Understanding the

GPhC Sample Questions – Part 1

SIMON HARRIS NADA IMAME BABIR MALIK

@GL_Campus @greenlightcampus

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 Chat box – feel free to type in comments

Q&A box – the best place to ask questions

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 Introducing…Green Light Campus
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employee-owned
GL
Pharmacy

GL
GL@GP Campus

Clinical Supply
Innovation Chain

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 @greenlightcampus

@GL_Campus

Meet
The
Team Chao Wang
Clinical Tutor
Tom Byrne
Calculations Tutor
Babir Malik
Quality Assurance
Yinka Kuye
Study Day
Lead Programme Lead

Simon Harris Nada Imame Sadia Qayyum Emma Carter

Head of Education Calculations Tutor Calculations Tutor Clinical Lead

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 Aim of this evening’s webinar

To help you develop your knowledge and

understanding of pharmaceutical calculations
used in the GPhC Registration Assessment.

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 By the end of this session, you should be able to:

• Identify gaps in knowledge and understanding with calculations

• Review common errors with calculations

• Discuss methods to avoid common errors

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GPhC Exam Framework

• doses and dose regimens • molecular weight

• dosage and unit conversions • using provided formulae

• estimations of kidney function • infusion rates

• displacement volumes & values • pharmacokinetics

• concentrations • health economics

(e.g. expressed as w/v, % or 1 in x)

• dilutions • quantities to supply

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 The GPhC Registration
Assessment
2021

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 Essential GPhC resources
to help with your assessment preparation

❑ Registration Assessment Framework

❑ Feedback/Learning Points from Past Exams

❑ Sample Questions from Part 1 and Part 2 (in PV format)

❑ Assessment Instructions

❑ Webinar Recordings

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To find out more about Green Light Campus, including upcoming workshops, click here.
To find out more about Green Light Campus, including upcoming workshops, click here.
To find out more about Green Light Campus, including upcoming workshops, click here.
 Technique for Online Assessment
o For Part 1, the calculations paper, you will have a multi-sheet wipeable notepad.

o You will not need to wipe out calculations and will be able to look back over them.

o The units will be shown next to the answer box

o Rounding instructions will be stated in the questions

o No commas or spaces allowed i.e. 1000 mg not 1,000 mg

o You can return to a question and change your answer as many times as you like,
before the exam ends

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 Read every question very carefully - at least twice.

the numbers and other information which you need from the question.
Identify Rule out numbers and information which is NOT required.

the question or your method of calculating the answer.

Don’t and keep the process as simple as possible.
overcomplicate
and use a method you are comfortable with and have practiced

you answered the question that was asked.

Check you used the correct units and number of decimal places in your answer.
your answer makes sense in real life.

Practise and practise and keep on practising!

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To find out more about Green Light Campus, including upcoming workshops, click here.
To find out more about Green Light Campus, including upcoming workshops, click here.
 Q1. ANSWER

Answer: 48%
The child is taking 10 mL qds = 40 mL daily
The suspension contains 3.1 mmol Na/5 mL, therefore in 40 mL there are 24.8 mmol/day
- (3.1 mmol x 8)
RMM of sodium is 23, which means 23 g/mol (or 23 mg/mmol)

Mass = Mr x Moles
Mass (mg) = 23 x 24.8 mmol = 570.4 mg in 40mL
- Convert mg to grams = 0.5704 g
(0.5704 g / 1.2 g) x 100 = 47.533% = 48% GPhC Framework: Molecular weight

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To find out more about Green Light Campus, including upcoming workshops, click here.
 Q2. ANSWER
Answer: 134 minutes
Dose = 0.5 g/kg x 24 kg = 12 g.
Immunoglobulin (the drug) is 10% = 10 g/100 mL, therefore there are 12 g in 120 mL
- 120 mL is the total volume which we need to administer
First Infusion Rate = 0.6 mL x 24 kg x 0.5 = 7.2 mL (30 mins only, hence x 0.5)
Second Infusion Rate = 1.2 mL x 24 kg x 0.5 = 14.4 mL
Third Infusion Rate = 2.4 mL x 24 kg x 0.5 = 28.8 mL
Total administered in the first 90 minutes = 50.4 mL (7.2 mL + 14.4 mL + 28.8 mL)
Total volume – volume already given = 120 mL – 50.4 mL = 69.6 mL at a rate of 4 mL/kg
4 mL x 24 kg x X hr = 69.6 mL
X hr = 69.6 mL/96 = 0.725hrs x 60 mins = 43.5 mins + 90mins above = 133.5 mins
= 134 mins to nearest whole minute.
GPhC Framework: Infusion rates

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To find out more about Green Light Campus, including upcoming workshops, click here.
 Q3. ANSWER
Answer: 86 mL/hour

Patient requires 1800 kcal daily

Nutrison Energy contains 150 kcal/100 mL, therefore 1800 kcal in 1200 mL.
- (1800 kcal x 100 mL/150 kcal)

Patient needs 1200 mL in 14 hrs, therefore 1200 mL/14 hours = 85.7mL/hr

Round up to 86 mL/hour which is the nearest whole number.

GPhC Framework: Infusion rates

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To find out more about Green Light Campus, including upcoming workshops, click here.
 Q4. ANSWER

Answer: 270,000 units

Dose = 300 units/kg = 300 units x 60 kg = 18,000 units daily

18,000 units x 15 days = 270,000 units

GPhC Framework: Dose regimens

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To find out more about Green Light Campus, including upcoming workshops, click here.
 Q5. ANSWER
Answer: 84 mL

Dose = 250 micrograms/kg BD, therefore 250 micrograms x 23 kg = 5,750 mcg BD

5,750 mcg = 5.75 mg per dose.

Clobazam suspension available is 10 mg/5 mL, therefore we first need to calculate

how many mL is required per dose, to the nearest whole mL.
- Only then can we accurately calculate the volume required for 2 weeks’ treatment.

If 10 mg in 5 mL, 5.75 mg in 2.875 mL. This is then rounded to 3 mL per dose.

3 mL BD = 6 mL per day, x 14 days = 84 mL

GPhC Framework: Quantity to supply, dose regimen

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 Q6. ANSWER
Answer: 18 capsules

Body Surface Area (m2) = √ 86 kg x 184 cm/3600 = 2.096558 m 2

Dose = 2.096558 m2 x 30mg = 62.89674 mg daily

Capsules available as 10 mg, therefore round to nearest number = 60 mg daily

(6 capsules)

6 capsules daily x 3 days = 18 capsules

GPhC Framework: Dosage regimen, Quantity to supply, Use of provided formulae

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 Rounding guidance from GPhC - September 2019

Whilst normal mathematical rules about rounding apply to the registration

assessment, candidates must consider for each question where any rounding
should occur in a pharmacy practice context.
In some questions, the rounding should occur at the end of the calculation, but in
other questions rounding should occur earlier in the calculation.
For example, when calculating the total amount of a medicine that should be
supplied, rounding should occur for an individual dose before calculating a final
amount.
In some questions, specific rounding instructions are provided. For example, a dose
may be rounded to the nearest mL for ease of administration or specific instruction
may be given to round up or round down.

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To find out more about Green Light Campus, including upcoming workshops, click here.
 Q7. ANSWER
Answer: 355 tablets

Dose No. of 5 mg tablets No. of days Total number of tablets

50 mg 10 tabs 14 days 140 tabs
45 mg 9 tabs 7 days 63 tabs
40 mg 8 tabs 7 days 56 tabs
35 mg 7 tabs 7 days 49 tabs
30 mg 6 tabs 7 days 42 tabs
25 mg 5 tabs 7 days 35 tabs
20 mg 4 tabs 7 days 28 tabs
15 mg 3 tabs 7 days 21 tabs
10 mg 2 tabs 7 days 14 tabs
5 mg 1 tab 7 days 7 tabs
STOP 455 – 100 = 355 owed

GPhC Framework: Quantity to supply

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To find out more about Green Light Campus, including upcoming workshops, click here.
 Q8. ANSWER

Answer: 0.92 mL/hour

Patient is receiving 90 mg/24 hours

The 90 mg is in 22 mL, therefore he receives 22 mL/24 hours

22 mL divided by 24 hours = 0.92 mL/hour

GPhC Framework: Infusion rates

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To find out more about Green Light Campus, including upcoming workshops, click here.
 Q9. ANSWER

Answer: 1.8 mL

Dose = 1 mg/kg = 9 mg at night for this 9 kg child

Nitrofurantoin suspension is 25 mg/5 mL, so how many mL for 9 mg?

9 mg x 5 mL/25 mg = 1.8 mL

GPhC Framework: Dose regimen

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To find out more about Green Light Campus, including upcoming workshops, click here.
 Q10. ANSWER

Answer: 223 mL

Loading dose is 2.5 mL/kg of ethanol 40% = 2.5 mL x 78 kg = 195 mL of ethanol 40%

The question is asking us how much ethanol 35% would be this be equivalent to.

We have two concentrations and one volume, with one missing volume.

C1 x V1=C2 x V2

40% x 195 mL = 35% x V2

7,800 mL = 35% x V2

V2 = 222.857 mL = 223 mL to nearest whole number

GPhC Framework: Dilutions

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To find out more about Green Light Campus, including upcoming workshops, click here.
To find out more about Green Light Campus, including upcoming workshops, click here.
To find out more about Green Light Campus, including upcoming workshops, click here.
 Q11. ANSWER
Answer: 4 g
Using the SmPC, we can see there are a range of possible doses depending on the
type of infection.
For bacterial meningitis, the dose is 2 g every 8 hours. This is adjusted in renal
impairment however, so we need to calculate this to confirm the dose.
We are given the patient’s serum creatinine and CrCl formula:

CrCl (mL/min) = (140 – 54 years) x 67 kg x 1.23 = 26.544 mL/min

267micromol/litre

In the SPC, we can see from the renal impairment table the dose should be adjusted
to 2 g every 12 hours, or 4 g daily.

GPhC Framework: Dosage regimen, Resource pack, Renal function

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To find out more about Green Light Campus, including upcoming workshops, click here.
To find out more about Green Light Campus, including upcoming workshops, click here.
 Q12. ANSWER

Answer: £1594.86
The aim is to find the cost saving for 30 days for 114 patients (95% of 120).

Product Cost/30 days Total cost for 114 patients

Combodart caps £19.80 £2257.20
Tamsulosin 400 mcg m/r caps £2.80 £319.20
Dutasteride 500 mcg caps £3.01 £343.14

Cost Saving = £2257.20 – (£319.20 + £343.14) = £1594.86

GPhC Framework: Health economics

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 Review of
GPhC Sample
Questions
WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNT?

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Calculation Resources
✓ GPhC Sample Papers ✓ Mock Exams (GL, Bradford Uni, RPS)

✓ MCQs in Pharmaceutical Calculations ✓ Your tutor, colleagues and friends.

(Ryan Donnelly)

X Be careful with old mock exams and

✓ Pharmacy Registration Assessment online Qs
Questions – Pharmaceutical Press

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Advanced Calculations – Sunday 7th March
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/132104081865

Focus on Dilutions – Wednesday 31st March

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/140260453793

High Risk Drugs of the CNS – Sunday 11th April

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/139847432435

Focus on Infusion Rates – Wednesday 28th April

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/140263057581

Focus on Displacement Values & Volumes – Wednesday 12th May

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/140263346445

Focus on Health Economics – Wednesday 2nd June

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/141402515731
 Any
questions?

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 Learning Objectives - Revisited

• Identify gaps in knowledge and understanding with calculations

• Review common errors with calculations

• Discuss methods to avoid common errors

To find out more about Green Light Campus, including upcoming workshops, click here.
 Understanding the
GPhC Sample Questions – Part 1

SIMON HARRIS NADA IMAME BABIR MALIK

@GL_Campus @greenlightcampus

To find out more about Green Light Campus, including upcoming workshops, click here.