NAPLEX (The North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination) is an official exam created by the NABP (National Association of Boards of Pharmacy) to assist individual state boards of pharmacy to evaluate an individual’s capability and knowledge so that he or she may be given a license to practice. In this article, I summarize important information you should be aware of the NAPLEX before you take the exam.
There is a total of 250 questions in NAPLEX. Only 200 questions are used to calculate your final score. The remaining 50 questions are pretest questions which are for future NAPLEX exam, that do not impact your final score.
The NAPLEX is a computer-based exam hence it is a non-adaptive exam.
You have only 6 hours to complete 250 questions. It means you have 1.44 minutes to solve one question.
If you fail to answer all the questions and time runs out then all unanswered questions will be scored as incorrect.
Keep in mind that the majority of the questions are scenario-based. Be ready to read all the medical records data or patient profile data to get the details required to answer the questions correctly. You will also get standalone questions.
The NAPLEX tutorial is before you start the exam. This will make you familiar with the exam interface. I recommend you take the tutorial.
Do not skip any question as there is no negative marking. You must answer all questions in the NAPLEX. You will not allow back to the previous question once you confirm your answer.
NAPLEX has a unique grading system. It’s passing score is 75. The overall score range is between 0-150
You should be aware that 67% of the NAPLEX questions cover “Safe and Effective Pharmacotherapy and Health Outcomes” and 33% of questions cover “Safe and Accurate Preparation, Compounding, Dispensing, and Administration of Medications and Provision of Health Care Products”.
If you Failed in your first NAPLEX exam then there are 45 days waiting period before you can retake the exam. Please consult with your board of pharmacy regarding waiting periods since time varies between state
You can take the NAPLEX up to 5 times after failed attempts (if permitted by the board of pharmacy).
If you want to know the process of registration as a pharmacist in detail then read the article How to Become a Registered Pharmacist in the U.S.