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Shayna
Student
Omaha, Nebraska
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When to start studying for the NAPLEX?
When is a good time to start studying for the NAPLEX? #CV23 #pharmacy #pharmacist #NAPLEX #exam #pharmacyschool
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6 answers
Courtney Chambers, MD., FACS
General Surgery
18
Answers
Orlando, Florida
Updated
Courtney’s Answer
There are some really great answers here already. I would echo them all.
My thoughts:
Remember that the idea of completing your program is to be competent at the end to manage the daily requirements of functioning in that position. Lives and peoples' wellness are actually at stake. Hence, every day of learning is important. You actually do start studying "for the exam" the day you start the prerequisites.
These are designed to give the individual a foundation for the more specific material to follow.
In a perfect world, there is a penchant for knowledge of ALL the material. By preparing for class, paying attention in class (and making sure you understand the class material), taking notes in class, reworking the notes after class, then reviewing the material before each exam along the way, you will have seen that material many times. "Studying for the exam" therefore becomes "reviewing". It usually takes a lot less time and energy. It is less anxiety-producing.
Using questions to frame the context of the material is very helpful to most, as it pertains to exams. A thorough understanding however goes a long way.
Hope this helps.
My thoughts:
Remember that the idea of completing your program is to be competent at the end to manage the daily requirements of functioning in that position. Lives and peoples' wellness are actually at stake. Hence, every day of learning is important. You actually do start studying "for the exam" the day you start the prerequisites.
These are designed to give the individual a foundation for the more specific material to follow.
In a perfect world, there is a penchant for knowledge of ALL the material. By preparing for class, paying attention in class (and making sure you understand the class material), taking notes in class, reworking the notes after class, then reviewing the material before each exam along the way, you will have seen that material many times. "Studying for the exam" therefore becomes "reviewing". It usually takes a lot less time and energy. It is less anxiety-producing.
Using questions to frame the context of the material is very helpful to most, as it pertains to exams. A thorough understanding however goes a long way.
Hope this helps.
Good perspective - thank you for the advice!
Shayna
Zac Borgen, PharmD, MS
Lead Pharmacist
3
Answers
Bloomington, Minnesota
Updated
Zac’s Answer
One thing I can tell you is you’ve been studying for the NAPLEX since pharmacy school began, so in a way, you’ve already started!
I started my “official” studying in about September (took NAPLEX the following June). I would suggest working through a study book - RxPrep is the best book I found - section by section. Once you’ve done that go back and hit areas that you still need revision on. Take advantage of quiz questions and other resources to help with recall. Calculations are a HUGE part of the exam, so practice those until you’ve mastered all formulas for CrCl, pharmacokinetics and IV flow rates.
When the time nears, maybe about April or May, I’d start taking full-length practice tests. Use the feedback on those to further focus your studies the last few weeks before the test. Finally, give yourself a day or two before the test off of studying. Keep cortisol levels and stress to a minimum and this is going to help you be your best come test day.
And remember, the NAPLEX isn’t a board certification exam, it’s a minimum competency exam, so while you need to know your stuff to pass, focus on the big things, the common drug interactions, CYP inhibitors and inducers and no-no’s when it comes to duplicate drug therapy and also focus on first line options in the guidelines. Know these and you’ll pass no problem!
Work through RxPrep
Take practice tests
Focus studying using those results
Relax the last two days before the test, you’ve learned all that you’re going to!
I started my “official” studying in about September (took NAPLEX the following June). I would suggest working through a study book - RxPrep is the best book I found - section by section. Once you’ve done that go back and hit areas that you still need revision on. Take advantage of quiz questions and other resources to help with recall. Calculations are a HUGE part of the exam, so practice those until you’ve mastered all formulas for CrCl, pharmacokinetics and IV flow rates.
When the time nears, maybe about April or May, I’d start taking full-length practice tests. Use the feedback on those to further focus your studies the last few weeks before the test. Finally, give yourself a day or two before the test off of studying. Keep cortisol levels and stress to a minimum and this is going to help you be your best come test day.
And remember, the NAPLEX isn’t a board certification exam, it’s a minimum competency exam, so while you need to know your stuff to pass, focus on the big things, the common drug interactions, CYP inhibitors and inducers and no-no’s when it comes to duplicate drug therapy and also focus on first line options in the guidelines. Know these and you’ll pass no problem!
Zac recommends the following next steps:
I appreciate your response, thank you so much for the advice!!
Shayna
Daniella Abi Kheir
Pharmacist
2
Answers
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Updated
Daniella’s Answer
Hey Shayna!
I would say not to just study for the NAPLEX for the purpose of passing the test, but to really learn the material, because this is a great time to build that strong foundation of pharmacy knowledge.
When to start really depends on how comfortable you are with the material.
Definitely start with the calculations chapter and learn to be comfortable with them! Majority of the test was calculations! Then do the chapters you’re not too comfortable with. For me that was psych, HIV, chemo. Then I went over common disease states like cardio, renal.
I shared my friend’s Rxprep and watched the videos. It was really helpful. Don’t worry too much about memorizing little details than actually learning and understanding the information. Because you’re going to be applying that knowledge to serve patients!
***Pro tip: Organize all your notes from rotations into one area. Also keep note of your patient interactions, interventions, clinical pearls from rotations and journal clubs. I organize them by system: neuro, cardio,… it will be helpful to keep your mind organized and for interviews in the future!!
Best of luck Shayna!
I would say not to just study for the NAPLEX for the purpose of passing the test, but to really learn the material, because this is a great time to build that strong foundation of pharmacy knowledge.
When to start really depends on how comfortable you are with the material.
Definitely start with the calculations chapter and learn to be comfortable with them! Majority of the test was calculations! Then do the chapters you’re not too comfortable with. For me that was psych, HIV, chemo. Then I went over common disease states like cardio, renal.
I shared my friend’s Rxprep and watched the videos. It was really helpful. Don’t worry too much about memorizing little details than actually learning and understanding the information. Because you’re going to be applying that knowledge to serve patients!
***Pro tip: Organize all your notes from rotations into one area. Also keep note of your patient interactions, interventions, clinical pearls from rotations and journal clubs. I organize them by system: neuro, cardio,… it will be helpful to keep your mind organized and for interviews in the future!!
Best of luck Shayna!
Daniella, thank you!
Shayna
Jeff Kreitman
Regional Pharmacy Director
8
Answers
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Updated
Jeff’s Answer
I would say 3-6 months is more than enough time. It's probably helpful to get a review book (or online equivalent) as well and work through that. Find one that has answers so if you get a question wrong you have the explanation. I was a good student but I wouldn't say my notes were organized in a fashion that would have been useful to review for the NAPLEX. Appling for the NAPLEX is expensive and the test itself is time consuming so you want to make sure you pass the first time!
Also, if you have any idea where you might live in the future you may want to transfer your NAPLEX scores directly to that state for a small-ish fee. My primary license is in NJ and my license in PA is by reciprocity (transfer). For most states, you can only transfer your original license by examination. Therefore, I have to keep my NJ license active forever (or reactivate it) if I ever want to transfer it to another state.
Lastly, I think it's nearly impossible to walk out feeling like you did well. When you compress 6 years of studying and learning into a test a few hours long it's hard not to stress that you didn't do well enough. However, most schools have a very high pass rate so the fact that you're planning to formally study means you'll likely pass so just take a breath and hope for the best!!
Good luck!
Also, if you have any idea where you might live in the future you may want to transfer your NAPLEX scores directly to that state for a small-ish fee. My primary license is in NJ and my license in PA is by reciprocity (transfer). For most states, you can only transfer your original license by examination. Therefore, I have to keep my NJ license active forever (or reactivate it) if I ever want to transfer it to another state.
Lastly, I think it's nearly impossible to walk out feeling like you did well. When you compress 6 years of studying and learning into a test a few hours long it's hard not to stress that you didn't do well enough. However, most schools have a very high pass rate so the fact that you're planning to formally study means you'll likely pass so just take a breath and hope for the best!!
Good luck!
Thank you for answering!!
Shayna
Anna Lundberg, PharmD
Pharmacist
4
Answers
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Updated
Anna’s Answer
Hi Shayna, depending on which year you’re in and how you study the answer may look a little different for you! I’ll break down the things that I felt made me successful when studying for the Naplex below:
1) REVIEW MATERIAL: I used RXprep and highly recommend it! Mine was a used unmarked edition from the year before I graduated (pro tip: buy from an upperclassman!) which was plenty up to date so don’t worry about getting a year or two ahead of your graduating year edition but I wouldn’t recommend more than this as guidelines change too frequently but two editions behind graduation year is definitely an option if it’s more financially feasible! I would HIGHLY recommend getting one that is unmarked or almost unmarked if you’re like me and like to highlight/color coordinate topics to help your brain better associate them.
2) TIMELINE: For me, in an ideal world I would say buy your prep book one year before graduating and depending on how your program is set up before you start APPEs. The reason I say so far ahead is because you will learn A TON on rotations and while you’re learning or before you start a certain rotation you can review the material in your study book. For example if you’re going to be starting an ambulatory/MTM rotation review the diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, asthma, and COPD sections of your prep book.
3) STUDY METHOD: If you don’t have the time or energy to review before you start specific rotations you could read through one topic per week or as it comes up on APPEs to help it stick or take notes on what you learned at rotation. I also kept a Google doc so I could access it on site for any helpful notes I learned while there. That was hugely helpful for making content stick but also if I had a question or didn’t fully understand something I could refer to the prep book for more info.
Again this is all in an ideal situation from me looking back at how I studied. Take what works for you and leave what doesn’t! I started strong with this method and fell off as I got close to graduation but I want to to throw this out there if it’s helpful to someone looking for a very structured plan. Once I finished rotations I had one month to study before the NAPLEX and all I did was review and highlight my book and talk through some concepts with classmates. One month was plenty of time, I wouldn’t recommend taking more but everyone is different and you know yourself best!
Bonus section on MPJE (I took MA and MN): don’t give yourself more than two weeks to study it’s more than enough time and you’ll put it off because the material is so dry. Once you pass the NAPLEX buy the RxPrep book for the MPJE and read through that and you’ll have no problem! It breaks down each state well and goes through the basics and you can skim sections that don’t seem that important.
That was a lot of information but I hope it was helpful, good luck! You’ve been working hard for years and you know your stuff, you got this!
1) REVIEW MATERIAL: I used RXprep and highly recommend it! Mine was a used unmarked edition from the year before I graduated (pro tip: buy from an upperclassman!) which was plenty up to date so don’t worry about getting a year or two ahead of your graduating year edition but I wouldn’t recommend more than this as guidelines change too frequently but two editions behind graduation year is definitely an option if it’s more financially feasible! I would HIGHLY recommend getting one that is unmarked or almost unmarked if you’re like me and like to highlight/color coordinate topics to help your brain better associate them.
2) TIMELINE: For me, in an ideal world I would say buy your prep book one year before graduating and depending on how your program is set up before you start APPEs. The reason I say so far ahead is because you will learn A TON on rotations and while you’re learning or before you start a certain rotation you can review the material in your study book. For example if you’re going to be starting an ambulatory/MTM rotation review the diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, asthma, and COPD sections of your prep book.
3) STUDY METHOD: If you don’t have the time or energy to review before you start specific rotations you could read through one topic per week or as it comes up on APPEs to help it stick or take notes on what you learned at rotation. I also kept a Google doc so I could access it on site for any helpful notes I learned while there. That was hugely helpful for making content stick but also if I had a question or didn’t fully understand something I could refer to the prep book for more info.
Again this is all in an ideal situation from me looking back at how I studied. Take what works for you and leave what doesn’t! I started strong with this method and fell off as I got close to graduation but I want to to throw this out there if it’s helpful to someone looking for a very structured plan. Once I finished rotations I had one month to study before the NAPLEX and all I did was review and highlight my book and talk through some concepts with classmates. One month was plenty of time, I wouldn’t recommend taking more but everyone is different and you know yourself best!
Bonus section on MPJE (I took MA and MN): don’t give yourself more than two weeks to study it’s more than enough time and you’ll put it off because the material is so dry. Once you pass the NAPLEX buy the RxPrep book for the MPJE and read through that and you’ll have no problem! It breaks down each state well and goes through the basics and you can skim sections that don’t seem that important.
That was a lot of information but I hope it was helpful, good luck! You’ve been working hard for years and you know your stuff, you got this!
Thank you for the advice, Anna.
Shayna
Christine Glasper
28
Answers
Updated
Christine’s Answer
Assuming this is a pharmacy licensing test?
If so, a few months (no longer than a year) before you take it is when I would start studying. Until then you must give yourself a chance to finish all classes that will educate you.
Technically you could say as soon as you start college - after every class save the relevant stuff and build a study file (or box). That way when it’s time to prep, you’re already ready!
If so, a few months (no longer than a year) before you take it is when I would start studying. Until then you must give yourself a chance to finish all classes that will educate you.
Technically you could say as soon as you start college - after every class save the relevant stuff and build a study file (or box). That way when it’s time to prep, you’re already ready!
Thank you so much!
Shayna