The foundation training year (FTY) is 39+ weeks of supervised practice — community, hospital, or split-sector — culminating in the CRA. The trainees who pass first time start CRA preparation from month one. The trainees who fail often leave revision until the final 4-6 weeks.
Structure: Minimum 39 weeks supervised practice. Designated tutor oversight with regular reviews and competency sign-offs. Settings: community pharmacy, hospital pharmacy, or split-sector programmes.
Competency framework: GPhC Initial Education and Training Standards. Your tutor assesses your competence throughout the year — the CRA is the final gatekeeper.
CRA timing: June and November sittings. Eligibility depends on your training start date and SEB window.
Study expectations: Balance clinical learning with exam preparation throughout FTY. Daily revision from month one — even 15 minutes of iatroX adaptive quiz — is more effective than 8 weeks of cramming.
Common mistake: Treating FTY as purely clinical and leaving CRA revision to the final weeks. The CRA failure rate reflects this pattern.
Start iatroX's adaptive GPhC quiz from month one — building knowledge incrementally is more effective than cramming.