Free Pharmacy Revision Resources for Final-Year Students

Free revision resources for final-year MPharm students, mostly from the bodies that set your exams: GPhC example questions, Oriel sample papers, the BNF, NICE CKS, MHRA safety updates, CPPE and more.

By Umar Majid · 9 Nov 2026

The most useful free revision resources for final-year pharmacy students come from the organisations that set your exams and your practice standards. That means the GPhC's assessment framework and example questions, the BNF and NICE CKS, MHRA safety updates, and NHS England's Oriel sample papers. They're all free for UK students, and most don't need a login.

Below is what each one is good for, who can use it, and how to fit them in without drowning in material.

Which free resources are worth using?

Resource	Best for	Who can access it
GPhC framework and example questions	Knowing what the GPhC exam covers	Anyone
NHS England SJT and numeracy sample papers	Oriel practice	Anyone
BNF and BNFC on the NICE website	Doses, interactions, cautions	UK users, no login
NICE CKS	Primary care management and referral	UK-based users, including students for personal study
MHRA Drug Safety Update	Recent safety issues	Anyone
emc	SmPCs and patient leaflets	Anyone
CPPE	Structured e-learning	Register as a student pharmacist
The Pharmaceutical Journal	Learning articles and news	Free student membership of the Royal College of Pharmacy gives full access
Medicines Learning Portal	Hospital-style medicines questions	Openly available online
PDA	Professional and legal support	Free membership for students

1. GPhC assessment framework and example questions

If you bookmark one thing, make it the GPhC's Common Registration Assessment page. From there you'll find:

The assessment framework, which sets out the topics, skills and knowledge areas that can be assessed. All exam content comes from it.
The specification and permitted items, including the approved calculator list.
Example questions for Part 1 and Part 2, on the same platform as the real exam. The example questions guide has 15 calculation questions and 30 Part 2 questions, with answers.
Feedback reports from recent sittings, which show where candidates lost marks.

You won't sit the GPhC exam until the end of your foundation year, but reading the framework now shows you which parts of your MPharm matter most.

2. Oriel SJT and numeracy sample papers from NHS England

If you're applying through Oriel, NHS England puts free practice material on the national recruitment website: an SJT sample paper with rationales explaining why the best answers are best, a numeracy sample paper with answers, SJT scoring guidance, and a link to the Pearson VUE online sample test, which mirrors the real test format.

The rationales are the most valuable part. Keep reading them until you can predict the reasoning. To see how the scores are used, read our guide to Oriel scores.

3. BNF and BNFC on the NICE website

The BNF and BNF for Children are free on the NICE website for UK users, with no login. There's also a free BNF app, which does need a login.

For revision, pick a drug class each day and read the monograph properly: indications, cautions, contraindications, side effects, monitoring and interactions. Practise finding information quickly too. You'll need that in practice.

4. NICE Clinical Knowledge Summaries (CKS)

CKS gives short, practical guidance on managing common conditions in primary care, including when to refer. It's freely available to UK-based users, and students can use it for their own learning.

It's excellent for OTC and minor illness topics, red flags and first-line choices. Read the "management" and "prescribing information" sections for high-yield conditions.

5. MHRA Drug Safety Update

The MHRA publishes Drug Safety Update on GOV.UK, with new safety advice on medicines. Since March 2025 it has also sent a monthly Safety Roundup email that pulls its safety communications together.

Skim recent issues and, for each article, note the main action for pharmacists. Safety advice is exactly the kind of practical knowledge your foundation year builds on.

6. emc (electronic medicines compendium)

The emc hosts Summaries of Product Characteristics (SmPCs) and patient information leaflets for UK medicines. Use it when the BNF doesn't give enough detail, for example on reconstitution, displacement volumes or excipients.

7. CPPE

CPPE (the Centre for Pharmacy Postgraduate Education) lets pharmacy students register as student pharmacists. Once you're registered, you can use the e-learning and distance learning programmes listed in its student guide, as well as support on applying for foundation training.

Access isn't the same as for registered pharmacists, so check which programmes are open to students before you plan around them.

8. The Pharmaceutical Journal

The PJ publishes learning articles, including guides on preparing for Oriel and the GPhC exam. Non-members get one free article a month, plus two more if they register. CPD articles are only for subscribers and members.

There's a better option, though. Student membership of the Royal College of Pharmacy (formerly the RPS) is free for students in Great Britain, and student members get unlimited access to the PJ website.

9. Medicines Learning Portal

Run by the Southampton Medicines Advice Service, this site is aimed at trainee and foundation-level pharmacists in hospitals. It covers calculations, renal and liver dosing, interactions, paediatrics, decision making and critical evaluation. It's written for practice rather than for students, but it's excellent preparation for your foundation year.

10. PDA student membership

The Pharmacists' Defence Association offers free membership to pharmacy students while they study. It isn't a revision resource, but you get advice on legal, professional and ethical issues, and insurance cover that some placements require.

11. A free Pre-Reg Shortcuts account

We offer a free account too. It unlocks the first lesson of every chapter in our Calculations, Therapeutics, Law and Ethics and OTC Courses, and there are free sample quizzes for calculations and clinical questions. It's built for the foundation year and the GPhC exam, so it suits final-year students who want to get ahead.

How do you use all this without getting overwhelmed?

More resources don't make for better revision. In final year, keep it simple.

Pick one main source for each job: the BNF for drug facts, CKS for management, the GPhC framework for scope. Practise questions rather than just reading, using the GPhC example questions and the Oriel sample papers under timed conditions. Do 15 minutes of calculations a day, and our 10 worked calculation questions are a good place to start.

And protect your finals. Your MPharm comes first, so use these to support your university revision, not replace it.

Common questions

Is the BNF free for students? Yes, for users in the UK. The BNF and BNFC are free on the NICE website with no login, and the BNF app is also free but needs a login.

Can students use NICE CKS? Yes. CKS is freely available to UK-based individuals, including students using it for their own learning.

Are there free GPhC exam questions? Yes. The GPhC publishes example questions for Part 1 and Part 2, with an answer guide. They're examples, not a full mock paper.

Where can I find free Oriel SJT practice? On NHS England's national recruitment website. It has sample papers with rationales and a link to the Pearson VUE sample test.

Is Royal College of Pharmacy student membership free? Yes, for students based in Great Britain, and it includes full access to the Pharmaceutical Journal website.

Start with what's free

Before you pay for anything, use the free resources above and find out where your gaps are. Create your free Pre-Reg Shortcuts account to add the first lesson of every chapter across our foundation year courses, and use them alongside your MPharm revision.

Create your free account or browse our free content.