Naplex Preparation

[Flowerpower98]

I didn't pass my first attempt and wanted to get advice on how to pass the Naplex exam. I have tried Rxprep; information is a lot and still did not feel prepared while taking the Naplex during first attempt. Have also tried tutoring but its not been effective. In the meantime, took a seasonal job at a community pharmacy but its been taking away time from Naplex preparation.

How much time did you give for studying and how did you retain the information for the exam?

If anyone is preparing for the exam, would be open to daily or weekly study group review?

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[RN2RPh]

I didn't pass my first attempt and wanted to get advice on how to pass the Naplex exam. I have tried Rxprep; information is a lot and still did not feel prepared while taking the Naplex during first attempt. Have also tried tutoring but its not been effective. In the meantime, took a seasonal job at a community pharmacy but its been taking away time from Naplex preparation.

How much time did you give for studying and how did you retain the information for the exam?

If anyone is preparing for the exam, would be open to daily or weekly study group review?

Not sure if it is still helpful since I took the test in 2016. I also used RxPrep. I focused on the biostat & maths. I skipped like 1/3 of the of RxPrep book & I studied for ~ 3 weeks. I think as long as you get all the biostats & maths questions correct, you should be good.

 

[Flowerpower98]

You're right, I remember there were a lot of biostatistics and calculations on the test but did not have enough time to complete them and guessed on many of the biostatistics questions. Was pharmacokinetic calculations big on your exam? How did you divide time between questions during practice tests?

 

[RN2RPh]

You're right, I remember there were a lot of biostatistics and calculations on the test but did not have enough time to complete them and guessed on many of the biostatistics questions. Was pharmacokinetic calculations big on your exam? How did you divide time between questions during practice tests?

Honestly I can't remember how many PK questions I had. My rule of thumb is that if it is a calculation question (PK, biostats or dosing ...etc) then I take my time to get it right (double or triple check my math.) Yes, time management is very important. Most people fail simply because they run out of time. Therefore, you shouldn't spend too much time on any single question (ie if you are clueless about the answer then just move on, don't stare at it for 10 minutes lol.) For patient case: I would read the question first, then I find the pertinent info later. I would not read the whole case first.

 

[BC_89]

If you haven't, I would encourage you to read the following (my own study strategy for the NAPLEX).

2022 NAPLEX - My Own Experience

As far as preparing the second time, I would highly recommend your main focus being calculations and biostats. You should be able to keep practicing calculations on your own until you get >99% of them correct. If you have RxPrep, the calculations are spot on. Here are additional questions that I think will be of great interest for you:

SDN Calculation 120 questions

You may actually know enough on other disease states to pass, but start with the above links and see if they help to some extent. It is also worth the money to take the NAPLEX mock-exam on your NABP portal to see where you're at - if you still have other specific questions after studying, let us know!

Hope that helps -

 

[Flowerpower98]

If you haven't, I would encourage you to read the following (my own study strategy for the NAPLEX).

2022 NAPLEX - My Own Experience

As far as preparing the second time, I would highly recommend your main focus being calculations and biostats. You should be able to keep practicing calculations on your own until you get >99% of them correct. If you have RxPrep, the calculations are spot on. Here are additional questions that I think will be of great interest for you:

SDN Calculation 120 questions

You may actually know enough on other disease states to pass, but start with the above links and see if they help to some extent. It is also worth the money to take the NAPLEX mock-exam on your NABP portal to see where you're at - if you still have other specific questions after studying, let us know!

Hope that helps -

Honestly I can't remember how many PK questions I had. My rule of thumb is that if it is a calculation question (PK, biostats or dosing ...etc) then I take my time to get it right (double or triple check my math.) Yes, time management is very important. Most people fail simply because they run out of time. Therefore, you shouldn't spend too much time on any single question (ie if you are clueless about the answer then just move on, don't stare at it for 10 minutes lol.) For patient case: I would read the question first, then I find the pertinent info later. I would not read the whole case first.

I tried to get through rxprep calculation chapters and was overwhelmed that there were additional calculations we had to review for PK lol! Most definitely will use these methods when doing practice problems and on the actual exam. My time management for questions has been a bit slow and ive made the mistake of of spending too much time on a question that I didnt understand on the exam. At the end of my first attempt , I remember I ran out of time and missed questions including calc ones as a result.

 

[Flowerpower98]

If you haven't, I would encourage you to read the following (my own study strategy for the NAPLEX).

2022 NAPLEX - My Own Experience

As far as preparing the second time, I would highly recommend your main focus being calculations and biostats. You should be able to keep practicing calculations on your own until you get >99% of them correct. If you have RxPrep, the calculations are spot on. Here are additional questions that I think will be of great interest for you:

SDN Calculation 120 questions

You may actually know enough on other disease states to pass, but start with the above links and see if they help to some extent. It is also worth the money to take the NAPLEX mock-exam on your NABP portal to see where you're at - if you still have other specific questions after studying, let us know!

Hope that helps -

Thank you so much for giving me these links, I will start with these links and start with calculations. Calculations questions and biostats are my weak points especially with time management. Looking back now remember, my first exam did have more calculation questions than actual clinical questions from the book, which was really overwhelming and surprising. Yes most definitely! You and RN2RPh are awesome! 🤗

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[RN2RPh]

Just some words of encouragement: I've seen people who almost failed out of the program, but then bounced back and graduated on time. That person didn't matched for residency the first time but again, they reapplied for the next year and they eventually completed PGY-2. I also have seen smart people who did pretty well in school, started PGY-1 upon graduation but they failed their NAPLEX. Everyone career path will be different, as long as you dont give up, keep working hard & smart; eventually you will get to where you want to be.

 

[Flowerpower98]

Thank you so much, just reading your post is giving me alot of hope that something will work out and it will get better. Its a really strong reminder that every path is different for each person and hopefully it will work out if we don't give up. Thank you for giving me this message and sincerely appreciate you for these words of hope 🌸