Dr.Bosnak’s
DRUG DETECTIVES
NAPLEX
The North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination ® (NAPLEX® ) is administered by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy® (NABP® ) and is designed to evaluate general practice knowledge. The NAPLEX is taken by graduates of the schools and colleges of pharmacy after they receive their degree. The exam is also taken by foreign-educated pharmacists who have earned Foreign Pharmacy Graduate Examination Committee™ certification. The NAPLEX Content Outline is used to develop the NAPLEX by identifying all content areas that will be addressed on the NAPLEX and the approximate number of questions on the NAPLEX that will be asked in each major content area (content domain). Stakeholders (eg, prospective examinees, schools of pharmacy, state boards of pharmacy, and the public) may use this outline to better understand how the NAPLEX is developed and the content areas that the NAPLEX assesses.
The NAPLEX Content Outline will take effect for all NAPLEX exams beginning on May 1, 2025.
Content Domain Weights
The table below provides the exam weights (percentage of scored exam questions associated with each content domain) for the NAPLEX. These percentages represent the approximate number of 200 scored questions associated with each content domain that can be expected on the NAPLEX.
Detailed NAPLEX Content Outline
Domain 1. Foundational Knowledge for Pharmacy Practice
A. Pharmaceutical science principles and concepts
1. Pharmacology
2. Pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, or pharmacogenomics
3. Pharmaceutics
B. Pharmaceutical compounding
1. Nonsterile preparations
2. Sterile preparations
C. Pharmaceutical calculations
1. Patient parameters or laboratory measures
2. Quantities of drugs to be dispensed or administered
3. Rates of administration
4. Dose conversions
5. Drug concentrations, ratio strengths, osmolarity, or osmolality
6. Quantities of drugs or ingredients to be compounded
7. Nutritional needs and the content of nutrient sources
8. Biostatistical, epidemiological, or pharmacoeconomic measures
9. Pharmacokinetic parameters
D. Drug development processes (eg, clinical trial phases, emergency use authorizations)
E. Research design principles and biostatistics (eg, blinding, randomization, biases, statistical tests and outcomes, ethics)
F. Retrieval, assessment, and interpretation of primary, secondary, and tertiary resources
Domain 2. Medication Use Process (Prescribing, Transcribing and Documenting, Dispensing, Administering, and Monitoring)
A. Prescriptions and medication order interpretation
1. Drug names and therapeutic classes
2. Indications, usage, and dosing regimens
3. Available dosage forms
4. Prescription regulations (eg, boxed warnings, risk evaluation and mitigation strategies)
5. Safety and effectiveness (eg, laboratory parameters, vital signs)
B. Therapeutic substitutions (eg, formulary restrictions, therapeutic alternatives, shortages, biosimilars)
C. Immunization services and documentation
1. Indications and scheduling
2. Contraindications and precautions
3. Storage and handling
4. Administration (eg, techniques, preparation, routes)
5. Adverse reactions
D. Medication handling, storage, stability, and disposal (eg, hazardous and nonhazardous drugs, controlled substances, parenteral medications, sharps handling, temperature control)
Domain 3. Person-Centered Assessment and Treatment Planning
A. Medication history, allergy history, and reconciliation
B. Health histories, screenings, and assessments
C. Patient health conditions, including special populations and medication related factors
1. Signs, symptoms, and findings of medical conditions, etiology of diseases, or pathophysiology
2. Appropriateness of therapy (eg, medications, immunizations, nondrug therapy, dosing, contraindications, warnings, evidence based decision making)
3. Interactions (eg, drug-drug, drug-condition, drug-food, drug allergy, drug-laboratory)
4. Errors and omissions (eg, dosing, duplication, additional therapy needed, unnecessary therapy)
5. Adverse drug reactions
6. Toxicologic exposures and overdoses
7. Adherence
D. Therapeutic monitoring, plan development, evaluation, and modifications
1. Therapeutic goals, clinical endpoints, and follow-up
2. Safety
3. Effectiveness
E. Patient education
1. Lifestyle modifications and health maintenance
2. Medication use, storage, and disposal
3. Disease state management
F. Over-the-counter medications and dietary supplements
G. Devices to administer medications and self-monitoring tests
Domain 4. Professional Practice
A. Adverse drug event reporting and medication error reporting (eg, MedWatch, VAERS)
B. Public health initiatives and risk-prevention programs (eg, tobacco and nicotine cessation, antimicrobial stewardship, health screenings, opioid stewardship)
C. Social determinants and drivers of health
D. Ethical considerations (eg, informed consent, ethical principles, professional conduct and responsibility, patient confidentiality)
Domain 5. Pharmacy Management and Leadership
A. Pharmacy operations (eg, operational planning, risk management, regulations and regulatory bodies, technology applications and informatics, error-prevention strategies, medication safety)
B. Inventory and supply management (eg, drug recalls, drug shortages)
C. Quality improvement activities (eg, medication use evaluation, root-cause analysis, continuous quality improvement)
D. Mentorship and preceptorship (eg, providing and receiving feedback, delegation of work activities, preceptor roles)