To interpret your North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination® (NAPLEX®) results, locate your numerical score and review any diagnostic reports that are included. The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP), the body that develops and governs the NAPLEX®, uses a zero to 150 scale to determine your score. You must score a 75 or above to pass; an unsatisfactory score comes with a diagnostic report indicating your performance in major competency areas. Scoreless NAPLEX® results mean that you failed to complete the exam.
The numerical score you receive in your NAPLEX® results is neither the number nor percentage of items you answered correctly. Instead, your score is scaled between zero and 150, so the minimum passing score of 75 does not necessarily correspond to having correctly answered 50% of the exam items. Similar to other developers of standardized tests and entrance exams, the NABP does not reveal the special algorithms that are used to determine your score. It is stated, however, that your score reflects your ability level, as well as how it compares to the minimum level required to pass.
Your NAPLEX® results can also reflect whether or not you completed the test. The exam includes 185 items, and, if you answer at least 162 but fewer than 185, then your score might be lower than you expect because there is penalty based on the number of items you did not answer. If you answered less than 162 items, then your NAPLEX® results will not list a score, and you must retake the test.
Should your NAPLEX® results include a diagnostic report, this indicates a failing score, which is less than the required 75. While further review of exam items is not permitted by the NABP, a diagnostic report indicates your relative performance in the major competency areas that are assessed on the NAPLEX®. Such information can help you to study more effectively as you prepare to retake the NAPLEX®.
Passing the NAPLEX® is one of the many challenging steps to becoming a practicing pharmacist. It measures your knowledge of the pharmacy field, and boards of pharmacy use your NAPLEX® results to determine your readiness for licensure and entry-level pharmacy work. Seven business days after your exam date, you can typically view your scores on the NABP's official website or receive them via the state board from which you are seeking licensure. Your results are also forwarded to those state boards of pharmacy that you select.
