When Your Trainee Fails the GPhC Exam: An Employer's Guide

Your foundation trainee didn't pass the GPhC exam. What it means for their registration and their job, the conversations to have with them, and how to support a better resit.

By Umar Majid · 9 Nov 2026

A trainee who doesn't pass the GPhC registration assessment can't register, or work as a pharmacist, until they pass. They can usually resit, with up to three attempts in total, and the next sitting is Tuesday 15 June 2027. As their employer, you need to decide what role they do in the meantime, help them towards a better resit, and look after their wellbeing.

If your trainee sits on Tuesday 10 November 2026, results are due on 16 December 2026. What follows covers both the practical and the human side, for owners, superintendents and designated supervisors (DSs).

What does it mean for your trainee's status?

They can't register as a pharmacist, because passing the assessment is a requirement for registration. They can't call themselves a pharmacist either. Using the title without being registered is a criminal offence.

They can usually keep working for you, in another role. The GPhC says unsuccessful candidates may be able to work in other pharmacy roles while they wait. Any registration application already in progress is terminated, so they'll reapply and pay again after passing.

They get a maximum of three attempts, within the time limit for registration. Withdrawing before a sitting doesn't use an attempt.

Is there a time limit?

Yes. For most MPharm graduates, the GPhC requires an application to register within eight years of starting the MPharm, or within two years of passing the assessment, whichever is sooner. It's nine years for some five-year courses. Extensions are possible on documented grounds. Upheld appeals and nullifications don't extend the time limit.

Most trainees are well within this, but a trainee who took longer at university should check.

Can the DS still sign off their training?

Completing foundation training and passing the assessment are separate requirements for registration. The DS's final sign-off, which can begin from week 49, is a judgement on the learning outcomes, not the exam. If you're unsure how this applies to your trainee, ask your NHS England regional team.

Timing matters. For summer starters, the June results are published in July, so many trainees finish their 52 weeks around results day. NHS England's trainee support guide says funding for training beyond 52 weeks is only arranged case by case and isn't guaranteed. If you think an extension is needed, talk to your regional team early.

In Scotland, NES funds the trainee's salary for 52 weeks, and training providers commit to supporting any required extension, agreed with NES. The exam rules here apply across Great Britain.

What role should they do in the meantime?

Agree the role in writing. Common options are a dispensing or pharmacy support role, or a reduced-hours arrangement with study time. Take HR advice before you change pay or hours.

Be clear about what they can't do: no responsible pharmacist duties, no use of the pharmacist title, and nothing that implies they're registered.

If your trainee is on a sponsored visa, a change in role may affect it, so take advice early. And think about time off. Some trainees want a short break after a hard year. In 2021, one large multiple offered unsuccessful candidates support roles or time off, which is a reasonable model.

The conversations to have

On results day or soon after

Listen first, and don't make decisions in this conversation. Tell them clearly that you want to support them, then agree when you'll talk properly, ideally within a week.

Within a week

Look at their marks against the pass marks for Part 1 and Part 2.
Agree their role, hours and protected study time until the next sitting.
Ask what they think went wrong. A late start, no plan, timing, or a weak area?
Agree whether they intend to appeal (see below).

Every month until the resit

A short check-in on progress, mock scores and wellbeing. Adjust their study time as the sitting gets closer.

Keep notes, agree actions and treat these conversations as confidential.

How can you support the resit?

If they failed	Focus the resit on
Part 1 only	Daily, timed calculations practice by type
Part 2 only	Clinical knowledge by system, applying it to scenarios, and law
Both	A complete structured plan, started early

Protected study time helps most, written into the rota. A full day a week in the 10 to 12 weeks before the sitting is a sensible target. Push them towards questions rather than reading: practice questions, error logs and full mocks. The GPhC's Board of Assessors feedback for the sitting is useful too, because it lists themes candidates found hard.

Most of all, they need to change their approach. More of the same revision rarely changes the result, and resit pass rates are lower: in June 2026, first-time candidates passed at 85% and second-time candidates at 59%.

Our trainee-facing guide, failed the GPhC exam: next steps, sets out a week-by-week resit plan you can share with them.

Dates for the next sitting

What	Date
Reasonable adjustment deadline	5pm, Wednesday 17 February 2027
Application window	Not yet published
Assessment day	Tuesday 15 June 2027
Results day	Tuesday 20 July 2027

The GPhC's eligibility rules for trainees who started in 2025/26 or later refer to the start window they trained in. Ask your trainee to confirm with the GPhC which sitting they can apply for. See GPhC exam dates.

Can they appeal?

Only on two grounds:

Procedural: the GPhC didn't follow its procedures correctly, and this affected the outcome.
Exceptional circumstances: something that affected performance and wasn't, and couldn't have been, known before or during the sitting.

Circumstances that could have supported a nullification request can't be used to appeal. The deadlines are set in the results-day guidance, and they're short. Most appeals aren't upheld, so encourage your trainee to apply for the next sitting while they wait. A union or defence body such as the PDA can advise.

Looking after their wellbeing

Not passing can hit hard, especially when colleagues and friends have passed. NHS England's guidance asks employers to treat requests for support as normal, not as a mark against the trainee.

Point them to Pharmacist Support, an independent charity that supports trainees, and offer occupational health or counselling if you have it. Keep health information confidential, and only share it with consent. Watch for signs they're struggling, and check in.

What if it was their third attempt?

After three unsuccessful attempts, the trainee can't sit again unless an appeal is upheld. The GPhC suggests speaking to their university, DS or a careers adviser. Pharmacist Support also offers careers help.

Common questions

Can my trainee keep working after failing? Usually, yes, in a non-pharmacist role. They can't register or use the title pharmacist until they pass.

When can they resit? The next sitting is Tuesday 15 June 2027. Ask them to confirm their eligibility with the GPhC.

How many attempts are allowed? Three, within the time limit for applying to register.

Can the DS still sign off their training? Usually, yes, if the learning outcomes are met, because training and the exam are separate requirements for registration.

Where can they get support? Pharmacist Support, their union or defence body, and you as their employer.

Help your trainee pass next time

Our Foundation Pharmacist Training Programme includes structured Part 1 and Part 2 lessons, a question bank, a mock paper and a 1:1 planning session, and access continues to the next sitting if a trainee is unsuccessful. We also support designated supervisors and employers through the year.

See the programme or email info@preregshortcuts.com to talk about support for your trainee.