The true cost of failing the NAPLEX or MPJE
The true cost of failing the NAPLEX® or MPJE®
Failing the MPJE or NAPLEX can feel stressful and highly emotional. However, it is not a reflection of your capabilities. At the end of the day, you completed a highly competitive program and acquired a highly complex skillset. People fail these exams for various reasons, and it is OK. State boards allow you to retake them 3-5 times before requiring additional coursework.
Any PharmD graduate who wants to practice pharmacy in the USA must pass at least the NAPLEX and MPJE exams along with any additional state board requirements. Thousands of pharmacy graduates take the NAPLEX and MPJE each year. The national pass rate for these exams, as published by NABP®, is:
1. NAPLEX: 84% first-time taking the exam, 82% all-time (2021 graduates)
2. MPJE: 80% first-time taking the exam, 79% all-time (2021 graduates)
Digging into the data, we see that pass rates for universities can be as low as 53% for the NAPLEX and 42% for the MPJE. With over 150 universities offering PharmD programs, the pass rate for the schools range from the low end mentioned above to over 90% at select programs/universities.
You need to know the impact of failing the NAPLEX / MPJE so that you know what to expect.
The true cost of failing the NAPLEX or MPJE exam can be over $30,000 for individuals and $100K+ for pharmacies that must fulfill non-resident pharmacy requirements before they can mail drugs across state lines.
What is the impact of failing the NAPLEX or MPJE?
1. Missed pharmacist wages for a minimum of 2 months can go up to 6 months
2. Missed pharmacist-level employment opportunity based on your preference (ex: withdrawal of hospital-based position, and now you will have to look at other options that might not align with your personal needs)
3. Impact on residency completion
4. Impact on pharmacy revenue based on filling/mailing medication across state lines. Unable to fulfill non-resident pharmacy/Pharmacy manager requirements which impact sales and revenue for the business
5. Further delays in getting licensed due to personal/family reasons that come up
The list above is not exhaustive but illustrates the monetary and personal delays someone might experience due to not passing these exams.
So what can you do? Practice, practice, practice.
1. Review all pharmacy law and pharmacy practice lectures and material you have from your school and other sources
2. Take practice tests; these help you identify gaps you have and provide an experience similar to the real exam (time constraints, questions/answer types/choices you have not seen before, etc)
3. Study the gaps identified
4. Retake practice tests to reinforce your learning. Good practice exams randomize the question/answer choices, which helps avoid answering the question based on memory
Initial Pharmacist license? Or a Pharmacist license transfer to a NEW state. Practice is key to passing these exams. Don’t underestimate Federal Pharmacy Law topics
How can passRXnow help?
PassRXnow offers NAPLEX and MPJE practice exams with details answers, explanations, and references. Our dedicated reference chapter compiles an extensive list of from BOP, DEA, FDA, and other sources, so you don’t have to do all the research. Upon completing an exam, you see your performance on each topic (DEA forms, Prescriptions, Oncology, etc ..). This way, you can study areas where you have gaps. Also, the questions and answer choices will all be randomized if you retake the practice exam.
PassRXnow offers MPJE practice content for 15+ states and 600+ NAPLEX questions covering clinical, patient profile, calculations, and top 200 generics/brand name drugs.
You can avoid the impact of failing the NAPLEX / MPJE by doing as many practice exams as possible. We are here to help. Check out our offerings. For transparency, you can see the last update date for each course at the top of the course page in the links below. Content is updated regularly.
MPJE – click here for the latest States (if you don’t see your state MPJE reference below)
Washington MPJE | Michigan MPJE | Pennsylvania MPJE | Massachusetts MPJE| Florida MPJE | New York MPJE | Tennessee MPJE | Illinois MPJE | Ohio MPJE | Texas MPJE | Georgia MPJE | Federal pharmacy law | Advanced MPJE covering USP <800>, Central fill, and more
New states are always added, click here to see the latest MPJE for all states
NAPLEX - click here for the NAPLEX offerings
Practice, learn, pass!