Naplex Tips

[zenmode13]

Hi everyone,

I want to first thank everyone for their input on how to study for the NAPLEX. I have been studying for two months, but am panicking. I will be taking the NAPLEX in a week.

First off I am an average student, but I always had to work and study harder to get good grades. I gave myself two months so that I can study a chapter or two and still have about two weeks to review. I will be taking the exam in a week, but feel that I am not prepared.

I am currently using RxPrep and their question bank. Regarding the math portion, I am doing great could answer all the questions in RxPrep and the SDN 120. However, I am concerned because when I am doing the quizzes for the chapters I am not scoring well at all. I feel like there are a lot of detailed questions that I can't remember the information. I fair well on broad concepts, but it is the small details that are killing me.

I have read where people are just reading through the RxPrep book once and doing well on the NAPLEX. Which makes me wonder are the question that straightforward or am I not ready?

So I have several questions:

1) Are the NAPLEX questions similar to RxPrep? (If so, help me I am in trouble...)
2) How do you feel RxPrep makes you prepared for the exam?

Any tips would be helpful. Thank you.

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[Apotheker2015]

Hi everyone,

I want to first thank everyone for their input on how to study for the NAPLEX. I have been studying for two months, but am panicking. I will be taking the NAPLEX in a week.

First off I am an average student, but I always had to work and study harder to get good grades. I gave myself two months so that I can study a chapter or two and still have about two weeks to review. I will be taking the exam in a week, but feel that I am not prepared.

I am currently using RxPrep and their question bank. Regarding the math portion, I am doing great could answer all the questions in RxPrep and the SDN 120. However, I am concerned because when I am doing the quizzes for the chapters I am not scoring well at all. I feel like there are a lot of detailed questions that I can't remember the information. I fair well on broad concepts, but it is the small details that are killing me.

I have read where people are just reading through the RxPrep book once and doing well on the NAPLEX. Which makes me wonder are the question that straightforward or am I not ready?

So I have several questions:

1) Are the NAPLEX questions similar to RxPrep? (If so, help me I am in trouble...)
2) How do you feel RxPrep makes you prepared for the exam?

Any tips would be helpful. Thank you.

Zenmode13,

it sounds like are very diligent and taking this exam very seriously. That's great. I did that, as well and hopefully, that translates into passing my exam. I took it yesterday. I would say that if you did the 120 SDN questions and understood them inside out, then you are good to go. The first time I attempted them over a month ago, I panicked. I had to go to the very basics and watch all 5 Rxprep lectures on calculations. Yup... I was that rusty.

I would not get too hung up on your quiz scores on Rxprep. Scores on the quizzes mean nothing unless you go over the explanation, make sure you understand it and retake the missed questions. I hear people comment all the time on how they did not go through the explanations and moved on and then failed. Well, why in the first place would anyone even take the quiz if you're not going to bother to look at the explanation? Or somehow they expect their scores on the quizzes to be predictive of their performance. It does not work that way.

If there are details that you keep forgetting, then write them on a sheet. Make a sheet for each chapter and only write the details that you are missing. I did that and the morning before my exam I kept reading over them. I had a lot of trouble with brand names when I first started studying and figured that I should stop using generic names to refer to any drug, period. So I started talking in brand name terms all while keeping the generic name in mind. I can't tell you how many questions I had that I would not have been able to answer had I not known the brand name as simple as that.

There is really no way to compare Rxprep questions to actual NAPLEX questions. I did not have that many stand alone questions. I had long charts. I had to scroll up and down and sideways to be able to read them. They were THAT long.

Back to the little details. Rxprep will only list details that are important and likely to be tested. I saw plenty of those through my exam. Therefore, it is a good idea to write them on a separate sheet of paper and maybe even tape them to a wall that you frequently walk by.

I found the Rxprep 185 question practice exam very helpful, as well as the Indications quiz. Both were golden to me. A good strategy that I wish I had had more time for was to tie the smaller chapters such as BPH, Overactive bladder, etc (the ones that seem unimportant and not worth reading) to bigger chapters like depression, bipolar, Infectious diseases, Parkinson's, etc.

I suppose I will have better advice tomorrow once I know my results. Keep doing what you're doing. I'm sure you will do great.

Best,

Apotherker2015

 

[zenmode13]

Hi Apotherker2015,

Thank you for your advice and encouragement. I will try to implement your study methods to my last week of study and hope for the best. I wish you the best and hope that you pass (please let me know).

Best regards,
Zenmode13

 

[Apotheker2015]

Hi Apotherker2015,

Thank you for your advice and encouragement. I will try to implement your study methods to my last week of study and hope for the best. I wish you the best and hope that you pass (please let me know).

Best regards,
Zenmode13

Zenmode13,

first of, I think zenmode is such a cool name. More people should focus on being more zen. Too often I see people on these forums and threads bring others down. Good god, just help others and share the wealth. I am going through the questions I had yesterday and it does not look too bad. However, the grading is so mysterious that I won't be able to relax until tomorrow if I find out.

Here is one trick that worked wonders for me. If you run into a brand name that JUST WON'T STICK, go on youtube and search for the drug's tv commercial. I would do this when my brain could not take studying anymore. It helped tons. You get to watch a video that's easy to remember which tells you a lot of useful things about a drug. You just gotta find what works for you.

Do not ignore any chapter. There is no preset order for the questions that you will get. Any and every chapter has questions that can be made into higher level questions. People who think they can focus on HTN, Diabetes, Lipids and HIV and Oncology are delusional. It does not work that way. That might have worked 5 years ago but it will not work today. The test is much more sophisticated these days. I have talked to people who took it 5-7 years ago and they all report the test would walk you through diabetes, HTN and lipids before getting into HIV and Oncology. It became common knowledge then that if you got to HIV or Oncology, you were doing well. That does not apply anymore. My first question was a calculation and my next question was HIV. Got about 6-8 of those and then came oncology, then more math and then parkinson's mixed with bipolar. Then pain + schizophrenia and contraception. There is no formula and there are no key chapters to focus on. I hope all goes well tomorrow but if it does not, then I will put my head down for another 90 days and will try as hard as I can to pass.

Best,

Apotheker2015

 

[zenmode13]

Apotheker2015,

Thank you again for the encouragement and tips. I hope all this studying amounts to a passing NAPLEX score. It seems like you have a great study strategy and I hope it will pay off with passing the NAPLEX. I'll keep you updated with how I do.

Best regards,
zenmode13

 

[Apotheker2015]

Apotheker2015,

Thank you again for the encouragement and tips. I hope all this studying amounts to a passing NAPLEX score. It seems like you have a great study strategy and I hope it will pay off with passing the NAPLEX. I'll keep you updated with how I do.

Best regards,
zenmode13

Zenmode13,

keep me posted! I did not get my score today. My registration status on the NABP website still shows as ATT generated. I guess it may happen tomorrow. Study hard!

Best,

Apotheker2015

 

[zenmode13]

Hey Apotheker2015,

Just wondering how you did? Hope all is well.

Best regards,
zenmode13

 

[Apotheker2015]

Hey Apotheker2015,

Just wondering how you did? Hope all is well.

Best regards,
zenmode13

Hey Zenmode13!

thank you for checking in! My registration status with NABP changed to "closed" on Friday after 1pm. So that means I get to wait until Monday for my results. As soon as I know, I will let you know and I will make sure I share more about my experience in great detail.

How is studying going for you? When are you taking it?

Best,

Apotheker2015

 

[JMM11]

Hi,

Thank you for all the tips they are very helpful.
Just a question in regards to calculations do they provide the MW and valences on the exam?

Thank you!

 

[Apotheker2015]

Hi,

Thank you for all the tips they are very helpful.
Just a question in regards to calculations do they provide the MW and valences on the exam?

Thank you!

Hi JMM11,

the do provide you with most MW, except for NaCl which we should all know from repetition. They do not provide you with valence and they may or may not give you the formula, say CaCl2. However, they won't give you anything too weird. I would just be familiar with the ones on the 120 SDN and Rxprep calculations. Rxprep has the most commonly used compounds listed in summary boxes in the calculations chapter.

When is your NAPLEX?

Best,

Apotheker2015

 

[JMM11]

Hi JMM11,

the do provide you with most MW, except for NaCl which we should all know from repetition. They do not provide you with valence and they may or may not give you the formula, say CaCl2. However, they won't give you anything too weird. I would just be familiar with the ones on the 120 SDN and Rxprep calculations. Rxprep has the most commonly used compounds listed in summary boxes in the calculations chapter.

When is your NAPLEX?

Best,

Apotheker2015

Hi Apotherker2015

Thank you for you help.
It's on Aug 13th.
Did you get your results yet?

 

[Apotheker2015]

Hi Apotherker2015

Thank you for you help.
It's on Aug 13th.
Did you get your results yet?

Haha, that's my birthday! It's a good day to take your test! I passed just fine. It was nothing stellar. My pre-NAPLEX was 67 and NAPLEX 107. I paid for the licensing fee this morning and they licensed me right away!

I will make sure to post a little blurb on my experience.

Are you using Rxprep? How is studying going?

Best,

Apotheker2015

 

[PharmJunkie]

Hi,

I believe RXprep to be sufficient for studying calculations, especially, memorizing and understanding when formulas should be used. SDN calculations is sort of overkill, but if you have time to review them go ahead. I reviewed them because RxPrep calcs was sort of easy for me. I would continue to review most, if not all topics in RXprep book, utilize the test banks included online. Def complete their 185 questions assessment if you have about a week or two until the exam and pre-NAPLEX. You can be competent in the things you know, but being really NERVOUS about the exam prior to and during could make or BREAK you, the latter being the case, most times than not. BREATHE and pace yourself during the exam, that is the most important thing you can do.

Pre-Naplex- 112
Naplex-113 hehe

If you want to know more, ask or DM me, later

 

[Apotheker2015]

Hi,

I believe RXprep to be sufficient for studying calculations, especially, memorizing and understanding when formulas should be used. SDN calculations is sort of overkill, but if you have time to review them go ahead. I reviewed them because RxPrep calcs was sort of easy for me. I would continue to review most, if not all topics in RXprep book, utilize the test banks included online. Def complete their 185 questions assessment if you have about a week or two until the exam and pre-NAPLEX. You can be competent in the things you know, but being really NERVOUS about the exam prior to and during could make or BREAK you, the latter being the case, most times than not. BREATHE and pace yourself during the exam, that is the most important thing you can do.

Pre-Naplex- 112
Naplex-113 hehe

If you want to know more, ask or DM me, later

First of all, congrats to PharmJunkie! That is a solid score.

I agree with you, PharmJunkie. SDN calculations are overkill. However, if you understand their ins and outs, then you are set. I did not hesitate in math, at all. When I first sat down to study for the NAPLEX, math was my weakness and I can tell you that I turned it into a strength. All NAPLEX math was doable and rather straightforward. I found Rxprep calculations to be too straightforward and do not incorporate more than 1 type of calculation into 1 problem.

I think it is worth noting that we have two different types of students here. I entered this rodeo with a 67 on my pre-NAPLEX before I touched the Rxprep book. I know people who did not even review calculations for the NAPLEX. They took it and passed it with flying colors. PharmJunkie, you entered with a 112 on the Pre-NAPLEX and then a 113 on the NAPLEX. What I am getting at here is that no one should be discouraged by a low pre-NAPLEX score. (Let's leave aside the fact that the two exams are not even comparable. The NAPLEX is adaptive and the Pre-NAPLEX isn't.) If I was able to turn a 67 into a 107, anyone can. All you have to do is put your head down and study and retain all those key points for test day. Be diligent and honest with yourself. Determine what it is that you need to do to pass and do it. There are no key chapters to focus on. That does not apply anymore. Read the entire damn book if you need to, do the quiz bank, retake the missed questions and take note of every concept missed and THEN and ONLY THEN sit for the test.

I am happy to answer any strategy questions. I think my opinion would be more useful to those who started with less than stellar stats and who are aware of the fact that they will have to put in more work than most only to score 6 points less than Pharmjunkie! LOL.

Best,

Apotheker2015

 

[PharmJunkie]

First of all, congrats to PharmJunkie! That is a solid score.

I agree with you, PharmJunkie. SDN calculations are overkill. However, if you understand their ins and outs. Then you are set. I did not hesitate in math, at all. When I first sat down to study for the NAPLEX, math was my weakness and I can tell you that I turned it into a strength. All NAPLEX math was doable and rather straightforward. The problem with Rxprep calculations is that they are too straightforward and do not incorporate more than 1 type of calculation into 1 problem.

I think it is worth noting that we have two different types of students here. I entered this rodeo with a 67 on my pre-NAPLEX before I touched the Rxprep book. I know people who did not even review calculations for the NAPLEX. They took it and passed it with flying colors. PharmJunkie, you entered with a 112 on the Pre-NAPLEX and then a 113 on the NAPLEX. What I am getting at here is that no one should be discouraged by a low pre-NAPLEX score. (Let's leave aside the fact that the two exams are not even comparable. The NAPLEX is adaptive and the Pre-NAPLEX isn't.) If I was able to turn a 67 into a 107, anyone can. All you have to do is put your head down and study and retain all those key points for test day. Be diligent and honest with yourself. Determine what it is that you need to do to pass and do it. There are no key chapters to focus on. That does not apply anymore. Read the entire damn book if you need to, do the quiz bank, retake the missed questions and take note of every concept missed and THEN and ONLY THEN sit for the test.

I am happy to answer any strategy questions. I think my opinion would be more useful to those who started with less than stellar stats and who are aware of the fact that they will have to put in more work than most only to score 6 points less than Pharmjunkie! LOL.

Best,

Apotheker2015

I could not agree more. May all the pharmacist fairies sprinkle sweet passing dust on you all!

 

[Apotheker2015]

I could not agree more. May all the pharmacist fairies sprinkle sweet passing dust on you all!

LOL, this dude is hillarious.

 

[DrChooJay]

So, I have been trolling these boards for the past 3 months. I found out today I passed Naplex. So I just wanted to provide some insight on how I felt. I took the pre naplex and got a 50, the second time around I took the pre naplex and got a 53. Needless to say I quickly rescheduled my exam, but could not push it back to far because I have to be licensed by a September 1. So after that, I studied hardcore from the quiz banks for like ID, HIV, and Onc, I did the other chapters but nothing really stuck other than stuff I already knew. I had math down pact so that was not the issue it was more of a I felt the pre naplex was just entirely to specific. But when I took the actual naplex I left the exam feeling like I had passed. This made me worried because everyone said they felt like they failed after coming out of the exam. I skipped a few math questions just because I did not know them but I will say my exam was probably like 35 math problems most were very simple. The exam was random, I did not feel like I got any one topic continuously other than HF and HIV. I will say that the RX prep quiz bank is a LIFE saver for me. I got a 100 on the exam not that scores matter, but if someone is reading this and has done horribly on the pre naplex do not get discouraged. Good Day

 

[Apotheker2015]

So, I have been trolling these boards for the past 3 months. I found out today I passed Naplex. So I just wanted to provide some insight on how I felt. I took the pre naplex and got a 50, the second time around I took the pre naplex and got a 53. Needless to say I quickly rescheduled my exam, but could not push it back to far because I have to be licensed by a September 1. So after that, I studied hardcore from the quiz banks for like ID, HIV, and Onc, I did the other chapters but nothing really stuck other than stuff I already knew. I had math down pact so that was not the issue it was more of a I felt the pre naplex was just entirely to specific. But when I took the actual naplex I left the exam feeling like I had passed. This made me worried because everyone said they felt like they failed after coming out of the exam. I skipped a few math questions just because I did not know them but I will say my exam was probably like 35 math problems most were very simple. The exam was random, I did not feel like I got any one topic continuously other than HF and HIV. I will say that the RX prep quiz bank is a LIFE saver for me. I got a 100 on the exam not that scores matter, but if someone is reading this and has done horribly on the pre naplex do not get discouraged. Good Day

AMEN! Great job on turning around your score and passing with a 3-digit score. I also got a 67 on the pre-NAPLEX and ended up with a 107 on the NAPLEX. They're not comparable BUT I suppose that to some degree the pre-NAPLEX shows your mastery of very specific and almost useless knowledge.

Congrats!

Best,

Apotheker2015

 

[DrChooJay]

AMEN! Great job on turning around your score and passing with a 3-digit score. I also got a 67 on the pre-NAPLEX and ended up with a 107 on the NAPLEX. They're not comparable BUT I suppose that to some degree the pre-NAPLEX shows your mastery of very specific and almost useless knowledge.

Congrats!

Best,

Apotheker2015

I totally agree with you there ! thank you ! and Congrats to you for passing ! if anyone has any questions feel free to ask

 

[Jt0603]

DrChoojay, when you said you studied hardcore on Hiv, Id and onc, were there any other specific chapters you mainly reviewed before the exam? I'm taking mine next week and I'm sooo worried! I want to retain all the details of everything but it's not sticking!! Do you have any suggestions of what I should review again if I only have a few days left? Thanks and congrats!!

 

[Apotheker2015]

DrChoojay, when you said you studied hardcore on Hiv, Id and onc, were there any other specific chapters you mainly reviewed before the exam? I'm taking mine next week and I'm sooo worried! I want to retain all the details of everything but it's not sticking!! Do you have any suggestions of what I should review again if I only have a few days left? Thanks and congrats!!

Jt0603,

You asked someone else the question but I think you will find my answer valuable, as well. The only chapter I did not get questions from was sickle cell anemia. Everything is fair game. My first question was a calculation and my second question was HIV. Had about 6 of those, then two more calculations and then Oncology. There is no order. If people have told you that the exam will walk you through diabetes, HTN, Hyperlipidemia first and then take you to other chapters, I can tell you that may have been the case years ago but that does not apply anymore.

Here's the rough topic distribution I had:
Calculations: 18
Infectious diseases: 13
Anticoagulation: 10
Epilepsy: 10
Oncology: 8
HIV: 7
Diabetes: 7
Biostats: 6 (no calculations - all were interpretation of studies)

Every chapter came up. There are no key chapters or chapters that are more important than others. Review everything and aim to retain key points. You've seen all of this before. Nothing in the Rxprep book should be new to you. Review all chapters, do the entire quizbank and do it again if you have to. Take notes of the answers that you are missing on the quizzes.

Hope this helps.

Best,

Apotheker2015

 

[DrChooJay]

DrChoojay, when you said you studied hardcore on Hiv, Id and onc, were there any other specific chapters you mainly reviewed before the exam? I'm taking mine next week and I'm sooo worried! I want to retain all the details of everything but it's not sticking!! Do you have any suggestions of what I should review again if I only have a few days left? Thanks and congrats!!

Hello,

First off thank you , but I will say I agree with Apotheker2015. The order was so random, I only studied HIV, ONC and ID hardcore (I just went through the quiz banks for those a few times is what I mean) because those were my weak subjects. I felt that doing the other quizzes 2 times was enough, some I did 3. You won't retain everything its not possible so I would suggest knowing what you know and knowing it very well! You will be fine just please take a break the day before the exam and relax! Also, I focused on math the mon-Thursday before my exam and rested on Friday, exam was Saturday!

 

[Apotheker2015]

Hello,

First off thank you , but I will say I agree with Apotheker2015. The order was so random, I only studied HIV, ONC and ID hardcore (I just went through the quiz banks for those a few times is what I mean) because those were my weak subjects. I felt that doing the other quizzes 2 times was enough, some I did 3. You won't retain everything its not possible so I would suggest knowing what you know and knowing it very well! You will be fine just please take a break the day before the exam and relax! Also, I focused on math the mon-Thursday before my exam and rested on Friday, exam was Saturday!

I agree with DrChooJay. There is also no set number of math questions. A friend just told me he had 8 math questions total. Do I believe that to be true? Hmmm... probably not, unless of course, this person ends up with a 145. Sometimes people say these things to make themselves look really smart. I come from a school where everyone just likes to do that. It must be a *thing*. The take-home message is that you need to be honest with yourself and determine what you need to do to pass. There are people I know who showed up without studying and passed. That would not have worked for me. I hate guessing. I like knowing my stuff and figured that studying hard would actually make my life easier at my job in retail. You need to DO YOU and NO ONE ELSE.

Best,

Apotheker2015

 

[Jt0603]

Thanks for all the tips Apotheker2015 and drchoojay! I really wish I could postpone my test date but my employer has given me an ultimatum to pass by the start of Sept . Otherwise if I had more time, I definitely would go through all the quiz banks like you all suggested ( I've done about half). It looks like I'm gonna have to do or die now A few of my classmates also said they had soo many select all the apply questions (they said roughly 40%?) that got really specific, forcing them to guess on most. Since time is a major issue for me, Im gonna reinforce those topics you all mentioned above and hope for the best

 

[Apotheker2015]

Thanks for all the tips Apotheker2015 and drchoojay! I really wish I could postpone my test date but my employer has given me an ultimatum to pass by the start of Sept . Otherwise if I had more time, I definitely would go through all the quiz banks like you all suggested ( I've done about half). It looks like I'm gonna have to do or die now A few of my classmates also said they had soo many select all the apply questions (they said roughly 40%?) that got really specific, forcing them to guess on most. Since time is a major issue for me, Im gonna reinforce those topics you all mentioned above and hope for the best

Jt0603,

you read my mind. I would say definitely know those I listed and please, drill the renal dosing, liver disease and drug interactions chapters. Focus on drug interactions and dosing frequency. I would not even bother looking through Diabetes, HTN and lipids. You most likely have had those down since second year of pharmacy school. I wanted to mention that I remember reading a post that I found very useful. During the NAPLEX this guy would ask himself "who taught me this in school?". I actually used that tip through my test.
For HIV, don't forget the guidelines changed and the preferred regimens no longer include any NNRTIs. ZERO. So that should help you narrow down your options if you are asked to choose the components of preferred regimens.

Don't forget, if you encounter something just plain and flat weird, that is most likely an experimental question. Choose an answer to the best of your ability and move on. Don't dwell on anything as you test.

Read through the charts and develop a system to do so. Always check:

1. allergies
2. race (caucasian, black, asian)
3. preganancy
etc etc.

Hit me up if you have any questions. I am always happy to help. Above all trust that at one point or another you have seen everything that's tested on the NAPLEX.

Best,

Apotheker2015

 

[Jt0603]

Thank you so much Apotheker2015 for taking the time to give me so many advices!! I value every single tip you gave me! Funny how you had just mentioned about the new hiv changes because I was just brushing over the hiv topic literally half an hr ago and got confused about the new recommendations now. So if we are no longer recommending nnrti's (no more atripla), are we just recommending either the pi-based or insti-based regimens with 2 Nrti's as backbone? Also, the regimen for viral load <100,000 has choices either with efavirenz or with rilpivirine(Complera), are these 2 no longer used? Do I just use the one with the atazanavir ? Thank you so much in advance!!

 

[Apotheker2015]

Thank you so much Apotheker2015 for taking the time to give me so many advices!! I value every single tip you gave me! Funny how you had just mentioned about the new hiv changes because I was just brushing over the hiv topic literally half an hr ago and got confused about the new recommendations now. So if we are no longer recommending nnrti's (no more atripla), are we just recommending either the pi-based or insti-based regimens with 2 Nrti's as backbone? Also, the regimen for viral load <100,000 has choices either with efavirenz or with rilpivirine(Complera), are these 2 no longer used? Do I just use the one with the atazanavir ? Thank you so much in advance!!

Hey hey!

I went straight to the HIV guidelines and made myself a little table with the new preferred treatments. Took me 20 minutes. Do the same. You will memorize it just by typing it up.
Here is another tip... NNRTIs have a bunch of N's and cause SteveN's JohNsoN's SyNdrome which also has a bunch of N's. That's how I remembered that one. It's all about making sense of the information in a way that you can recall it.

Best,

Apotheker2015

 

[Apotheker2015]

Hi, I'm new to this board (new as in I actually have login credentials now.) This is directed at Apotheker2015, since you appear to be really clever when it comes to devising simple ways to recall information. Here I'm referring to the NNRTI statement. I was wondering if you invented anything that would be helpful for remembering which abx need to be refrigerated/not refrigerated? I was trying to invent some sort of chemical formula thing...but I think I would have better luck memorizing the list of drugs than going forward with whatever on Earth I was trying to do. I am taking the NAPLEX late - September 28th. I just graduated this May. I have to have surgery so my plans went down the drain and my anxiety level through the roof now that I see everyone done with it already.

Hey Dr. C,

thanks for the message. To recall what needs to be refrigerated and what not, I would do a mental run through of the fridge at the pharmacy where I was an intern and later a grad intern and now a pharmacist. That's also how I recalled the strengths of most drugs. I would go to the shelf in my head, grab the bottle and then look at it. I actually went to my pharmacy several times off the clock to just walk around and grab the boxes/bottles of drugs whose brand name I could not recall with ease.

I'd say I focused on the Do not refrigerate items and you can recall those by writing out statements like:

• The only cephalosporin that must not be refrigerated is CEFDINIR
• Azithromycin, Clarithromycin and Clindamycin must not be refrigerated. Erythromycin must be refrigerated(Hopefully, the rhyme should help this one stick)
• Levo and Ciprofloxacin must not be refrigerated.
• The 2 antifungals that must not be refrigerated are Fluconazole and Voriconazole.
• For MRSA, do not refrigerate Linezolid and Bactrim.

Basically, what I did was simply group them up by class which makes it easier for me, at least, to remember them.

In addition, to reinforce this and for the IV compatibility tables; i.e, what's compatible in NS and D5W etc, I would write them out on a sheet of paper and tape them to a wall that I walked by often. The more you look at it the more it will just be something you know.

I apologize if this is not as clever as you may have expected but hopefully, it helps you in some way. Hit me up with any other questions. I am happy to share.

Best,

Apotheker

PS: Here is another freebie. Brevibloc is esmolol. Brevi is the latin/spanish root for breve which means brief which also means short in duration. Esmolol has the shortest half life of all beta blockers.

 

[zenmode13]

Hi everyone,

I have been MIA for awhile now. I just want to thank everyone for their tips and encouragement. I wanted to give you an update regarding my NAPLEX. So I was suppose to take the NAPLEX on Aug. 5th, but due to not having my middle name in my NABP profile (which I created my first year in pharmacy school), I had to reschedule my exam and the earliest I can take the exam will be Sept 2nd. I was very bummed as I wanted to be done with the NAPLEX.

So for the past two weeks I was focusing on my TX MPJE and just found out today that I passed. With one less exam to worry about, I will be getting back to studying for the NAPLEX. I realized that I know the information, but sometimes I can't correlate and use the information that is stored in different parts of my brain to get the right answers. This has always been my weakness so I will be working on that for my upcoming exam.

Everyone has been very encouraging and I hope that when I post again it will be with good news regarding my NAPLEX. Thank you again and wish me luck!

Best regards,
zenmode13

 

[zenmode13]

Hi everyone,

I just want to update everyone regarding my NAPLEX. I just found out today that I passed. I am so happy and grateful, for all the tips, encouragement and advice. Thank you so very much!

It was not triple digits that I hope, but I am very happy I passed my first time. Now if anyone has tips on paying off a mountain of student loans, please contact me.

Best of luck,
zenmode13

 

[newway2015]

Congratulations Zenmode! That is great news! Did you feel nervous and like you failed after the test? Or did you feel like you did pretty well and knew the concepts well?

Thanks

 

[zenmode13]

Congratulations Zenmode! That is great news! Did you feel nervous and like you failed after the test? Or did you feel like you did pretty well and knew the concepts well?

Thanks

I felt like I failed it. I know I got the math portion which was around 25-30 questions, but I got a lot of select the answers type questions which were questions that I absolutely hate. I am just happy I passed. I was never good at standardized exams.

 

[newway2015]

I've been reading that it makes you feel like you failed. Glad you passed. Your hard work paid off!!!! Did you use Rx Prep? I am wondering how you studied oncology…? I'm studying that anti neoplastic man.

 

[zenmode13]

I've been reading that it makes you feel like you failed. Glad you passed. Your hard work paid off!!!! Did you use Rx Prep? I am wondering how you studied oncology…? I'm studying that anti neoplastic man.

Hi and thank you. Regarding how I studied, I used only RxPrep and the RxPrep question bank. For oncology I mainly studied antineoplastic man as it sums up the big side effects for each class of onco drugs. It is good to know the brand names of these drugs too. I started to repeat everything using brand names to familiarize myself with them for the exam and it helped. I also studied what medications you were to take along with the onco drug class to help reduce SE.

As for the rest, I read over the RxPrep once and went over the big diseases states again taking notes and doing the question bank for those chapters. I thought I studied the brand names but I needed to practice it more. I panicked a little when brand names showed up. If I had to redo it I would focus on brand names. I am very comfortable with the math and used the SDN 120. I agree it is overkill, but if you can do the 120 the math is super simple. RxPrep is sufficient, but I felt the questions on the Naplex were a step up or two from the calculations in RxPrep.

I felt my weakest part are the 'select all that applies' questions which I got a lot (at least 70+ question). I manage to forget to select one of the correct options. I got a lot of math (25-30) and felt I couldn't answer one or two due to time. Overall, I felt it was a straight forward exam - hard, but doable. I am not a standardized test taker type of person, but I managed and am happy I passed.

 

[bongos]

Hey guys,

I found out today that I passed the Naplex. Thanks to Apotheker for encouraging me. I had passed the MPJE previously so I'm done!!! I wish the rest of you the best in your exams.

 

[newway2015]

Zenmode 70 plus questions that were select all that apply?? Whoa!!! That is a lot. Well thanks for the tips, anything else to know to keep calm and not get too nervous?

 

[zenmode13]

Zenmode 70 plus questions that were select all that apply?? Whoa!!! That is a lot. Well thanks for the tips, anything else to know to keep calm and not get too nervous?

Just pace yourself. If you don't know an answer just choose an answer and move on. You will be fine. The exam is pretty straightforward.

 

[bbypeach]

First off, thanks for sharing all the great advice guys!

So, I'm taking the NAPLEX and CPJE in 3 weeks and I wanted to know if on the exams, are the other options very easy to eliminate?