North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination
To be eligible to practice as a pharmacist in the United States, individuals must earn a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degree from a college or school of pharmacy accredited by the Accreditation Council of Pharmacy Education (ACPE) and pass the NAPLEX, or North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination, in addition to other state-specific licensure requirements.
The NAPLEX is developed by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) for use by the state boards of pharmacy as part of their assessment of competence to practice pharmacy. It is a computer-adaptive test that provides the most precise measurement of your knowledge and ability in pharmacy. By using the NAPLEX, the state boards provide a valid and objective examination that tests competence in important aspects of the practice of pharmacy. The NAPLEX also assists the state boards of pharmacy in fulfilling one aspect of their responsibility to safeguard the public health and welfare.
Preparing for the NAPLEX
To help you prepare for the challenge of the NAPLEX, NABP has produced a NAPLEX Candidate's Review Guide. The Guide provides useful information about the computer-adaptive format of the NAPLEX and contains the NAPLEX Competency Statements that serve as the foundation, or blueprint, for the examination. Practice tutorials are provided as well as a large sample of questions that reflect the type of questions which appear on the test. The Guide is particularly helpful in that the sample questions are displayed in the same format as the questions appear on the actual examination. Use of the Guide will help you prepare for the computer-adaptive NAPLEX. Working through the sample questions and tutorials will help you gain confidence as your time for testing approaches.
