NAPLEX Study Guide: How to Pass the NAPLEX Exam?

The North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination (which is also known as NAPLEX) is a difficult test that challenges aspiring pharmacists to show mastery of principles that are essential for pharmacy practice. The exam is named after the North American Pharmacists Licensure Association. This NAPLEX study guide will assist you in preparing for the test by giving useful hints and resources that may be used in the creation of an autonomous study program and strategy for the NAPLEX.

What Will You Be Asked on the NAPLEX?

The NAPLEX consists of a mind-boggling 250 questions in total. Out of these, there are 200 “actual” questions and 50 “experimental” ones. The following is a rundown of those questions, along with some advice on how to best prepare for them.

Multiple Choice

The age-old inquiry that you’ve probably heard before. You choose simply the response that is the most applicable overall. This indicates that there is just one possible correct response. The most effective strategy for tackling these issues is to reduce your alternatives by getting rid of some of the possible responses. To narrow down the available options for an answer, try using responses that are in direct opposition to one another as well as polarity terms like “expect,” “not,” “always,” and “never.”

Multiple Response

These devilish inquiries are the ones that have taken the place of the K-type ones. Treating each possible response option as a true or false statement is the only effective technique to handle inquiries of this sort. Put everything else out of your mind and concentrate on analyzing each option on its own. This helps to decrease the feeling of being “overwhelmed” that might be brought on by multiple-response questions.

Constructed Response

On the surface, these challenges seem to be difficult; nevertheless, in reality, they are not at all challenging. When responding to a question that requires a prepared response, you are essentially filling in the blanks (by actually typing in your answer). In actuality, the NAPLEX will most likely ask you questions involving calculations using these formats. Therefore, you will need to actually compute an answer and then key it in.

Make sure that you input your response in the appropriate format. This is the thing that you need to look out for. If the inquiry requires two decimal places, then you should make sure that your response also includes two decimal places. It would be a terrible waste of time if you knew the correct response but failed the test due to not following the instructions.

Read more >> Is RxPrep Harder Than the NAPLEX? [2022 Updated]

Ordered Response

In this activity, you will be presented with a list of choices, and your task will be to determine their order of preference. You might be asked to rate the effectiveness of corticosteroids, from the most potent to the least. Or the significance of the findings of several different statistical investigations. 

Hot Spot

You will be presented with a diagram while answering Hot Spot questions, and you will need to identify the part of the picture that most closely corresponds to the information requested in the question. These are often used in conjunction with inquiries about the mechanism of action. There is a possibility that you may be asked at what stage in the clotting cascade rivaroxaban works or at what stage in the HIV life cycle abacavir inhibits replication.

How to Pass the NAPLEX Exam?

Start studying as early as possible

We suggest that you begin your studying anywhere from at least 1-2 months before the test day. If you have a longer timetable, you will have the opportunity to take breaks on the weekends to spend time with your family and unwind from the extensive amount of studying. The most important thing is to make sure that you don’t skip through any of the chapters in your study materials just because you ran out of time right before the exam!

Establish a suitable study routine 

When you’ve got a test, it’s natural to get stressed and start slacking off on your preparation, particularly if you’ve been cramming for many weeks in a row. We advise putting up a study plan that can be completed, with an additional two weeks built in at the end to review any topics that you feel you need more practice with.

When you are planning your NAPLEX study schedule, you need to make sure that you take into consideration any events that you may have during it. We strongly suggest that you type your planned study time into a digital calendar, as this will allow you greater leeway if you need to make any adjustments. It is also convenient to be able to mark items off the list after you have finished a chapter.

Make sure the math portion doesn’t slip your mind!

Even if mathematics could be your strong subject in pharmacy school, I can assure you that you should not put off studying for the math parts till the very end. On practically every test, you should prepare yourself to do a significant amount of mathematical work. There may be some issues that use straightforward mathematics, while others may need more than one step. Math is a subject that should be practiced daily by all students; however, if you are strong at math, you should practice it at least once a week for a few hours.

Take a huge number of practice tests

Take a lot of practice tests, as many as you possibly can get your hands on; this is yet another helpful NAPLEX study advice. It essentially implies that you have to put in the time to practice answering sample questions and taking sample quizzes to be well-prepared for the actual test. In this manner, your brain will begin the process of bringing the information you’ve acquired together with what you already know.

On this website, we offer thousands of free NAPLEX practice tests to help you thoroughly prepare for this exam!

Practice as if you were taking the exam

As was previously said, it is very vital to get in the habit of sitting still for long periods and practicing giving accurate responses to questions. The NAPLEX examination is a lengthy test; it is likely the longest test that you have ever been required to take. You should get in the habit of sitting down and practicing question-answering. You’ll develop the habit of maintaining your concentration for extended periods if you do it this way.

Make sure to add in rest time

Although some students choose to devote their whole days to studying, this is a strategy that should be avoided since it may lead to mental exhaustion and depression. You should make time in your schedule to have fun, relax, and enjoy your leisure time. It can be taking the dog for a stroll around the lake, having a chat over coffee with a friend, or even picking up a new hobby like knitting or needlework.

Answer every question

Your NAPLEX score will suffer greatly if you leave any questions unanswered. Regrettably, you won’t be able to move about while you’re taking the test, and after you’ve handed in your response, it will never be seen or heard from again. To complete the whole test, you need to ensure that you maintain a steady pace. The lesson to be learned from this is to avoid focusing an excessive amount of attention on any one question. 

This NAPLEX study guide has provided you with the most comprehensive and up-to-date information on what the NAPLEX tests you and how to pass this test. Hope you can take advantage of this article and can successfully ace this. Good luck!