Don't know about CPJE (I am in North Carolina) but for the NAPLEX I would definitely try to remember side effects...especially for more common drugs that are out there like the top 200 or the major drugs used for a specific condition. Try to set up a system to remember them like this:
Severe CNS (seizures, vertigo, etc)
non severe CNS (headache, drowsiness)
severe GI (CDiff, hemorrhagic cystitis)
non severe GI (upset stomach, N/V/D)
Cardiovascular side effects
Respiratory side effects
Bone Marrow Suppression (White cells, red cells, or platelets)
Endocrine side effects
Dermatology side effects
Other drug/class specific ones that don't fall into a category
Then just label drugs by what they can cause. It is a lot easier to do something like this than to try to memorize specific things for each drug. Plus many therapeutic classes (antipsychotics, anti-epileptics) will have similar side effects (for example, many anti-epileptics have a severe CNS side effect of causing seizures, especially in high doses). This was the easiest way to do it for me. Hope that makes sense.
