Hi all,
I found the SDN forum to be the most useful and comforting tool when preparing for NAPLEX and MPJE, so I'll share my experience in hopes of helping others.
background: 3.5 GPA, A/B student
NAPLEX
I gave myself exactly 3 weeks, studying 8-12 hours/day. I used an old RxPrep book (2014) which I read cover to cover in 2 weeks, averaging 50 pages (plus or minus 20) a day, then reread in about 4 days. I purchased the RxPrep quizbank, and did most of the quizzes a day or two after reading the respective chapter. Even though I had an old book, using up to date quizzes from the quizbank helped me realize what I was missing or which sections I had to further look into on my own (e.g. new HepC drugs)
Reading the book a second time was EXTREMELY helpful, and after that point I felt more confident for the exam. I did all the quizbank questions once, and repeated big sections like ID, cardiology, DM, HTN, hyperlipidemia. My quizbank average was a 76% going into the test.
I read everywhere on SDN that the 120 SDN math problems were crucial blah blah blah. I would disagree. If you have time to learn and understand the math, power to you. But if you're short on time, you'll be fine with the math in RxPrep. Though I consider myself to be decent at math, I looked at 120 SDN two days before the exam and it only made me anxious and significantly more confused. If this is your case, stick to one source.
I took the pre-Naplex 2 or 3 days before the test to see if I should push my date back. I found the pre-Naplex so difficult, but to my surprise, I got a 110. Even though pre-Nap is a rip off, it's helpful to see the format of the exam in advance and make you feel much more relaxed going into the text.
Test day: After taking pre-Naplex, I felt a lot better and was calm. My exam was spread pretty evenly among all topics, without too many questions in any specific topic. Did not have as much math as many others seem to have had. I came out very confident that I had passed. Scored a 118.
MA MPJE:
I found this harder to study for since there isn't one source that has everything you need, like RxPrep. Used some notes from law class and from friends who had taken the exam. Definitely focus on the following:
**247 CMR (available online) - ALL of it
*MGL c94 (available online)- up to around section 32 or whenever they talk about penalties
DEA pharmacists manual
MA MPJE quizlet flashcards - hit about all the questions on my exam
I passively studied for about 1-2 weeks, but didn't really start until about 3 days before the test. The law itself isn't that extensive, it's just a matter of getting it straight in your head. I didn't go in as confident as I did with NAPLEX, and I felt clueless on about 80 of the 90 questions and was guessing. I felt awful after the exam and was upset since I felt like I knew the law. I knew the laws pertaining to the questions that were being asked, but I felt that the choices were poorly worded and I didn't know which one they wanted me to pick. I had full intention on retaking the exam in a month. I was shocked when I learned that I passed with a 91.
Moral of the story: These exams are complete jokes. If you haven't taken them, be sure to study, but don't kill yourself doing so. If you do not pass the first time, don't get discouraged. The exams are poorly worded and designed and I don't know if there really is any rhyme or reason as to how they are graded.
Best of luck to all!
I found the SDN forum to be the most useful and comforting tool when preparing for NAPLEX and MPJE, so I'll share my experience in hopes of helping others.
background: 3.5 GPA, A/B student
NAPLEX
I gave myself exactly 3 weeks, studying 8-12 hours/day. I used an old RxPrep book (2014) which I read cover to cover in 2 weeks, averaging 50 pages (plus or minus 20) a day, then reread in about 4 days. I purchased the RxPrep quizbank, and did most of the quizzes a day or two after reading the respective chapter. Even though I had an old book, using up to date quizzes from the quizbank helped me realize what I was missing or which sections I had to further look into on my own (e.g. new HepC drugs)
Reading the book a second time was EXTREMELY helpful, and after that point I felt more confident for the exam. I did all the quizbank questions once, and repeated big sections like ID, cardiology, DM, HTN, hyperlipidemia. My quizbank average was a 76% going into the test.
I read everywhere on SDN that the 120 SDN math problems were crucial blah blah blah. I would disagree. If you have time to learn and understand the math, power to you. But if you're short on time, you'll be fine with the math in RxPrep. Though I consider myself to be decent at math, I looked at 120 SDN two days before the exam and it only made me anxious and significantly more confused. If this is your case, stick to one source.
I took the pre-Naplex 2 or 3 days before the test to see if I should push my date back. I found the pre-Naplex so difficult, but to my surprise, I got a 110. Even though pre-Nap is a rip off, it's helpful to see the format of the exam in advance and make you feel much more relaxed going into the text.
Test day: After taking pre-Naplex, I felt a lot better and was calm. My exam was spread pretty evenly among all topics, without too many questions in any specific topic. Did not have as much math as many others seem to have had. I came out very confident that I had passed. Scored a 118.
MA MPJE:
I found this harder to study for since there isn't one source that has everything you need, like RxPrep. Used some notes from law class and from friends who had taken the exam. Definitely focus on the following:
**247 CMR (available online) - ALL of it
*MGL c94 (available online)- up to around section 32 or whenever they talk about penalties
DEA pharmacists manual
MA MPJE quizlet flashcards - hit about all the questions on my exam
I passively studied for about 1-2 weeks, but didn't really start until about 3 days before the test. The law itself isn't that extensive, it's just a matter of getting it straight in your head. I didn't go in as confident as I did with NAPLEX, and I felt clueless on about 80 of the 90 questions and was guessing. I felt awful after the exam and was upset since I felt like I knew the law. I knew the laws pertaining to the questions that were being asked, but I felt that the choices were poorly worded and I didn't know which one they wanted me to pick. I had full intention on retaking the exam in a month. I was shocked when I learned that I passed with a 91.
Moral of the story: These exams are complete jokes. If you haven't taken them, be sure to study, but don't kill yourself doing so. If you do not pass the first time, don't get discouraged. The exams are poorly worded and designed and I don't know if there really is any rhyme or reason as to how they are graded.
Best of luck to all!
