Hi! I took my NAPLEX on October 31, and ending up passing with a 105 after having failed the NAPLEX back in July with a 74 (AWFUL, I KNOW!) I am writing what I did to better prepare the second time around. If you are in my same boat, feel free to message me if you have anymore questions.
1. SDN 120 Calculations/ MATH:
I did not work through these calculations my first time taking the test, but did the second time. I did not think that the questions better prepared me for the math questions on the NAPLEX, and these seemed much more complicated! Everyone says if you fail the math then you fail the NAPLEX, but I don't believe that to be true. I still didn't know everyone of the math problems taking the NAPLEX for a second time, but felt better prepared by working the RX Prep questions and RX Prep Practice Exam. For math, know TPN, flow rates, and proportions COLD. I have several questions on CrCl (EASY POINTS!), BMI (EASY POINTS!), and mEq. The math is very do able, so don't stress out if you don't know a question!
2. Practice questions, practice questions, practice questions
I can't stress enough how much this helped me! The first time I took the exam, I didn't do as many practice questions as I should have. The 2nd time, I did all of the RX prep online questions, AphA questions, RX prep book questions, and the Pre-Naplex. The questions really solidified what material I was weak on, and what material I had mastered.
3. Major DX States are important, but so are little chapters
The first time around I pretty much skipped over short chapters.. DON'T! Yes, it is SUPER IMPORTANT to study the major disease states hard, but the test is pretty much all over the place so you can have some really random questions that will throw you off your game! Don't spend too much time on the small chapters, but definitely be familiar with them and the major drugs (bold points) in the chapters.
4. Drug Interactions
KNOW! If you have the RX prep book, be sure to memorize the table with big inducers and big inhibitors of CYP. This will really help you will many questions on the exam!
5. Read through the question before reading through the entire case.
The cases can seem really long and intimidating, but alot of the times the questions are asking for something simple. If you read the question first, you may save yourself a lot of time on the question, and this will give you more time if you are having trouble answering a math questions or something else.
6. Brands/Generics
Don't stress too much about this. Yes, the exam does ask you about some, but mainly over the major dx states on popular meds!
6. Take your time
Yes, you do have a time limit on the exam, but it is 4 hours, so be sure to take your time! The first time around I did run out of time, so don't spend too long on a math question you don't know or ponder too hard on a question you don't know. Chances are, you probably don't know it so just pick an answer! And don't stress if you don't know one. You aren't going to know every question on the exam, and that's okay!
7. Pre-Naplex
TAKE IT! This is ESSENTIAL! Pay the $55.00 to take the exam. I really believe that it will tell you how you will do on the exam! The first time around I took the Pre-Naplex and scored a 69, but had another week of studying and thought I would be okay. I scored a 74.. so wasn't okay. The second time around I took the Pre-Naplex a few days before my exam, and scored a 95. This also gave me alot more confidence going into the exam. I have heard that you will probably score + or - 10 points of what you make on the Pre-Naplex!
8. Relax the day before the exam
The first time around, I felt like I had to cram so much information in one day and stayed up until 2 am the night before and got up around 4:30-5 the next morning to continue trying to stuff as much information in my head. This may work for some people, but NOT for me. The day before the exam, I reviewed a few topics and things that were giving me trouble, but just relaxed! I went to bed early, and got a good night's sleep. REALLY HELPFUL!
I hope these tips helped you, and let me know if you have anymore questions!
1. SDN 120 Calculations/ MATH:
I did not work through these calculations my first time taking the test, but did the second time. I did not think that the questions better prepared me for the math questions on the NAPLEX, and these seemed much more complicated! Everyone says if you fail the math then you fail the NAPLEX, but I don't believe that to be true. I still didn't know everyone of the math problems taking the NAPLEX for a second time, but felt better prepared by working the RX Prep questions and RX Prep Practice Exam. For math, know TPN, flow rates, and proportions COLD. I have several questions on CrCl (EASY POINTS!), BMI (EASY POINTS!), and mEq. The math is very do able, so don't stress out if you don't know a question!
2. Practice questions, practice questions, practice questions
I can't stress enough how much this helped me! The first time I took the exam, I didn't do as many practice questions as I should have. The 2nd time, I did all of the RX prep online questions, AphA questions, RX prep book questions, and the Pre-Naplex. The questions really solidified what material I was weak on, and what material I had mastered.
3. Major DX States are important, but so are little chapters
The first time around I pretty much skipped over short chapters.. DON'T! Yes, it is SUPER IMPORTANT to study the major disease states hard, but the test is pretty much all over the place so you can have some really random questions that will throw you off your game! Don't spend too much time on the small chapters, but definitely be familiar with them and the major drugs (bold points) in the chapters.
4. Drug Interactions
KNOW! If you have the RX prep book, be sure to memorize the table with big inducers and big inhibitors of CYP. This will really help you will many questions on the exam!
5. Read through the question before reading through the entire case.
The cases can seem really long and intimidating, but alot of the times the questions are asking for something simple. If you read the question first, you may save yourself a lot of time on the question, and this will give you more time if you are having trouble answering a math questions or something else.
6. Brands/Generics
Don't stress too much about this. Yes, the exam does ask you about some, but mainly over the major dx states on popular meds!
6. Take your time
Yes, you do have a time limit on the exam, but it is 4 hours, so be sure to take your time! The first time around I did run out of time, so don't spend too long on a math question you don't know or ponder too hard on a question you don't know. Chances are, you probably don't know it so just pick an answer! And don't stress if you don't know one. You aren't going to know every question on the exam, and that's okay!
7. Pre-Naplex
TAKE IT! This is ESSENTIAL! Pay the $55.00 to take the exam. I really believe that it will tell you how you will do on the exam! The first time around I took the Pre-Naplex and scored a 69, but had another week of studying and thought I would be okay. I scored a 74.. so wasn't okay. The second time around I took the Pre-Naplex a few days before my exam, and scored a 95. This also gave me alot more confidence going into the exam. I have heard that you will probably score + or - 10 points of what you make on the Pre-Naplex!
8. Relax the day before the exam
The first time around, I felt like I had to cram so much information in one day and stayed up until 2 am the night before and got up around 4:30-5 the next morning to continue trying to stuff as much information in my head. This may work for some people, but NOT for me. The day before the exam, I reviewed a few topics and things that were giving me trouble, but just relaxed! I went to bed early, and got a good night's sleep. REALLY HELPFUL!
I hope these tips helped you, and let me know if you have anymore questions!
