NAPLEX 2009 (Has anyone taken it yet?)

[pharmacy2009]

I am starting to study for the Naplex and hope to take in Early June . Has anyone taken it yet and if so what did you think?

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[swan212]

Wow, thanks for all the input guys! I'm definitely not freaking out as much as I was prior to finding this thread

I've signed up for the July 2nd NAPLEX exam and have been studying the top 250 drugs (I found some notecards online if anybody is interested) and the APhA book.

Hi
I have signed up for July 2nd Naplex....are they easy to use notecards for quick review??? Which state?
How is your prep? I am using APHA...

 

[RX8]

Hi
I have signed up for July 2nd Naplex....are they easy to use notecards for quick review??? Which state?
How is your prep? I am using APHA...

They're easy to use notecards for the top 200 drugs. Here's a link

http://www.flashcardmachine.com/print_flash_cards/html_print.pl?topic_id=462278#

All you have to do is print them out and then cut/fold them. They've been a great help to me. As for my preparations, I'm just using the APhA book and some of the review material that I was given from my college. I'm just getting sick of studying and want to take the stupid test already

 

[TCB]

They're easy to use notecards for the top 200 drugs. Here's a link

http://www.flashcardmachine.com/print_flash_cards/html_print.pl?topic_id=462278#

All you have to do is print them out and then cut/fold them. They've been a great help to me. As for my preparations, I'm just using the APhA book and some of the review material that I was given from my college. I'm just getting sick of studying and want to take the stupid test already

I feel the same way, I' m getting so sick of studying ugh

 

[TheBlob]

I used ProntoPass, and then I also had the APhA and Kaplan book, as well as the ASHP PharmPrep (as I had gone to Midyear Clinical Meeting, and if you went to their board review, they gave you a complementary subscription).

I think overall, the Kaplan book and ProntoPass were the most helpful. ProntoPass because it offered ways to help remember the material (pictures, rhymes, etc.).

I'm studying ProntoPass right now, do you think that is sufficient for the exam? Or I need to supplement that with Kaplan or APhA

 

[RX8]

For anyone that's taken the exam, I'm not asking what is on the exam specifically, but do they focus upon the brand/generic names of all the oral contraceptives out there? I'll remember it for a day and then 24 hours later, *poof* it's gone.

 

[kbv]

For anyone that's taken the exam, I'm not asking what is on the exam specifically, but do they focus upon the brand/generic names of all the oral contraceptives out there? I'll remember it for a day and then 24 hours later, *poof* it's gone.

No. Don't even remember any OC questions were asked on the exam at all.

 

[pharmacychick01]

No. Don't even remember any OC questions were asked on the exam at all.

Just goes to show you that there is a large bank of questions the NAPLEX pulls from, and everyone's experience can be different.... I had a OC question...

 

[Synercid]

Hey Everyone! I just took the Naplex on June 17th and passed with a score of 119! yeah!!! I have to tell you though the exam is a BEAST!!! I got such off the wall questions. My advice to anyone who is studying for it is to pray. If anyone has any specific questions regarding what to study or how I can be of help please let me know!!! Good luck all. Also selling all my stuff. I have Lang Q and A Question bank CD and APHA and Kaplan. Also Have a Morris Cody 2009 Naplex Review CD. Will give good price on entire package if you are interested.

Thanks and good luck all!

 

[Synercid]

Just goes to show you that there is a large bank of questions the NAPLEX pulls from, and everyone's experience can be different.... I had a OC question...

I also had tons of OC questions and like 10-15 statistics questions. Be familiar with Power, number needed to treat, relative risk reduction, absolute risk reduction, clinicially significant vs statistically significant. Also be familiar with p value. That part of the exam sucked major.

 

[Rxxxpharmd]

I also had tons of OC questions and like 10-15 statistics questions. Be familiar with Power, number needed to treat, relative risk reduction, absolute risk reduction, clinicially significant vs statistically significant. Also be familiar with p value. That part of the exam sucked major.

was there a lot of max dose, common doses, side effects, contraindications on the naplex? i totally dread that stuff. Any kinetics, pharmaceutics, immunizations, tpn calculations? Lots of HIV and/or cancer or chemotherapy? how were the general pharmaceutical calculations questions? I know I am asking much but I am worried about the test. It's hard for me to remember all this stuff. I am studying from apha and kaplan lecture notes book. CONGRATS on passing NAPLEX!! I hope I get to be in your shoes with a passing score.

 

[GaPharmGirl09]

Finally done with it all and am licensed.... and enjoying a week at the beach to celebrate!

 

[RX8]

Finally done with it all and am licensed.... and enjoying a week at the beach to celebrate!

Congrats! Do you have any advice for those of us that are taking it shortly?

 

[GaPharmGirl09]

Congrats! Do you have any advice for those of us that are taking it shortly?

For NAPLEX I attended the KAPLAN review and did the questions from the CD in the back of the Lange Q&A book.

For the MPJE I did ALL the questions in the green Federal Law review book (from the same authors of the KAPLAN book and the LANGE Q&A book). I also used the notes I had from our law class for the state. I also used CLINICALPEARLSRX that I found online.

Good luck studying! You will all do fine!

 

[Glycerin]

Took it yesterday. I thought it was easier than what people had let me think it was. If I don't pass, I'd be very surprised. While I know that every exam is different and varied, to those who still haven't taken it, I'd advise you to really brush up on interpretation of and stats with regard to clinical trials.

 

[rx515]

Took it on Wednesday and got my score this morning. A 139!
Overall, I thought the exam wasn't that bad. I finished in 1 hour and 50 minutes. I was kinda worried when I left because I went so fast but I guess it didn't matter.
My exam was kind of mix of everything. Maybe 5-6 cancer, 2 HIV, couple htn, lipids, diabetes (type 1 stuff), and a lot of glaucoma and vaccination. Calculations were not bad at all. I think I had 15 overall and 3 where I had to fill in the answer.

For review I used the APhA book and some therapeutics class notes. I studied off and on for about three weeks and I think it was overkill.

Some things I would recommend reviewing: Statistics, Dosage forms available, dosing schedules.

 

[rx515]

Oh one more thing to add. I took the Pre-NAPLEX a week before I took the test and got a 121. I think it was good practice for the exam and it will give you a good idea of the testing experience.

 

[RX8]

Congrats guys! I'm looking around to see where I can find a quick review on statistical analysis... did you guys just use your notes or was there a website somewhere?

 

[rx515]

Congrats guys! I'm looking around to see where I can find a quick review on statistical analysis... did you guys just use your notes or was there a website somewhere?

I read over a set of articles that was in Pharmacy Practice News a few years ago (2005) By Ivan Oransky. They are short and easy to understand. I read through these twice and it was the only stats review I did. They are available or their website after free registration.
They are titled:

"Why Size Matters"
"The 5% Solution to Reading Medical Studies With Confidence"
"Statistically Speaking Risk: It's All Relative"
"Numbers You Need To Treat, To Harm--and To Understand"

 

[finefarmacist]

hey are you selling ur pronto pass combo or is it best to buy from the website? how much was it if you do not mind me asking

 

[Glycerin]

Took it on Wednesday and got my score this morning.

Wow! That's a really fast turnaround. In what state are you?

 

[rx515]

Wow! That's a really fast turnaround. In what state are you?

The Iowa Board of Pharmacy posts scores from the naplex and mpje on their website in 2 business days. It just has a list of atts and corresponding scores.

 

[Glycerin]

The Iowa Board of Pharmacy posts scores from the naplex and mpje on their website in 2 business days. It just has a list of atts and corresponding scores.

That's so...civilized.

 

[RX8]

The Iowa Board of Pharmacy posts scores from the naplex and mpje on their website in 2 business days. It just has a list of atts and corresponding scores.

Are/were you a Hawkeye? GO HAWKS!

 

[imprecious]

Took my NAPLEX this afternoon. It was very much in line with what everyone is saying. I actually had a huge amount of calculations! Maybe the last 20 questions were calculations and then there were a few more that were dispersed throughout the exam. The prontopass math set as well as the Zatz textbook is very helpful in preparing for this portion.
A lot of statistics questions and how they are intrepreted in relations to a study. A lot of the drug info questions were fairly straightforward, but a few were very random!
1 case report on HIV. I'd say asthma was a prevalent disease state throughout the exam.
Waiting for my score now

 

[izzie516]

I guess everyone has a very different set of questions from others. I was bombarded with HIV questions on my exam and they were not even easy questions. It was more about comparing agents within the same class of HIV meds. I was drawing a blank because the questions were so specific so I pretty much guessed on all of the HIV questions. I also got many organ transplant questions, 5-6 of them, and I didn't even bother to study them, so that part didn't go too well either. There were a lot of calculation questions on my exam, probably more than 20. A couple were very easy, the rest were quite difficult and required many steps to get to the final answer.

I used the Kaplan book to study and spent about 3 weeks or so studying. I thought I was prepared until I got to the exam. There weren't many questions on HTN, DM. I didn't get any questions on asthma and other COMMON chronic disease states. I literally felt like I got less than half of the questions right, but hopefully I passed

 

[jetblack]

yes, it looks like most of us had very different experiences.
i had ~15 very easy calculations- no kinetics at all. had 2 statistic settings- about 6 questions- some straightforward, some just weird calculations. i had 3 onco profiles and some random chemo questions that came up throughout the test.. i think those were ok for the most part. 3 questions on asthma, 3 questions on GI, 2 questions on hiv, and everything else was just plain random! i also had 2 questions had were repeated, and i knew that i answered correctly to begin with.

this test wasn't algorithm based, it was just a bunch of random questions that if you're lucky, you came across in reading or on rotations. i wouldnt even know how to study for it again if i had to do it twice. let's hope i passed this time. good luck, everyone!!!

i used apha book, kaplan (from amazon) review, and prontopass.. in that order. went over apha once or twice for some chapters, with kaplan when i was home, and prontopass during breaks at work.

 

[Huhenyo]

See below

 

[Huhenyo]

Pre-Naplex - 129
Naplex - 124
MPJE - 86

I mostly just did the practice questions from the APhA book (my average on each section as probably about 65. Some sections I got in the 90s, but others I only got 30 or so) and then did some focused study on the sections I did really poorly on. Use the CD, it makes goind through the questions a lot easier, but be careful as the CD has almost one error per section. If something doesn't seem right on the explanation, just look in the book as it usually didn't have the error. I just kept the book open to the section I was on as I went through the CD questions so I could quickly double check the incorrect ones. I only looked over the top 200 drugs during a 30 minute period right before the test.

I found this method of study to be quite helpful because doing the practice questions and reading the explanations of the answers pretty much gives you what you need and you don't have to sit there and get overwhelmed with reading the whole book. Taking the practice test just helped settle my nerves and was worth the $50 to me. Taking it also helps you get used to the format of the test.

I studied probably a total of 40 hours.

Hopefully this is helpful.

I still feel like I don't know anything and it feels weird to be a pharmacist, but I'm sure I'll get used to it. Woooooot!

 

[mfdf]

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


I'm so excited for you!! Actually, I'm quite envious! I so wish I could fast fwd to where you are at right now & just breathe!! Haha.

Thank you for sharing your experience so thoroughly with us! I do have a couple of questions....

I mostly just did the practice questions from the APhA book (my average on each section as probably about 65. Some sections I got in the 90s, but others I only got 30 or so) and then did some focused study on the sections I did really poorly on.

What did you mean by "I only got 30 or so"? Percent?

& any advice for calming my nerves?? I'm studying that APhA book, but at times I feel pretty overwhelmed!! Eek. Any chapters in there that you think may have been overkill or not thorough enough? Thanks so much for your help & congratulations again!!! So exciting!

 

[Huhenyo]

Thanks Mfdf.

If you take the chapter quizes on the CD it will tell you your percentage right. When I say that I got 30 or so, I mean 30%.

As far as the APhA book. Like I said above I would do all the chapter quizes first. Make a note of the chapters that you didn't do so well on so you can go and study those chapters a bit. I really wouldn't spend time reading any other chapters than the ones that you don't do well on (meaning that you got < 55%). Then after studying the chapters that you didn't do well on, I would go back and take those chapter quizes again and see how you do. Granted you will have seen the questions once before so that is why I say to go all the way through the chapter quizes first. That way you won't remember the answers to the question as easy and will have to rely on the knowledge you gained from studying those few chapters you didn't do very well on.

I did the calculation chapter quiz twice as well as the extra examples in the chapter for some of the calculations that I wasn't as comfortable with. I think that was very helpful.

Hope that helps.

 

[mfdf]

Huhenyo!

Yes, that was definitely helpful!

Thank you again for sharing your tips and experience! Hopefully, I'll be able to survive it, too!

 

[RX8]

Taking the exam tomorrow, can't wait for this to be OVER!

 

[HaloKing]

took it today... i was pretty disappointed in myself.. first time ever a test took me 2 hours... i agree with with Synercid, lots of off the wall questions

 

[Rx6161]

I took that naplex this morning and I had felt miserable after I came out. I studied sooo hard...I studied the apha book like three times and kaplan once. And most of the answers I think I have to guess wasn't even in the book!!!! I dont know what else to study or how to study if I had to retake it again.

 

[rx515]

I took that naplex this morning and I had felt miserable after I came out. I studied sooo hard...I studied the apha book like three times and kaplan once. And most of the answers I think I have to guess wasn't even in the book!!!! I dont know what else to study or how to study if I had to retake it again.

I think a lot of people feel that way. I know I didn't feel that confident when I finished and knew of many questions that I had answered incorrectly and I passed. Remember there are a number of "test" questions that will be thrown out. In addition, it is an adaptive test so if you were getting hard questions you were likely doing well.

 

[Synercid]

Just got my mpje results!!!!! WHOOOOOOOOO I'M NOW A PHARMACIST!!!! SUCH A NICE FEELING. OMG SOOOO HAPPY. GOOD LUCK TO ALL WHO TAKE IT.

 

[RX8]

Congrats Synercid, I bet it's a great feeling!

I just got back from my naplex exam today and overall I feel pretty good about it. I was out of there in about 2.5 hours and looking back on it I feel like I knew more answers than I didn't know. Hopefully that winds up being true haha.

 

[jetblack]

i got a 135 on the naplex!!
prenaplex- 105

i'm selling my testing material- prontopass and appleton and lange Q &A if anyone's interested

 

[nsxiboi]

i got a 135 on the naplex!!
prenaplex- 105

i'm selling my testing material- prontopass and appleton and lange Q &A if anyone's interested

Congrats! How long did it take to get your results?

 

[jetblack]

thanks!
i took the naplex on june 22nd, they were mailed july 1st from albany, ny and i got it today!!

based on my score, i can understand why people say the exam was easy to pass. i could easily count 40 ques that i answered incorrectly.

 

[Leah27]

I took the Naplex on July 3rd and felt like I got hit by a bus. I had at least 4 cases ALL AIDS and HIV questions. I couldn't believe it! Otherwise, it was heavy on calc and had random other questions thrown in.

I would be interested to hear how others who posted and thought it was difficult made out.... especially those who had a ton of HIV/AIDS questions.

I am anxious to find out if I passed, but I know I'll have to wait longer because of the weekend/holiday!

 

[pshah297]

I took the Naplex on July 3rd and felt like I got hit by a bus. I had at least 4 cases ALL AIDS and HIV questions. I couldn't believe it! Otherwise, it was heavy on calc and had random other questions thrown in.

I would be interested to hear how others who posted and thought it was difficult made out.... especially those who had a ton of HIV/AIDS questions.

I am anxious to find out if I passed, but I know I'll have to wait longer because of the weekend/holiday!

Oh man....just when I feel a little relieved, I see a post like this and get nervous again. I am taking the naplex on July 16th. Felt a little better up until this post, now I feel scared again, just like I was prior to reading this forum. lol. Anyways, I am sure you did fine. In fact, I know a lot of people who are very unsure and were almost definite that they had failed coming out of the exam, but in deed did very good. I hope that is the case with you. Good luck! and keep us posted.

 

[ches123]

Oh man....just when I feel a little relieved, I see a post like this and get nervous again. I am taking the naplex on July 16th. Felt a little better up until this post, now I feel scared again, just like I was prior to reading this forum. lol. Anyways, I am sure you did fine. In fact, I know a lot of people who are very unsure and were almost definite that they had failed coming out of the exam, but in deed did very good. I hope that is the case with you. Good luck! and keep us posted.[/QUOTE

Can you recommend me a good source for NAPLEX calculations?

 

[RX8]

Oh man....just when I feel a little relieved, I see a post like this and get nervous again. I am taking the naplex on July 16th. Felt a little better up until this post, now I feel scared again, just like I was prior to reading this forum. lol. Anyways, I am sure you did fine. In fact, I know a lot of people who are very unsure and were almost definite that they had failed coming out of the exam, but in deed did very good. I hope that is the case with you. Good luck! and keep us posted.[/QUOTE

Can you recommend me a good source for NAPLEX calculations?

Just use the APhA book and know how to do each of the examples. The math was the easiest part, IMO.

 

[mipharmd]

i am still waiting for my ATT!!! how long does it usually take?

 

[izzie516]

I think I had a total of 3 HIV/AIDS patient cases, approximately >10 questions. I even had an HIV rotation last year and knew the drugs pretty well, but I still thought the HIV questions were so hard and literally guessed on most of them. I know exactly how you feel right now, but I'm sure you did just fine, because I thought I failed the Naplex and passed with a score that was way above 75. I have no idea how exactly this exam is scored, but it's definitely in our favors.

I took the Naplex on July 3rd and felt like I got hit by a bus. I had at least 4 cases ALL AIDS and HIV questions. I couldn't believe it! Otherwise, it was heavy on calc and had random other questions thrown in.

I would be interested to hear how others who posted and thought it was difficult made out.... especially those who had a ton of HIV/AIDS questions.

I am anxious to find out if I passed, but I know I'll have to wait longer because of the weekend/holiday!

 

[sandy tran]

Besides the computer, how can I have a calculator when taking Naplex? can i bring the 5- function calculator in or they will give it to us?
Anyone knows please tell
thanks a lot!

Wow, thanks for all the input guys! I'm definitely not freaking out as much as I was prior to finding this thread

I've signed up for the July 2nd NAPLEX exam and have been studying the top 250 drugs (I found some notecards online if anybody is interested) and the APhA book.

 

[rx515]

Besides the computer, how can I have a calculator when taking Naplex? can i bring the 5- function calculator in or they will give it to us?
Anyone knows please tell
thanks a lot!

My testing center gave me a calculator.

 

[RX8]

Besides the computer, how can I have a calculator when taking Naplex? can i bring the 5- function calculator in or they will give it to us?
Anyone knows please tell
thanks a lot!

You are given a simple calculator with +/-/x/divide

There is no log function or anything "complex" like that.

 

[Leah27]

I had to call the state board in Maryland in order to get my ATT- then they sent it to Pearsonvue in about 3.5 seconds, and then I was able to schedule my exam that evening.
I think if I hadn't called, I would still be waiting.