MPJE and NAPLEX tips: Pharmacist License | Renewal

Wouldn’t it be great if once you have a pharmacist license, it remains valid for a lifetime? Unfortunately, this is not the case. A pharmacist license must be renewed at a specific cadence set forth by the board of pharmacy. Practicing pharmacy with a lapsed license can result in fines up to disciplinary actions. Here are things that you should be aware of for EVERY state you have a license in. 

1. What is the renewal cadence for a pharmacist? Options include

   1. Every year

   2. Every two years

   3. Every three years (New York)

2. When does the pharmacist license expire? Options include:

   1. On birthday

   2. On the last/first day of the birthday month

   3. End of year

3. Certain states have pharmacist licenses expire at a set date of a set month; examples include September 30th, Feb 28

4. Nearly all states send a form of reminder when a license is about to expire either by mail or electronically

Note that pharmacy laws vary widely by state. This short article covers generic/general information and helps establish a baseline of minimum required knowledge in the topic. Always check the state board laws for complete and comprehensive details.

MPJE question: 

You are a licensed pharmacist in this state, and your license expires this year. You keep an eye out for the renewal notice sent by the board. Which of the following is true?

1. You can only renew after you receive the renewal notice

2. You can renew anytime this year

3. If you didn’t receive a renewal license, you don’t need to renew your license

4. You can renew your license upon receiving the renewal notice regardless of your CE status

Answer: #2

You don’t need to wait for the renewal notice to renew your license. It is best to renew within ~30-60 days of the license expiry date. You must complete all CE requirements before submitting your renewal form. Remember that if you change your address, you must notify the board. Don’t depend on the renewal notice to renew your license; a notice might get lost. You are responsible for maintaining your license. 

Taking practice MPJE®/NAPLEX® exams is key to passing the board exams on the first try. Practice exams:

1.   Expose you to time constraints and help you build mental stamina

2.   Expose you to different questions (K-type, select all, etc.)

3.   Expose you to random topics with various difficulties

4.   Expose you to new answer choices

5.   Help demystify the exams and ease test anxiety

PassRXnow offers MPJE practice content for 15+ states and 600+ NAPLEX questions covering clinical, patient profile, calculations, and top 200 generics/brand name drugs. All NAPLEX and MPJE practice exams have answers, explanations, and references. 1000’s of questions, all updated frequently. 

You can avoid the impact of failing the NAPLEX / MPJE by doing more practice exams. 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 constantly added. Click here to see the latest MPJE for all states.

NAPLEX  - click here for the NAPLEX offerings

NAPLEX practice | NAPLEX & MPJE Essentials