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Preparing for the NAPLEX

1
CHAPTER

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GENERAL INFORMATION
NAPLEX
The North American Pharmacy Licensure Exam (NAPLEX)
is the clinical aptitude test developed by the National
Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) and
administered to pharmacy graduates to assess the
competency of candidates for pharmacy practice. It is a
requirement to obtain pharmacy licensure in all 50 states.
MPJE
The Multistate Pharmacy Jurisprudence Examination
(MPJE) is the examination developed by the NABP to test
the candidates competency and knowledge of federal
and state pharmacy law. The questions are customized to
the specific law in each state. It is required for a pharmacy
license by 44 states and the District of Columbia.

REGISTRATION
Candidates wishing to register for the NAPLEX with or
without the MPJE must contact the board of pharmacy in
the state they are seeking licensure or their school of
pharmacy and complete a paper examination registration
form for each examination. Candidates may also
choose to register online for the NAPLEX or MPJE at
www.napb.net. Candidates should check the website to
see if their state participates in online registration.
Candidates may submit their registration, paper or
online, before graduation; however, the state board of
pharmacy will authorize eligibility only after all
graduation requirements have been met.
The NAPLEX and MPJE may be taken on the same day,
if time permits; however, it may be beneficial to take the
examinations on separate days due to the diversity of the
material.

FEES
Examination fees:
 NAPLEX: $465 per examination
 MPJE: $185 per examination
For those who wish to change their appointments, an
additional fee of $50 will be charged. Candidates who
withdraw from taking the NAPLEX will receive a partial
refund of $140; those who withdraw from taking the MPJE
will receive a partial refund of $65. Cancellations or

rescheduling the exam must be done at least two business

days before the scheduled appointment.
Fees are payable to the National Association of
Boards of Pharmacy or NABP and submitted in the form
of a money order, bank draft, or certified check.
Personal check or cash is not accepted.
After registration, candidates will receive an
authorization to test (ATT) letter, which confirms the
candidates eligibility by the state board of pharmacy.
Upon receipt, candidates can schedule their
appointments for examination and have one year to do so.
The ATT and application expires after one year.
The NABP website, www.nabp.net, can provide the
most current information.

ANSWER FORMAT OF THE NAPLEX

The computer-adaptive NAPLEX examination consists of
185 multiple-choice questions; however, only 150
questions are scored. The remaining 35 are considered
pretest questions, which have no impact on the final
score. These questions are used to help develop future
tests. Because no indication is given to determine the
scored questions versus the nonscored questions, it is to
test-takers advantage to answer all questions to the best
of their knowledge.
The test also uses case/scenario-based format (i.e.,
patient profiles) and K-type multiple choice questions in
which three choices are given and candidates select from
five combinations of those three choices:
I. Choice 1
II. Choice 2
III. Choice 3
A. I only
B. III only
C. I and II
D. II, III
E. I, II, III

TEST STRUCTURE OF THE NAPLEX

The NAPLEX has three core areas:
1. Ensure safe and effective pharmacotherapy and
optimize therapeutic outcomes (approximately 54% of
the exam).
2. Ensure safe and accurate preparation and dispensing
of medications (approximately 35% of the exam).