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United Kingdom · Registration assessment

The GPhC calculator rules and the Part 1 calculations

You can use a calculator in both parts of the Common Registration Assessment: your own, if it’s a model the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) specifies, or the basic on-screen calculator in the Surpass platform. The GPhC calculator rules matter, because the wrong model can cost you the sitting. Part 1 is where you’ll lean on it most, as every question in it is a calculation.

  • 2Parts where you can use one
  • 9Calculation types in every Part 1
  • 3 minutesRough time for each Part 1 question
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Updated November 2026 · Written from official sources, listed at the bottom of this page

Which calculator can you use in the GPhC assessment?

The GPhC names the permitted calculator models in its specification and permitted items document, and its regulations refer to a calculator of an approved make and model. Check the version for your sitting before you buy one.

Bring one that works. Forgetting it, or bringing one that fails, isn’t grounds for nullification or an appeal. Having a calculator that isn’t an approved model is listed as misconduct, and a misconduct finding means you fail that sitting whatever your marks.

Check the GPhC sitting page ↗

The nine Part 1 calculation types

Each Part 1 includes at least one question of each type in the framework for 2026 sittings:

  • Concentrations
  • Dilutions
  • Displacement volumes
  • Dose and dosage regimens
  • Infusion rates
  • Medical statistics
  • Pharmaco­economics
  • Pharmaco­kinetics
  • Quantities to supply

Every question reflects a scenario you could meet as a pharmacist. The overview has the skills the questions draw on, such as rounding and unit conversions.

Read how the assessment works →

Calculation areas the Board flagged after June 2026

The Board of Assessors’ insights from the June 2026 sitting point to these Part 1 areas:

  • Displacement volumes, when you prepare a medicine
  • Infusion rates: use all the information in the scenario, such as the infusion time, concentration and rate
  • Medical statistics: pull out evidence-based medicine data correctly and use it to weigh up treatment options
  • Pharmacokinetics for one patient, including how half-life and creatinine clearance affect dosing
  • Quantities to supply: think about the dose, frequency, formulation and length of treatment

The Board says the insights aren’t complete and don’t mean these topics are more likely to come up. Its Part 2 points are on the study options page.

See the Part 2 insights →
Sources: GPhC and 3 more. Checked November 2026.

Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.

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