise high-weighted outcomes first.
Who sets and moderates the CRA?
The Board of Assessors, an independent body appointed by the GPhC and the Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland, sets, moderates, and publishes feedback after every sitting. The feedback documents are public and name the specific topics where candidates underperformed — they are one of the most useful study resources you can read.
What is the pass mark for the CRA?
There is no fixed pass mark. The Board of Assessors sets it per-sitting using a modified Angoff method with one standard-error-of-measurement, maintained across sittings by Item Response Theory. June 2025 pass marks were 24/40 (Part 1) and 79/120 (Part 2); these will move sitting-to-sitting based on question difficulty.
Does the CRA still test the same topics as the GPhC exam used to?
Substantially yes — clinical therapeutics, law and governance, and applied pharmacy knowledge. The 2026 framework emphasises some new ground, including how common skin conditions present across diverse skin tones, MHRA safety updates, and antimicrobial stewardship. Reference materials are the BNF, BNF for Children, NICE guidance, and the RPS Medicines Ethics and Practice guide.
How many practice questions do I need before sitting the CRA?
Quality matters more than total volume, but roughly 400 carefully worked questions across SBA, EMQ and calculations — every wrong answer logged with the specific reasoning error — beats 1,000 questions answered without a mistake log. The first hundred questions teach you the format. The second hundred surface your blind spots. Anything before that is calibration.
What references should I use to prepare for the CRA?
The CRA framework is what tells you what is actually in scope. Beyond that, the standard references are the BNF, BNFC, NICE guidance, MHRA safety alerts and the RPS Medicines, Ethics and Practice (MEP) guide. The GPhC publishes example questions; the Board of Assessors does not endorse any third-party question bank, so treat all commercial practice material as scaffolding, not exam content.
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