About the exam
Common Registration Assessment Exam structure
An independent guide to the 2026 Common Registration Assessment, covering pharmacy calculations, clinical therapeutics, law, governance, person-centred care and professional practice.
Issuer and path
Common Registration Assessment Study Guide is administered through General Pharmaceutical Council and Pharmaceutical Society Northern Ireland. Check official resources before booking, retesting, or relying on a stale requirement.
Part 1: Pharmacy and Healthcare Calculations
40 scored + 0 pretest
Forty numerical free-entry calculation questions in 120 minutes.
Part 2: Safe and Effective Pharmacy Care
120 scored + 0 pretest
Ninety single-best-answer questions and thirty EMQs in 150 minutes.
Before booking
Confirm current eligibility, the exact assessment or module code, approved provider or centre instructions, permitted references and any route-specific practical evidence.
Official Outline Coverage Map
Coverage is mapped to official outline item counts so content depth can be checked without hard-coding a single exam.
| Topic | Official outline items | Your questions | Your flashcards | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dose, Quantity and Course Calculations | 0 | 0 | 4 | Good |
| Concentrations, Strengths and Dilutions | 0 | 0 | 4 | Good |
| Infusions, Rates and Administration | 0 | 0 | 4 | Good |
| Formulations, Ingredients and Supply Quantities | 0 | 0 | 4 | Good |
| Clinical Measures and Pharmacokinetic Calculations | 0 | 0 | 4 | Good |
| Cardiovascular Therapeutics | 0 | 0 | 4 | Good |
| Central Nervous System | 0 | 0 | 4 | Good |
| Endocrine Therapeutics | 0 | 0 | 4 | Good |
| Infection and Antimicrobial Stewardship | 0 | 0 | 4 | Good |
| Gastro-intestinal Therapeutics | 0 | 0 | 4 | Good |
| Respiratory Therapeutics | 0 | 0 | 4 | Good |
| Musculoskeletal and Joint Disease | 0 | 0 | 4 | Good |
| Nutrition and Blood | 0 | 0 | 4 | Good |
| Malignant Disease and Immunosuppression | 0 | 0 | 4 | Good |
| Skin Therapeutics | 0 | 0 | 4 | Good |
| Eye Therapeutics | 0 | 0 | 4 | Good |
| Ear, Nose and Oropharynx | 0 | 0 | 4 | Good |
| Vaccines and Immunisation | 0 | 0 | 4 | Good |
| Drug Toxicity and Poisoning | 0 | 0 | 4 | Good |
| Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Genito-urinary Care | 0 | 0 | 4 | Good |
| Person-centred Care and Collaboration | 0 | 0 | 4 | Good |
| Medicines Law, Supply and Regulation | 0 | 0 | 4 | Good |
| Clinical Governance and Patient Safety | 0 | 0 | 4 | Good |
| Evidence, Public Health and Professionalism | 0 | 0 | 4 | Good |
How to use this guide
How to prepare for the CRA
Calculate with units and reasonableness checks, then integrate patient factors, evidence, law, governance and professional judgement in authentic pharmacy scenarios.
1. Clarify the ask
Identify the required numerical unit or the clinical and professional decision.
2. Gather controlling facts
Use patient variables, medicines, evidence, law, setting and red flags.
3. Calculate or compare
Show a dimensionally sound method or rank options against safety and appropriateness.
4. Check and act
Test reasonableness, communicate, document, monitor or escalate as required.
Dose, Quantity and Course Calculations
Dose by weight or surface area, frequency, duration, pack quantity and safe rounding.
Key rules
Rule 1
Units and dimensions must be aligned before arithmetic begins.
Exam cue: Identify the scope and evidence that control the dose, quantity and course calculations decision before selecting a rule or method.
Rule 2
Dose, total daily dose, course dose and quantity to supply answer different questions.
Exam cue: Connect units and dimensions must be aligned before arithmetic begins. with dose, total daily dose, course dose and quantity to supply answer different questions. and test the conclusion against the numerical result must be checked against patient, product, frequency and stated units..
Rule 3
The numerical result must be checked against patient, product, frequency and stated units.
Exam cue: Identify the governing scope, interpret the evidence and apply the method before selecting a conclusion.
Common traps
Applying a neighbouring topic or route rule without checking whether it belongs to Dose, Quantity and Course Calculations.
Prevention: Check the current official source, route and assessment boundary before relying on a memorised rule.
Memorising a label or number without being able to interpret evidence, explain the boundary or apply the method.
Prevention: Check the current official source, route and assessment boundary before relying on a memorised rule.
Memory anchors
Dose, Quantity and Course Calculations
Dose by weight or surface area, frequency, duration, pack quantity and safe rounding.
Dose, Quantity and Course Calculations: core principle
Units and dimensions must be aligned before arithmetic begins.
Dose, Quantity and Course Calculations: application
Dose, total daily dose, course dose and quantity to supply answer different questions.
Dose, Quantity and Course Calculations: evidence check
The numerical result must be checked against patient, product, frequency and stated units.
Next best moves
Quick check-up
Use a short quiz to confirm the rule pattern is actually sticking.
Check-up Questions
Next step personalized recommendations
Open another topic next
Official resources
Verify the details with the official sources
Use these links for eligibility, scheduling, handbook rules, and issuer updates. Our guide helps you study; official sources tell you what the testing partner currently requires.
2026 CRA framework
Official domains, content areas, therapeutic areas and assessment design.
2026 CRA specification and permitted items
Official paper structure, response forms, timing and permitted equipment.
2026 CRA regulations
Current assessment rules, candidate requirements and both-parts pass requirement.
2026 CRA example questions guide
Official illustration of numerical free-entry, five-option SBA and shared-list EMQ forms.
2026 CRA questions and answers
Current clarification of framework coverage, calculations and four-nation scope.
GPhC registration assessment
Current dates, regulations, eligibility, adjustments and candidate guidance.
PSNI Foundation Training Year
Northern Ireland eligibility, sitting dates and CRA information.
Standards for initial education and training
Professional learning outcomes underpinning readiness for registration.
BNF and BNFC
Current UK medicines indications, cautions, interactions, doses and monitoring.
NICE medicines optimisation
UK evidence-based principles for safe and effective medicines use.
MHRA medicines safety
Current safety updates, regulatory advice and risk-minimisation measures.
UKHSA Green Book
Current UK immunisation guidance.
NHS Specialist Pharmacy Service
UK professional medicines advice, monitoring and interaction resources.
Human Medicines Regulations 2012
UK-wide legislation governing human medicines.
Controlled-drug regulations
Great Britain controlled-drug requirements, read with current amendments.
Northern Ireland controlled-drug regulations
Northern Ireland controlled-drug requirements, read with current amendments.
FAQ
Common Common Registration Assessment questions
What changed in 2026?
The CRA is jointly delivered across the UK by the GPhC and Pharmaceutical Society Northern Ireland under the 2026 common framework and specification.
What is Part 1?
Forty pharmacy and healthcare calculation questions with numerical free-entry answers in 120 minutes.
What is Part 2?
One hundred and twenty selected-response questions in 150 minutes: 90 five-option SBAs and 15 EMQ sets containing two questions each.
Is there one fixed pass mark?
No. Candidates must pass both parts, but the standard can vary with paper difficulty and should be checked for the actual sitting.
Are therapeutic-area weights fixed?
No. The framework orders fifteen areas by prevalence but publishes no fixed minimum or maximum count for each.
Can four-option single-answer practice reproduce the CRA?
No. This bank uses four-option single-answer questions only as a Pass Harbor product adaptation. The live assessment uses numerical free entry in Part 1 and five-option SBA plus eight-option shared-list EMQ forms in Part 2.