NAPLEX stands for North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination. The NAPLEX is issued by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) and is employed by the boards of pharmacy as a part of their assessment of competence to practice pharmacy. NABP represents each of the 50 states within us, the District of Columbia, and therefore, the five major U. S. territories. South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, and Canada also practice NAPLEX for licensure.
These boards of pharmacy have a mandate to guard the public against unsafe and ineffective pharmacy care, and every board has been given the responsibility to manage the practice of pharmacy in its respective state. In fact, the NAPLEX is usually mentioned as “The Boards” or “State Boards.”
Each state requires applicants to require and pass the NAPLEX to get a license to practice as a registered pharmacist. The NAPLEX has just one purpose: to work out if it’s safe for you to start practicing as an entry-level pharmacist.
To take the NAPLEX, you want to meet the eligibility requirements of the board of pharmacy from which you seek licensure. The board will determine your eligibility in accordance with the jurisdiction’s requirements. If you’re determined to be eligible, the board will notify NABP of your eligibility. Once that happens, a letter is going to be issued to you by Pearson VUE, the test administrator with information about the way to schedule your testing appointment.
The NAPLEX isn’t given fairly often, it takes years of pricey schooling to qualify for, and therefore, the testing fee is around $500 whenever an individual takes it. For these reasons and lots more, it’s imperative that you simply be fully prepared for the exam in order that you’ll pass it on your first attempt. Failure is often a really expensive setback because it can prevent you from embarking on a lucrative pharmacy career for months.
The NAPLEX may be a linear form exam that consists of 250 multiple-choice questions. Of these, 200 questions are going to be wont to calculate your test score. The remaining 50 items function experimental questions and don’t affect your score.
Many of the questions on the NAPLEX are asked during a scenario-based format (i.e., patient profiles with accompanying test questions). To properly analyze and answer the questions, you want to ask the knowledge provided within the patient profile. Other questions are answered solely from the knowledge provided within the question.
Over the past few years, the amount of K questions has been declining on the NAPLEX, and that they have now been phased out completely.
The newer question formats on the NAPLEX include the following:
- multiple choice
- multiple responses
- constructed response
- ordered response
- hot-spot
The NAPLEX isn’t a test of accomplishment or intelligence, neither is it designed for pharmacists with years of experience. The questions don’t involve high-tech clinical pharmacy or equipment. Note, too, that you simply won’t be tested on all the content you were taught in pharmacy school, therefore, it is a good idea to get some practice NAPLEX.