r/NAPLEX_Prep

Did anybody take the naplex today? How was it?

Some background, I have been licensed in New Jersey for 2 months, immediately applying through reciprocity to be licensed in New York as well. On my first attempt at my NJ MPJE (11/25), I didn't really have any great resources (crammed for ~12 hours overnighter right before straight from BOP website and DEA manual) and failed my first attempt although I did feel quite confident after the exam as many questions pertained to retail law which I had a lot of experience in. On my second go at NJ MPJE (1/29), I got a hold of the RxPrep MPJE book with state specific flashcards for free through my employer and crammed through an all nighter (another ~12 hours) felt HORRENDOUS (unlike first attempt, much more compounding which I was not strong with) and yet by some miracle found out that I had actually passed. Come time for NY MPJE (3/28), I had heard there was a strong emphasis on compounding and saw on this sub that the NY MPJE app was extremely useful for many so I used that and the compounding section of the RxPrep MPJE book to cram (same deal, night before all nighter ~12 hours) and found that soooo many questions were basically straight from the app and compounding section and passed on my first attempt.

I have always been a good test taker and a procrastinator, which I realize may not be the case for many on this sub, but I wanted to share my experience anyway for anyone who has a similar brilliant yet unreliable neurodivergent mind with no sense of urgency. I was working full-time 40 hour weeks, entertaining hobbies that I didn't get a chance to enjoy as much as I would have liked during pharmacy school, and going out with friends enjoying the post-grad life, so for anyone looking for the most efficient way to learn the information necessary to pass, this is what I would recommend:

-Do not even bother with official sources of information like BOP website, DEA manual, and USP. The way they present information is difficult to navigate and includes a lot of unnecessary fluff.

-Practice questions, practice questions, practice questions. These were great for active recall, and the RxPrep state specific flash cards and MPJE apps had great explanations that also included very important information for the exam. Don't just memorize the answers, have a firm understanding of the reasoning and general concept of the encompassing the question. Run through the practice exams until you score 90%+ (ideally 100% if you have the time) and this will be a recipe for success, giving you up to 30% of the exam in the bag.

-COMPOUNDING. The great equalizer, which I felt must have made up about 30-40% of my NJ second attempt and NY exams. Honestly, the RxPrep compounding section was not sufficient to cover all the questions from the exams, but it definitely did cover the important memorizey type questions (fridge temps, iso, training requirements). The rest I banked on common sense (handling/disposing/cleaning of hazardous drugs made up the most of what wasn't covered).

-If you are on a time crunch like me, I consider memorizing things like NIOSH list and controlled schedules to be a big waste of time, you are better off putting your energy into other information as really this will only get you 1 or 2 questions on the exam.

-Some information I saw consistently pop up on all my exams that did not show up in my study resources which would have been easy to look up before were: requirements to become a technician (age, level of education, etc) and CE requirements (how many, how often, and which specific subjects have more particular requirements like med safety and live sessions). This is like 5 questions I was basically guessing that I could have gotten in the bag.

That's pretty much everything that comes to mind, but open to any questions. For people that are struggling to pass, I understand that the questions can be challenging, but it's really important to stay calm, be confident, lean on your studies (not just for the exam but your entire time in pharm school and any related employment), and use these to reason through all the semantic word slop. At the end of the day, we are all doctors and nobody can take that away from us. You are more than what your exam results say you are. Good luck to everyone, happy testing!

Hey October test taker,

My exam is coming up in a few days and the pre NAPLEX anxiety is starting to kick in full force.

For those of you testing early this month (or anyone who just finished recently), I’m curious about your game plan for the final stretch, what things u wish u did:

1. What are you focusing on in the last 48–72 hours**?** Are you doing pure math/biostats review, rewriting formulas, going over brand/generics, or just running through high-yield cheat sheets (immunizations, ID, foundation chapters)?
2. Any advice, high yield reminders, or mental health checks would be greatly appreciated. Good luck to everyone testing this week we’ve got this!

My NAPLEX is on Oct 6. I have been studying using PNN for about 2 months now. I have gone over the review book, reviewed on a daily basis, did practice questions and the like, but I just took 2 practice tests ... 68% first one and 65% the second one. I know I am so cooked.

I was never the best student in pharmacy school. I was held back a year and I was the lowest ranked student in my school -- our school said they don't rank but I overheard one of the faculty say I was the lowest rank. As my NAPLEX is coming up I am already walking in expecting to fail and already prospectively debating whether it's worth another try attempt NAPLEX fail.

Maybe it's best for me to just stay a technician.

I just wanted to write this as a source of encouragement for anyone who is in the thick of things. Prepping for exams is hard. Residency is hard. Fellowship is hard. Working is HARD! I remember studying for the exams and crying from sheer anxiety almost every day in the beginning. Going through orientation for residency while taking both exams was mentally straining, plus the possibility of being dismissed from my program if I didn't pass? It was a badddd season lol. But Jesus really took me through. Praying during my exams helped me to stay calm and answer all of my questions with a sound mind. With all that being said, here are a few NAPLEX/MPJE tips I have:

1. Your journey is your journey!!!! So many people have methods to pass exams, but you know yourself better than anyone! One of my co-residents passed the NAPLEX without studying, while I studied every single day for 2 months to pass. No matter what anyone says to encourage you or even make you fearful of the exam, trust in God to lead you and in the effort you put in to study. Everything will be okay in the end.

2. For NAPLEX, be smart about what you study! It's impossible to know what clinical topics you'll be asked about, so do not neglect what is guaranteed to be there. Everyone will have math and biostats on the exam, so make those easy points for yourself by repeatedly doing practice questions. Personally, my clinical questions were all over the place, so I think math helped me a lot. This does not mean to neglect clinical topics! But definitely also prioritize math/biostats.

3. Law is tricky, since it's different for each state, but I'd definitely recommend focusing on controlled substances, hazardous compounding, counseling (my exam was mostly counseling), and penalties for pharmacists. And read the actual laws if you have time! This helped me to understand them better, since some of the study guides left out important info. Also, if your state has an MPJE Made Easy question bank, I highlyyyy recommend using it. The questions were super similar to the MPJE, which also helped. Again, this exam does differ by each state, but these are the tactics that helped me.

4. Finally, if you know Jesus, pleaseeee lean on Him in this season! And if you don't there is no better time than now to get to know Him. I fasted and prayed for a while in preparation for the exams, and I will say, God gave me so much peace when I left all my anxiety with Him. The stress dissipated when I realized I didn't have to carry the results of these exams on my own. I knew He gave me my residency, and I knew He would make a way for me to stay in it.

I hope this helps anyone who is a bit stressed with exam prep. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions or need someone to pray with you! Wishing you all the best :)