The dream here has always been to serve as a resource for new pharmacists and provide advice through my schooling and now licensure experiences. The vision for this portion of the blog is unveiling slowly and today I wanted to try my hand at helpful tips when it comes to board exam preparation. Specifically the NAPLEX.
Google search “NAPLEX Prep” right now and the results are quite daunting. There are a number of courses with review books, streaming videos, and test banks all available for students to purchase. But which ones are reputable? The names I'm familiar with are RxPrep and Pass NAPLEX Now aka "PNN." RxPrep is the gold standard for most people and unfortunately I can't speak for PNN as I've never used it... but I can tell you personally RxPrep was enough for me. The book is huge and the information provided is almost too much to know but it's better to be over prepared than the opposite.
I recommend RxPrep to every one of my new grad friends so why wouldn't I say the same here (#notsponsored). The test bank is only available for a certain amount of time after purchase, which almost messed up my year due to the postponement, but it was so helpful to me. Let me warn you now you will feel less than competent answering their questions and rethinking your career choice but stick it out. You made it this far didn't you?
Take advantage of any free/discounted resources offered by your school while you still can or potential new employers (chain retail companies usually do this), also keep an eye out for them at conferences or just ask around if you look hard enough you'll find those things. It's usually the cost that deters people from investing in their study but if you can afford it, please do.
Many schools also either provide a live review of their own or contract with a company to provide live reviews for their students. TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS. If your school has AccessPharmacy, you have access to a number of NAPLEX prep products from McGraw-Hill for the free!
Once you've gathered your materials together it's time to get serious. I'll go ahead and disclose my lifetime membership to Procrastinators Anon but listen, that exam is a beast don't let anyone tell you different. Not only other test takers but sometimes faculty members or preceptors can unintentionally influence a lackadaisical attitude by saying things like "everybody passes" or "it's not as bad as they make it." This then promotes studying at low quality or not studying at all until the last minute with the crammer approach (often using the belief that your years in school have given you the prep you need). Unfortunately many of those students go on to fail and throwing salt on that wound by just a few points.
No one wants to receive that non-passing score being off by just a few points. And then you have to wait before taking the exam again...
Every year the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) publishes passing rate information for each of the United States schools and colleges of pharmacy on its website. Here's 2019's. It's important to note the NAPLEX passing rate is approximately 88% for first-time takers from ACPE accredited programs. Therefore it could be safe to assume the number of pharmacy students who fail the NAPLEX first try is quite a lot and on an annual basis. That might not be you... but it also might be you. Does that get your attention?
How many calculation questions have you been practicing? This is a significant portion of the exam with a lot of fill in the blanks. In our final year of APPEs, if the calculation wasn't common like CrCl, flow rates, ANC and maybe alligation.. it's most likely we weren't performing them. Practice those calculations it's crucial for the NAPLEX. RxPrep has a designated front to back page of equations. Do those every night if you can, even up to the night before. Keep them fresh in your head because with 250 questions total it really comes down to time management.
Biostats and compounding are also huge hitters. I would say the trio of math, biostatistics, and compounding actually guarantee you a majority of the exam (but not all of it let me EMPHASIZE that). I'll never refer to any portion of study as "light-work", but they were always thought of as small add-ons to my day. Whatever disease state I focused on I would round up with some calculations, compounding methods + excipients, and biostats.
When it comes to drugs and disease states, side effect knowledge is key. Interactions are key. Reading the case and lab results paying attention to detail... all of it is key.
24 hr TIPS
Prepare for your exam day to be stress free.
Don’t study the night before. Do what you like in the day. It's pointless to suggest no studying because it's always going to happen (so make sure you hit a few of those calculations *wink*wink*) I just advise you call it by nighttime. Try relaxing, literally anything else. It'll help you sleep.
Have your supplies ready. Think night before the first day of school setup. You will need forms of ID and there are specific name matching rules, a calculator (if you don't plan to use theirs), something to write with, and a snack whether or not you plan on eating because the exam is looooooooong.
Aim for a great night of sleep! Even if those nerves are fighting against it, turn off the lights and lay in that bed with intention.
Eat breakfast.
Whenever you are scheduled plan to get there early. If the drive is long distance take that into account along with any natural mishaps (traffic, detours, gas etc.) You might get there and meet a long line so just eliminate the stressors you can control.
To all of you soon to be licensed pharmacists you are almost there! I hope this advice is helpful and increases your confidence! If you have any questions feel free to leave a comment or contact me. I am more than happy to help. Good luck you guys!
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