There was a pass rate of 79 per cent in the June registration assessment, the General Pharmaceutical Council has announced – up from 78.2 per cent in last year’s June assessment.

2,942 candidates sat the 28 June assessment in total, of whom 2,318 passed. 2,642 were sitting it for the first time, 146 for the second time and 154 for the third time.

This year's assessment proved to be controversial with candidates raising concerns around the questions used, prompting the British Pharmaceutical Students' Association to raise a number of issues with the GPhC in a recent meeting.

GPhC chief executive Duncan Rudkin said: “I want to congratulate the trainees who passed this year’s registration assessment and wish them well for their future careers. I also want to acknowledge the hard work of tutors and education and training providers in helping trainees prepare for this important step.

“The registration assessment allows us to test that pre-registration trainee pharmacists can demonstrate that they understand how to apply their knowledge appropriately and make professional judgements in pharmacy practice. By only registering those who pass this challenging assessment, we can provide assurance to patients and the public that the pharmacists on our register can practise safely and effectively.”