Hello everyone It is hard to believe this is the 100th edition of the Question of the Week! I have very much enjoyed preparing these questions and love the feedback that I have received from many graduates nationally and internationally who have passed the exam. I also would like to personally thank two of my University of Georgia College of Pharmacy 4th year students (Morgan Easterling and Lily Zheng) who have provided significant input to each question over the past few months.

For those of you who will be taking the exam in 2021, I would like to communicate some big news that I discovered recently. Here we go!

1. The NAPLEX® competency statements are changing as of January 2021. For most who are reading this column, you will likely be taking the examination in 2021. NABP will be changing their competency statements from 2 areas of questions to now 6 areas each with differing % of the test. These include the following:

Area 1: Obtain, interpret, or Assess Data, Medical, or Patient Information (Approximately 18% of Test)

Area 2: Identify Drug Characteristics (Approximately 14% of Test)

Area 3: Develop or Manage Treatment Plans (Approximately 35% of Test)

Area 4: Perform Calculations (Approximately 14% of Test)

Area 5: Compound, Dispense, or Administer Drugs, or Manage Delivery Systems (Approximately 11% of Test)

Area 6: Develop or Manage Practice or Medication-Use Systems to Ensure Safety and Quality (Approximately 7% of Test)

NABP from time to time will assess current practice and make appropriate changes to the examination based on what is current which is important. It is vital to also remember that of the 250 questions on the examination, only 200 count toward your score as 50 of these questions are being validated for future examinations (you won't know which these are as they are distributed throughout the exam).

Keep in mind that from a content standpoint there is significant overlap between the current competency statements and the change that will occur with 2021 examinations so don't get anxious! This is a fine tuning that has been done to best represent current practice.

So what do you do? If you are taking the examination in 2021, please look over the updated competency statements found here so that you are sure to know exactly what areas will be included on the exam: https://nabp.pharmacy/naplex-competency-statements-2021/

If you have benefited from these questions, please share with your friends so they can benefit as well.

Dr. B