As a pharmacy student, you’ve grown accustomed to exams, pop quizzes, and other grade marking assignments throughout your time in pharmacy school. It comes with the territory. But the NAPLEX exam is an entirely different beast. It’s the one exam that stands in your way of becoming a licensed pharmacist and starting your career. It is truly a make or break situation, and unfortunately hundreds of students will fail the NAPLEX this year.
Every few years the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (or better known as NABP) publishes the cumulative pass rate from all of the pharmacy school in the United States. In 2022, the average pass rate for first time test takers was 80%. That means that more 2,500 students did not pass the NAPLEX on their first try.
Failure is a hard pill to swallow, but I promise that you are not alone. There are hundreds of students going through the same thing right now, and things do get better. Instead of hibernating in your bed and crying yourself to sleep, here are 9 ways to move forward and learn from your past mistakes.
Don’t let this failure define you
Remember that failure is a normal part of life and that it’s an opportunity to learn from your past mistakes. You are not the first person to fail the NAPLEX nor will you be the last. From Oprah Winfrey to Walt Disney to Einstein, every amazing person that goes through life deals with ups and downs, struggles, and disappointments. The difference between them and you is deciding whether or not you’re going to get back up and keep trying. Once you’ve come to terms with you failing the NAPLEX exam, you can then start planning your next move.
Take a break
Failing the NAPLEX can evoke some strong emotions of feeling devastated, mentally drained, and that your life is over. Remind yourself that these feelings are temporary by taking a break and doing something that brings you happiness. Life goes on after a failure, and you have more attempts to try again. It’s not the end of the world even if it may feel like it in the moment. Take a few minutes to read, walk your dog, bake your favorite dessert, or journal to take your mind off things and to reset your mood. Shoot – take a few days or even a week if you need to. The textbooks will be there when you’re mentally and physically ready.
In case you need some ideas on how to reset your mind and take care of self during this time:
- Start a new hobby like pottery or hiking
- Try out the 30 Day Self Care Challenge
- Get some ideas from this self care routine guide
- Grab my favorite daily gratitude journal
Get the help that you need
Once you accept that you can’t change the past, you can then focus on how to move forward. This includes asking for help if you need it! Reach out to professors, mentors, and anyone that you could think could help you re-strategize and provide some emotional support as well. I also recommend getting a NAPLEX tutor if you need help in specific areas or a study accountability partner.
While getting a NAPLEX tutor isn’t the cheapest route by far, it was the best investment for me personally as I was able to get the help that I needed. But just like all things, tutoring is just one piece of the puzzle, and it is by no means a quick fix. If you are dedicated to passing the NAPLEX, you’ll still need to invest your time into studying and incorporate the other NAPLEX study tips into your routine.
Dissect what went wrong
Before you jump back into studying, take some time to sit down and figure out what might’ve gone wrong during your first attempt. Once you write down a few things that you noticed retrospectively, you can then form a new plan that focuses on improving your weak areas and solidifying your strengths. Calculations, infectious diseases, HIV, and oncology are just a few areas that are notorious for tripping people up during the exam. Another big one is not finishing the exam on time. If this is something that you struggle with, you’ll want to spend some time working on your speed and time management.
Make a new plan
Once you figure out your weaknesses and strengths, you can then come up with a new NAPLEX study plan. Since studying for the NAPLEX can feel like a ginormous task, it’s best to reverse engineer your goals. This just means that you break down your big goals into smaller bite-sized goals that are easier to accomplish. This could look like practicing an hour of calculations each day or finishing one chapter of your NAPLEX prep book every single day.
Whatever your plan of attack is, make sure that you’re studying daily and answering practice questions just as often as you are reading from a textbook. You’ll also want to practice speed and stamina because the NAPLEX is a 6 hour exam, which is a lot mentally and physically.
Simplify your calendar/work load to improve your focus
From graduation, moving, starting a new job or residency, there may be a lot going on in your life right now. Even though you may think that you can do it all, you don’t have too nor should you. Simplify your calendar and workload so you can focus on what truly matters right now, which is passing your licensure exams. If you can, try only working a day or two a week so you have some money coming in but enough time to focus on studying. Remember to ask your community for help and support during this stressful time.
Sweat out your emotions
Lace up your sneakers, put on some comfy clothes, and go sweat out your emotions. There are so many benefits of regular exercise for your health, but the most important is the fact that it releases cortisol and endorphins. Both of which will make you feel like less stressed and leave you feeling rejuvenated.
Find a study group
Sometimes studying alone isn’t the most exciting or the most productive. If you like studying with others, then go online and find yourself a study group to join. You may be able to find one already put together at your own university or organization. Study groups can be an effective study tool because they help each member to learn the material in a clearer way and create a positive environment to work in. Plus you can exchange notes, study guides, and other tools that may help you learn a difficult subject faster than without the additional assistance.
Take your time
Many residencies and jobs require you to be licensed within a certain time frame, which may lead you to feeling rushed and unprepared prior to your first attempt. This may also be the reason why you failed in the first place beyond other reasons. For the next round, make sure to take your time when studying for the NAPLEX to make sure you feel properly prepared.
The NAPLEX isn’t an exam that you can pass by cramming at the last minute. It takes weeks and even months to feel adequately prepared. After you failed the NAPLEX the first time, you have to wait 45 days before you can re-apply to take it again. I would suggest studying for at least 6 weeks, maybe even more depending on how you’re feeling. You can check out my NAPLEX study schedule if you need some advice on how to tweak your own study schedule.
Best of luck on your next attempt! You got this!
