NAPLEX - Ran out of Time

[pharmacistD]

Hey Everyone:

I just took the NAPLEX. Not feeling good about it at all. I ran out of time on the last 6 questions. I also ended up rushing through the 4-5 questions that I did manage to answer. Some of them were math questions and I am pretty sure I got them wrong.

Math happens to be my strength. I was very excited when I read everyone's comments on SDN about math being heavily weighted on the NAPLEX. And here I am, after missing a bunch of math questions because of time constraints. To top it all, apparently, the NAPLEX penalizes you if you fail to answer all the 185 questions. I just feel like crap....

Just wondering if anyone else had a similar experience.

Thanks.

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[Naplex2K12]

i hear from many people who thought they did poorly and ended up doing well.

 

[farmadiazepine]

I finished NAPLEX in 2 hours, just a little right after the break. I don't understand why it would take you about 4 hours to finish that exam. You must have read each question and answer 5 times before even thinking about answering it.

 

[pharmacistD]

I finished NAPLEX in 2 hours, just a little right after the break. I don't understand why it would take you about 4 hours to finish that exam. You must have read each question and answer 5 times before even thinking about answering it.

Sadly, I was doing that.

I studied pretty hard for the test. Just wanted to make sure I would get the questions right. I was even pacing myself accordingly for the most part, averaging about a little over a minute per question. Then, out of the blue, during the last 20 questions my pacing went out the door. Got math questions back to back, which obviously takes time. Right about then, I started running out of sheets to solve my math questions...

I am pretty confident with my math, in general. I was always the guy who would helped classmates out with math. This really sucks.

Still waiting for my score...please keep me in your prayers...

 

[pharmacistD]

It was a very scary experience overall, but I managed to pass with a 104!

I used to read these forums almost everyday when I was preparing. It helped me gauge how well I was doing. So, for all you folks who will be graduating very soon, here is my advice:

1. RTFM - NAPLEX/MPJE Bulletin - Don't make the mistake of running out of time and not answering the last few questions. You will be penalized.

2. Use a good text. I used RxPrep, and I felt like it was a great book. I tried APhA but it is way too disorganized, in my opinion. And, KAPLAN, on the other hand, is too concise.

3. Question Bank. This is optional. Personally, I tend to study better when I have access to a question bank. I purchased the RxPrep question bank. It is a little pricy.

4. Practice Test. I took the online KAPLAN test 5 weeks before my NAPLEX and scored a 50%. You can really just take the test for free online. As far as paying $50 for the Pre-NAPLEX, I have mixed opinions about it. Yes, it is prepared by NABP, but it is also just a snapshot of the actual exam. It only comprises of 50 questions and doesn't really help you with the time-management aspect. Then again, it does give you a pretty accurate score range. When I took the Pre-NAPLEX, I ended up with a score of 107.

Basically, just study hard. I am sure you will do fine as well.

 

[taken2]

It was a very scary experience overall, but I managed to pass with a 104!

I used to read these forums almost everyday when I was preparing. It helped me gauge how well I was doing. So, for all you folks who will be graduating very soon, here is my advice:

1. RTFM - NAPLEX/MPJE Bulletin - Don't make the mistake of running out of time and not answering the last few questions. You will be penalized.

2. Use a good text. I used RxPrep, and I felt like it was a great book. I tried APhA but it is way too disorganized, in my opinion. And, KAPLAN, on the other hand, is too concise.

3. Question Bank. This is optional. Personally, I tend to study better when I have access to a question bank. I purchased the RxPrep question bank. It is a little pricy.

4. Practice Test. I took the online KAPLAN test 5 weeks before my NAPLEX and scored a 50%. You can really just take the test for free online. As far as paying $50 for the Pre-NAPLEX, I have mixed opinions about it. Yes, it is prepared by NABP, but it is also just a snapshot of the actual exam. It only comprises of 50 questions and doesn't really help you with the time-management aspect. Then again, it does give you a pretty accurate score range. When I took the Pre-NAPLEX, I ended up with a score of 107.

Basically, just study hard. I am sure you will do fine as well.

Congrats !!!!

 

[pharmacistD]

Congrats !!!!

Thanks!!

Preparing for the MPJE now. Hope all goes well.

 

[2012hope]

Hi PharmacistD,
I took the NAPLEX yesterday and I had the very same experience like you. I missed 4 questions on the exam. I am a very slow reader but this is the first time in my life I didn't finish the exam. Can you give me some more information to help with my situation? So you missed 6 questions on the exam and still passed?
Does anyone know if there are a lot of people who did not finish the exam and still passed?
Thanks,

 

[Garfield3d]

I ran out of time on the exam and didn't finish the last 3 questions on the NAPLEX. I remember feeling stressed about my score because the questions felt difficult and I incurred the score penalty as a result of not completing the exam. However, I passed by a large margin.

In general, most people finish the NAPLEX with time to spare. I ran out of time because I kept on double and triple-checking my math in addition to second-guessing a lot of questions. I had people tell me that it is "literally impossible to run out of time" on the NAPLEX. So, I took my sweet time, and I guess I proved them wrong.

While it is stressing to think about, I wouldn't worry about it too much. They don't break down the score for you, so you won't know how large of a penalty is added to your score for leaving questions unanswered. But, considering that my score looked fine, I can't imagine that the penalty is particularly large.

--Garfield3d

 

[2012hope]

I passed with 110 score. Thank you all very much, especially Garfield3d and prepharm1214 for your information and support. I feel like now I can live again at least until my law exam.
Now I know even if you don't finish the exam but if you did well on the rest and complete 162 questions at least, you still have a chance to pass. And the lesson I learned is: do well on all the math questions, only spend about 30 sec to 1 minute on other questions to save more time on the math questions, especially in the end. I learned the hard way anyway.

 

[chicagoboy1984]

I am in your same shoes. I just took the NAPLEX and ran out of time for the last 6 questions. Like you, I also got hit with several hard math questions at the end. I think that is because I re-did some of the math questions without multiple choice (free response) since I tend to be a little self-conscious when there are no multiple choice responses. Oh well….hopefully I will pass.

 

[chinzcutie]

My math is strong and when I took the Naplex, which was last week, I had math scattered thru out the entire exam. But at the end there were still a bunch of math questions all together. I THINK that's may just be how the exam is designed, so that if you are running out of time, you will not be able to do those questions.

For those who did not finish the exam, i don't think you need to worry too much. Personally, I thought I was going to fail for sure because I could not finish (did not answer 10 questions! ) I had good amount of HIV and cancer questions, and a bunch of questions that were just literately came out of nowhere! Things I never learned nor even remotely exposed to during rotations! But I'm happy to say I PASSED! So don't worry so much.

 

[chicagoboy1984]

thx for the confident words hopefully i will pass....

 

[NYPharm99]

It is better to run out of time than to breeze through quickly and fail. I know someone who failed because she missed important details in the questions (like allergies) by finishing too quickly

 

[chicagoboy1984]

I passed the NAPLEX! I am so relieved. The NAPLEX pre-test was pretty accurate for me. I got a 115 on the pre-NAPLEX (and actually finished the whole thing), whereas I didn't finish the last 6 questions on the NAPLEX and got a 114. I hope this gives some relief to those who didn't finish.

 

[naseuy]

98 first prenaplex, 108 second one (night before) 114 on the actual exam.

I actually thought the exam wasn't too bad, which scared me, since I've heard that the harder it seems, the better you're doing.

But yay. Now that's out of the way.