GPAT Exam

Do you want to build a career in the field of research and development? Do you want to dive deeper into the pool of innovation and find out things that have not been discovered yet? Are you a B.Pharma student interested in a postgraduate program in Pharmacy? Then, a Masters in Pharmacy is an ideal course to go for. To get admission to MPharm programs in top pharmacy colleges in India, candidates can appear for the GPAT exam. Through this blog, we will explore the key essentials of the GPAT exam, its important exam dates, eligibility criteria and syllabus and more!

Name of the Exam	Graduate Pharmacy Aptitude Test
Conducting Body	National Testing Agency (NTA)
Purpose	M. Pharma programs
Application Form	Online
Exam Mode	Online
Exam Duration	3 hours
Exam Date	TBA
Exam Timings	9 am to 12 pm or 3pm to 6pm
Exam Result	TBA
Score Card Validity	3 years
Number of Questions	125
Type Of Questions	MCQs
Negative Marking	-1
Correct Answer	4 marks per question

What is GPAT Exam?

GPAT stands for Graduate Pharmacy Aptitude Test and is a national level entrance exam affiliated with the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD). The aim to select candidates for M.Pharm and equivalent programs offered at Indian institutions. It was initially organized by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) till 2017 after which the National Testing Agency (NTA) started conducting the GPAT exam. The scorecard for the GPAT exam is accepted by over 800 Indian universities as well as the institutions/constituent colleges/university departments approved by AICTE.

Also Read: NIPER JEE

GPAT Scholarship 2023

The GPAT Scholarship 2023 is offered by AICTE to give financial assistance to candidates enrolled in full-time masters programmes for Pharmacy courses. In order to be eligible for the scholarship, all applicants must have a valid GPAT scorecard and be full-time first-year student enrolled in M. Pharmacy programmes in 2023.

Award: Candidates are awarded a monthly stipend of Rs 12,000 per month for two years.

Candidates can apply for the scholarship before the deadline. The essential documents for application are-

• GATE/GPAT scorecard (Scanned)
• Bank passbook (Scanned)
• Scanned copy of Aadhaar card (Students from J&K, Meghalaya and Assam are exempted) 
• Scanned copy of caste certificate
• Scanned copy of the Non-Creamy Layer (NCL) certificate, not more than a year old (only for OBC candidates)

GPAT Exam Centers 2023

GPAT is a national-level entrance exam conducted for master’s programs in pharmacy offered by innumerable colleges for Pharma in India. The 2023 exam was conducted in all Indian states and cities with 271 exam centers.

Port Blair	Guntur	Kurnool	Nellore
Rajahmundry	Tirupathi	Vijayawada	Visakhapatnam
Itanagar	Dibrugarh	Guwahati	Bhagalpur
Darbhanga	Gaya	Muzaffarpur	Patna
Chandigarh	Bhilai Nagar	Raipur	Delhi
Jammu	Srinagar	Dhanbad	Jamshedpur
Ranchi	Belagavi	Bengaluru	Dharwad
Gulbarga	Mangaluru	Mysuru	Manipal
Ernakulam	Kottayam	Kozhikode	Thiruvananthapuram
Thrissur	Leh	Kavaratti	Bhopal
Panaji	Ahmedabad	Anand	Bhavnagar
Bhuj	Himatnagar	Jamnagar	Mehsana
Rajkot	Surat	Vadodara	Ambala
Gwalior	Indore	Jabalpur	Sagar
Ahmednagar	Amravati	Aurangabad	Dhule
Kolhapur	Mumbai	Nagpur	Nanded
Faridabad	Gurugram	Hissar	Valsad
Bilaspur	Hamirpur	Shimla	Solan
Nashik	Pune	Solapur	Thane
Imphal	Shillong	Aizawl	Dimapur
Kohima	Balasore	Berhampur-ganjam	Bhawanipatna
Bhubaneswar	Siliguri	Sambalpur	Puducherry
Amritsar	Bhatinda	Ludhiana	Patiala
Jaipur	Jodhpur	Kota	Sikar
Udaipur	Chennai	Coimbatore	Madurai
Tiruchirappalli	Tirunelveli	Hyderabad	Karimnagar
Warangal	Agartala	Agra	Allahabad
Bareilly	Ghaziabad	Gorakhpur	Lucknow
Kanpur	Meerut	Noida	Varanasi
Dehradun	Haldwani	Roorkee	Kolkata

Important Dates for GPAT Exam 2023

Though the GPAT exam is conducted in the online mode, the candidates need to take the test at the nearest exam center allotted by the NTA. The below-mentioned table below elucidates the important dates (tentative) and notifications of this test that you need to keep in mind before beginning your preparation for the exam.

Events	Tentative Dates 2023
GPAT 2023 Application	16.02.2023
Application Deadline	17.03.2023
Correction Facility	19.03.2023 – 21.03.2023
Application Fee Deadline	TBA
Availability of Admit Card	TBA
GPAT Examination Date	TBA
Declaration of GPAT Result 2023	TBA

Eligibility Criteria 

Whenever you appear for an entrance exam, you need to have a basic idea of what would be required out of you or if you are eligible to appear for the exam. Similarly, AICTE has also specified some prerequisites for students planning to apply for this test. For taking the GPAT exam, here is a list of eligibility requirements you need to fulfil:

• The candidates applying for this exam must be from the Indian subcontinent and enlisted as a citizen of India. 
• You must have a bachelor’s degree in the field of Pharmacy. Hence, you must have completed 16 years of education i.e. 10+2 and 4 years of graduation. 
• The candidates who are in the final year of their undergraduate course in Pharmacy (BPharm) can also appear for the GPAT exam. 
• Those who are enrolled or have completed B.Tech in the field of Pharmaceutical and Chemical Technology, and its equivalent are not eligible to appear for the GPAT exam. 

GPAT 2023 Exam Pattern

GPAT exam is an online computer-based test conducted every year for admissions to various masters courses in pharmacy across India. It contains 125 MCQs from subjects related to bachelors in pharmacy. Let’s look at the GPAT exam pattern in detail for the upcoming exam-

Exam Mode	Online
Purpose	Admissions to M.Pharma programmes
Frequency	Once
Type of Questions	Multiple Choice Questions
Total Questions	125
Total Marks	500
Correct Answer	4 marks
Negative Marking	-1

Section-Wise GPAT Exam Pattern

Sections	Questions	Marks
Pharmaceutical Chemistry	38	152
Pharmaceutics	38	152
Pharmacognosy	10	40
Pharmacology	28	112
Other Subjects	11	44
Total	125	500

GPAT 2023 Marking Scheme

The marking scheme used in the GPAT test is detailed below.

• Marks per right question: 4 marks are given to each correct answer.
• Negative Marking: One mark shall be deducted for every incorrect response
• Questions unanswered: no marks given.

Note: Candidates can visit the official GPAT website to scroll the grading scheme, which will assist them calculate the likely marks when the answer key has been released.

GPAT 2023 Registration

All candidates have to apply for GPAT-2023 Online through the official website. Candidates have to fill out the application form, upload scanned documents, pay the fees and submit it before the last day of registration. Applications submitted after the last day will not be accepted. Candidates can make corrections to the application form after the submission but before the last date of correction.

GPAT 2023 Application Form

All candidates should have certain documents and information handy while filling out the GPAT 2023 application form.

• Valid government ID proof
• Date of Birth (Class X certificate)
• Educational Qualification details 
• Scanned Passport size 
• Scanned copy of the signature
• PWD certificate 
• Email ID and Mobile number
• Debit Card/Credit Card/Net bank details for payment of exam fees

How to Apply?

• All aspirants must apply for Online Registration by using their own email Id and mobile no. 
• Fill out the online application form and write the generated application number.
• Upload scanned images of photograph and candidate’s signature 
• Upload PWD certificate 
• Recheck all the details and Pay the Fees

GPAT Fees 2023

General	Male- Rs 2000	Female- Rs 1000
Gen-EWS/ SC/ST/PwD /OBC-(NCL)	Male- Rs 1000	Female- Rs 1000
Transgender		Rs 1000

GPAT Correction Facility 2023

Those candidates who wish to correct their details for GPAT Exam form 2023 are offered the correction facility. The correction facility for the GPAT Exam 2023 will be commenced from 3rd week of March 2023. Only successfully registered candidate will be allowed to correct their details.

GPAT Admit Card 2023

The GPAT admit card was released online before the commencement of the GPAT exam. An admit card contains all the details of the candidate, exam centre, timings and date of the exam. It is used as a hall ticket for entry into the exam and all candidates are required to carry the admit card to the centre. 

GPAT Result 2023

All candidates have to download the scorecard from the official website. Passing GPAT does not qualify candidates for admissions to M.Pharma colleges, candidates have to meet the set cut-off by the colleges and appear for any further group discussion and personal interview held by the particular colleges. 

Also Read: How to Become a Pharmacist in India 2021

Special Facilities for GPAT Exam

The following special facilities are available during the GPAT exam for candidates classed as physically disabled, visually impaired, etc.

Disability category of the candidate	Facility granted	To be arranged by
Visually Impaired	Screen/Font Magnification	Test centre
Visually Impaired	Abacus without calculator	Candidates
Visually Impaired/ Cerebral Pal	Scribe/Reader	Candidates/test centre
Locomotor Disability	Wheel Chair	Candidates
Hearing Impaired	Hearing aid machine	Candidates

GPAT Counselling 2023

Universities and Institutes accepting GPAT start the counselling session after the announcement of results. Remember, merely qualifying GPAT is not a guarantee of admission to any of the GPAT colleges. All those candidates who have qualified are eligible to apply and appear for further evaluation by GPAT colleges. 

After qualifying for the exam, candidates can visit the official website GPAT and select the option of web entry and select your preferred colleges. Seat allotment is conducted on the basis of merit list and candidates’ scores, once the seats are allotted candidates have to visit the preferred for admissions along with relevant documents-

Here is the list of documents you must carry for admissions to GPAT colleges-

1. GPAT Rank Card 2023
2. GPAT Counselling Admit Card
3. Any government approved identity card (Aadhar card, voter ID card)
4. Recent passport size photographs
5. 12th class mark sheet & 10th class mark sheet 
6. Character certificate 
7. Provisional Certificate 
8. Category Certificate for SC/ST/OBC candidates
9. Domicile certificate

GPAT Exam: Syllabus 

As the test is usually conducted online, the candidates need to appear for the GPAT exam in one sitting. The GPAT exam generally includes areas of study under the field of Medicine and Pharmacy. Most of these sub-disciplines are taken from the course syllabus of B.Pharm or its equivalent degree program. The following table enlists some of the major Medical Science subjects included in the syllabus of the exam.

Physical Chemistry	Physical Pharmacy	Organic Chemistry
Organic Pharmaceutical Chemistry	Pharmaceutics	Pharmacology
Pharmacognosy	Pharmaceutical Analysis	Biochemistry
Biotechnology	Microbiology	Pathophysiology
Biopharmaceutics and Pharmacokinetics	Clinical Pharmacy and Therapeutics	Human Anatomy and Physiology
Pharmaceutical and Engineering	Management and Jurisprudence	Medicinal Chemistry

Know everything about GPAT Syllabus Here!

Best GPAT Books 2023

1. The Pearson Guide to GPAT and Other Entrance Examination in Pharmacy by Akaberi Shah Baser
2. GPAT: A Companion by Nazma N. Inamdar
3. Compete Pharma (A Guide For Preparation Of GPAT/NIPER/BITS/CEEB/CET And Other Pharma Competitive Exams) by Tarun Kumar Das
4. GPAT Cracker by Dr Sanjar Alam and others
5. Introduction to the Pharmaceutical Sciences, By Nita K. Pandit. 
6. Aulton’s Pharmaceutics: The Design and Manufacture of Medicines
7. Essentials of Physical Chemistry, B.S.Bahl, G.D.Tuli, S. Chand
8. The Pearson Guide to GPAT by Umang Shah
9. Chemicol: Concepts in Pharmacy – Most Relevant book for GPAT and NIPER by Deepanmol Singh
10. Comprehensive Solution for GPAT/ NIPER by Mr. Krishan Bhardwaj, Dr. Avijit Mazumder, Dr. Sameer Rastogi, Dr. Praveen Gaur, Mrs. Nidhi Srivastava

Also Read: All About Medicine | Medical Jobs And Degree

Tips to Ace the GPAT Exam 2023

• Cover the syllabus thoroughly and study the exam pattern before starting your preparation.
• Another tip on how to prepare for GPAT is to study the questions papers and take mock tests to figure out the types of questions and pattern of the exam. Click here to get the recent question papers.
• Another important tip on how to prepare is to focus on the bachelors syllabus for Pharmacy and stick to the given reference books. Try to cover limited books thoroughly.
• Stay focused and try to maintain a healthy diet while preparing for the GPAT entrance exam. Click here for the list of subject-wise books for GPAT

Click here for a Detailed Guide to GPAT Syllabus!

Top M Pharmacy Colleges in India

1	National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Mohali
2	Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi
3	University Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chandigarh
4	Jadavpur University, Kolkata
5	Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai
6	Department of Pharmaceutics, IIT BHU, Varanasi
7	Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Vadodara
8	National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Hyderabad
9	Andhra University, Vishakhapatnam
10	Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University, Nagpur
11	University College of Pharmaceutical Science, Kakatiya University, Warangal
12	School of Pharmacy, Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya, Indore
13	Dibrugarh University, Dibrugarh
14	Dr. Harisingh Gour Vishwavidyalaya, Sagar
15	Government College of Pharmacy, Bengaluru
16	Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak1
17	National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Raebareli
18	National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Ahmedabad
19	National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Kolkata
20	Manipal College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Manipal

FAQs

Check out: Masters in Pharmacy in Canada!

Hence, we hope that this blog helped you understand what the GPAT exam is, its key dates as well as the syllabus you need to cover in order to appear for the test. If you are planning to pursue your MPharm degree abroad and don’t know where to start, take the help of Leverage Edu’s AI tool to browse through universities offering this postgraduate course across the globe and find the right one that aligns with your interests and career aspirations.