The NAPLEX, or North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination, measures a candidate’s knowledge of the practice of pharmacy. It is just one component of the licensure process and is used by the boards of pharmacy as part of their assessment of a candidate’s competence to practice as a pharmacist.
The NAPLEX assesses whether a prospective pharmacist can identify practice standards for safe and effective pharmacotherapy and optimize therapeutic outcomes in patients, can identify and determine safe and accurate methods to prepare and dispense medications, and can provide and apply health care information to promote optimal health care.
The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy is an impartial professional organization that supports the state boards of pharmacy in protecting public health.
Founded in 1904, the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) is the impartial professional organization that supports the state boards of pharmacy in protecting public health. NABP aims to ensure the public’s health and safety through its pharmacist license transfer and pharmacist competence assessment programs, as well as through its VIPPS, Vet-VIPPS, VAWD, and DMEPOS accreditation programs.
If you want to take the current NAPLEX you must:
- Register with NABP
- Be granted eligibility
- Receive your ATT
- Remit the the fee for the NAPLEX which is $505
This 185-question exam tests a prospective pharmacist’s ability to measure pharmacotherapy and therapeutic outcomes, prepare and dispense medications, and implement and evaluate information for optimal health care.
As a computer-based exam, the Pre-NAPLEX uses adaptive technology to deliver selected-response and constructed-response questions, many of which are asked in a scenario-based format. (For example, a patient profile is provided, and you must answer a series of questions related to the profile.)