How to Study for the MPJE

This is the time of the year where pharmacy students and pharmacists alike are preparing to take and study for the MPJE exam, whether it be due to graduation or moving to a new state for a new job. It’s an exam that tends to keep popping back up, and it’s just as important as the NAPLEX exam. While the NAPLEX focuses more on your clinical and pharmacy knowledge, the MPJE exam focuses on the laws surrounding the pharmacy profession and how to protect your license. In this post, I’ll be going over some of my best MPJE study tips and advice to make sure that you can pass your law exam in any state!

What is the MPJE?

Let’s first start off with what the MPJE is and what it is not. The MPJE is the Multistate Pharmacy Jurisprudence Exam, which basically means that it’s the pharmacy law exam. But here’s the kicker unlike the NAPLEX exam where you only have to take the exam once in your entire life, you have to pass the MPJE exam for each state that you want to practice in. Unless you get lucky and the state that you want to practice in doesn’t require it like Arkansas or California.

The exam contains 120 questions and lasts up to 2.5 hours. The exam is adaptive, which makes it trickier than the NAPLEX exam as the exam changes with your answers.

Commonly Asked Questions About the MPJE

Unlike the NAPLEX, I find that there isn’t as much information online for the MPJE answering those burning questions that test takers so hopefully I can shed some light on some commonly asked questions about the MPJE.

Is the MPJE harder than the NAPLEX?

The reason that a lot of pharmacists and pharmacy student struggle with the MPJE exam is because law is sort of a foreign concept to us. We spend so much time studying drug mechanisms, side effects, and guidelines for different diseases and we spend 1 class going over pharmacy law. If your program was like mine, then you were given a law course your P3 year where you participated just enough to get by.

While I’ll be the first to admit that I find law incredibly boring, it is very important for you to know how to protect your license after you graduate and pass all of your licensure exams. The MPJE isn’t harder than the NAPLEX from personal experience. It just requires you to use your brain in different way that you may not be used to and it can be mentally challenging knowing that the exam changes based on your previous answers.

Is the pharmacy law exam the same in all states?

Nope! Every state has different laws and regulations, which is different enough to warrant a different exam for each state. Some states don’t even require the MPJE such as Arkansas and California who created their own version of the pharmacy law exam.

What is a passing score for the exam?

As of January 2021, the NABP (the organization that conducts the MPJE exam) decided to change the exam to a pass/fail test. Before you had to pass the exam with a score of 75 or higher, but now you’ll only see the words that decide your fate.

This recent change is definitely a bummer for future test takers because you won’t know how good or bad your study strategies are. You also won’t know what you need to work on or improve if you did fail the exam.

What to do if you fail the exam?

If you don’t pass the exam on your first attempt, you do have the opportunity to take it again. Most states allow you to take the MPJE exam up to 5 times per state. This can obviously differ depending on the state, but it’s a good guideline to go by if you are in that boat. You do have to wait 30 days before scheduling your next attempt though.

This can obviously cause ramifications in terms of starting a new job or residency. Most employers will give you some leeway if you don’t pass the exam the first time. After the second time, they may want to let you go and move on to another candidate. Just something to keep in mind.

How much does it cost?

As you may have already realized that licensure fees are expensive, and the MPJE is no exception. It costs $100 fee per state to apply for eligibility to take the exam and another $150 to take the actual exam itself per state.

Total cost per state is $250, but don’t forget to account for travel expenses, study materials, retests, or score transfer costs to other boards of pharmacy. You will more than likely not be taking the exam close to your home unfortunately since spots are limited and there is a ton of students taking exams at the different testing centers. When I took my board exams last year in 2020, I took my exams in Virginia and Massachusetts while living in Charlotte, NC. Go ahead and expect a drive somewhere!

How long should you study for?

The length of your study session is totally up to you. Some students can get by studying for two weeks for the exam while others may need more time to memorize the fine details. I really think it is totally up to you because you know yourself best. You know what you need and don’t need. Trust your gut and add a few days after that to be sure you’re ready.

The best part though is that there is now a pre-MPJE exam which I highly recommend taking. This wasn’t an option when I was studying for the boards, but the pre-NAPLEX was a gamechanger for me last year. My actual exam score came within 10 points of my score on the pre-test. From hearing other students, it’s the same feedback for the pre-MPJE.

Where to Find the Best Resources

Like I mentioned earlier, every state is different in terms of what the focus may be on the exam and the laws themselves. There are a few different methods though to get the right study materials for any state that you may want to practice in.

If you’re studying for the MPJE in the state that you graduated from pharmacy school from, reach out to your college. Most schools of pharmacy offer a law review course for their students, which is usually more like a crash course of the things that you really need to know. Takes tons of notes and record it if you can to make sure you catch everything in the review.

The second option is to check out the state’s board of pharmacy website and take a look at the materials that they have available. You may find a review packet or suggestions for study materials. NC has a FAQ section on their website which is super helpful for the law exam. You’ll find some questions directly from that part of the website on the exam (or at least I did!)

Another option is to ask a colleague that you know that is licensed in that state for recommendations. Sometimes you can find law reviews courses by other pharmacists, or they can send over some materials that they may have from previous years. Or you can use the handy internet to read forums or Facebook groups to find the most popular suggestions for each state’s exam.

Whatever route that you choose to go with, make sure you find and use something that works for you. Everyone’s brain is different and requires different types of materials to learn best. Figure out what your secret study sauce is and go from there. My favorite way to study is utilizing practice questions and PowerPoint notes. I personally like getting straight to the point so I don’t really like a lot of fluff in my study materials.

How to Study for the MPJE

Don’t read into a question too deeply

One MPJE study tip that was a critical for me when I was taking the exam was to not read into the question too heavily. You don’t want to make assumptions about what the exam may be asking or trying to come up with a story where it may be applicable. The exam is going to be asking black and whites questions.

There will be a definite right or wrong answer on the exam. Just make sure to read carefully and slowly. One tip that helped me during the exam is to read the question and select the first answer that comes to mind. After I select an answer, I think a little harder about the question to make sure I didn’t miss a key word that would make my initial answer clearly wrong.

Always go with the stricter of the laws (federal vs state)

Most people will tell you not to focus on federal law, but I would say it’s a catch 22. You may miss some easy points if you skimp out on reviewing federal law so I would recommend reviewing it. On the exam, it’s also important to know the differences between your state’s law and federal law because you should always answer with the stricter option out of the two.

Numbers are critical!

If it has a number attached to it, it’s probably important enough to remember it for the exam. This includes things like the DEA form numbers, expiration dates for control substances prescriptions, how long you have to store records, tech to pharmacist ratio, refill limits, etc. These are easy points on the exam that you don’t want to miss!

Take the pre-MPJE and other practice exams

I really wish that I had the option to take the pre-MPJE when I was studying for my boards, but alas they are available for the class of 2021 and beyond! Like I mentioned earlier, my NAPLEX score was within 10 points of my pre-NAPLEX exam. It gives you a great idea of where you stand before taking the actual exam, and it’s a lot cheaper ($75) than retaking the exam all together. I would suggest taking it about a week before your exam date so you can see where you need to focus your energy in the days leading up to the big day.

Focus on the topics you’ll definitely get questions about

One thing about the MPJE is that you’re almost guarantee to get some questions on specific topics, which makes it critical that you include them in your MPJE study plan. Whether it’s the night before the exam or a few weeks prior, here are some topics that you want to make sure you cover in your study plan:

Controlled substances – When it comes to controlled substances it’s important to know the federal laws and your specific state laws. Some states follow the federal laws word for word while others are stricter. You should definitely know what drugs are in what class (CIIs, CIII-IVs), validity of the prescriptions, who can write for controlled substances, and how they can be sent (handwritten vs fax vs electronic).
Definitions – You should know the definitions of some of the important topics of pharmacy such as mislabeling, drug, food, device, cosmetic, supplement, and others that I can’t think of right now.
Scope of practice for different providers – A common question on the MPJE is the prescriptive authority for non-medical doctors such as veterinarians, physician assistants, dentists, etc. Focus on what they can and cannot write for, how long, refills limits, and restrictions on paper vs electronic prescriptions. Physician assistants are the trickier ones to memorize because they differ greatly between states. Some states allow for them to have the same prescribing authority as medical doctors while others limit them.
Prescription and labeling requirements for all drugs – This may sound silly because if you work in a pharmacy, then you think you would know these answers right away. But I promise on the exam, every answer can seem right unless you know the requirements by heart. We’re so used to the pharmacy software prompting for all of the requirements that we don’t necessary think about them during our day-to-day work experiences.
Recalls – As you can imagine recalls do happen pretty often in pharmacy, which is why it’s important for you to know about the different levels of recalls and what that means for you as the pharmacist.
New Drug Process – On my exam, I didn’t get a lot of questions on this topic, but I did get a few that were easy marks. Take an hour or two to learn about the process that potential drugs go through before they reach trials and eventually patients in the community. You may be asked about the different stages and forms used during this process.
Pseudoephedrine – A common behind the counter drug that is commonly requested in the retail pharmacy and a commonly asked question on the MPJE exam. You should expect to know how many grams a patient can purchase in a day and a month, age limits of purchasing, and any logging requirements necessary.
Counseling requirements – One thing that the states differ greatly on are the counseling requirements for patients. Some states, like Texas, require you to counsel your patients on every new fill for a prescription even if the patient has been on the drug for years. Expect to know what topics you need to cover in your counseling session and who you are allowed to counsel if the patient isn’t the one picking up the prescription for the exam.

Don’t rely on your practice experience for the test

You probably have worked in a pharmacy during your time in pharmacy school or during rotations and have noticed the differences between sites. The reason why they are so different from each other and from the law is that they may not be 100% compliance to what the state law ACTUALLY says. More than likely they are not compliant or they may be on the other end and are more strict than the law says. There’s never an issue of being stricter than the law, but it doesn’t necessary help taking the state’s pharmacy law exam. Use the study resources that you found and use those only!

Make sure to rest and relax

Just like with any big exam, make sure to take a break, relax, rest, get a massage, hang out with family or whatever it is that you enjoy doing. This exam is tough, it’s exhausting, and you want to be as physically and mentally prepared as you can. This means you have to relax and take a breather every now and again.

Hopefully this long and detailed post gave you some helpful study tips and advice that not only makes you feel prepared but ready to go nail the MPJE on your first try! The MPJE can be a tough exam, but you have everything that you need to be successful with this exam and in life. Take a breather, believe in yourself, and prepare like there’s no tomorrow! If you’ve taken the exam already, feel free to leave your tips and advice down below for your specific state.