HOW TO STUDY FOR THE MPJE
This is the time of year where finals reign and graduation is around the corner. After you receive your diploma, pharmacy graduates are eligible to sit for the NAPLEX and MPJE so that they can be licensed in their desired states.
The Multistate Pharmacy Jurisprudence Exam (MPJE) is a 120 question test covering federal and state laws that is designed to test the subject's mastery of pharmacy law.
Is is it hard? I would say so. I've always thought some questions were predictable, but about 70% was filled with complete randomness which is why you kind of have to know everything.
I've taken four MPJE exams and passed them all on the first try. Am I an expert, no, but I do think some of my study techniques are helpful which is why I'm going to pass them along.
1. Know what to expect
The MPJE consists of 120 questions. The majority - 83% - is on pharmacy practice, 15% is on licensure, registration, certification and operational requirements, and 3% on general regulatory requirements.
The questions are multiple choice but most are k type (A only, A and B, A, B, and C, etc.....).
2. Study.....
Yep, you can't get around this. Because of the nature of the questions, you have to know your material well in order to pick the best answer.
I always started studying at least three weeks ahead of time. If your school offers a review course, take advantage of it! If you are able to get study materials from someone, do so! I know some retail chains offer study materials as well.
For state law, I always focused heavily on strange rules (Florida has a negative formulary, if you have consultant pharmacist, nuclear pharmacist, CPP, or other specialty certification, long term care facilitates, emergency kits, etc...) and on controlled substances!! Focus a lot on controlled substances. Know which ones are in which class and definitely know if one has recently been rescheduled (hydrocodone). Also, there is usually a question or two on licensure and ratios for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians.
or federal law, I usually review my classroom notes and skim through this law review book a few time. Know laws (like what law regulates samples, what is an orphan drug, what law was a result of thalidomide, biosimilars, which law was the first to require that drugs be both safe and effective).
3. Test questions
I've never really liked practice test questions. I'm not sure why, maybe because I have the information neatly stored in my brain and the questions mess it up a little. In any case, if you have practice questions for the MPJE, it's very helpful. I received some practice questions who lived in the state I'm moving to and some of the questions covered topics that weren't covered in any of the study material and weren't things that I would have intuitively thought to study.
4. Anticipate
Think about questions that will likely be covered. I've never taken a test where adulterated vs. misbranded wasn't on the test. Study drugs with different dispensing regulations - iPLEDGE, S.T.E.P.S.
I will say that I spent more time on practice laws than I needed to just because I remembered them being on past tests. They will ask a couple of questions (Pharmacy Practice Act, etc..) but they are only 3% of the test.
And of course controlled substances - how many days do you have to fill a prescription (this has been drastically different in each state I'm licensed), refills, when can a CII be faxed or called in, how many days supply can you get for a control, etc....
5. Rest, relax, and just do it
There is a point where you know everything you will know or you are just completely burnt out. For me, this happened the Tuesday before my test. I eased up on the studying the next few days and then did one final overview of the material the two days before the test.
Get enough sleep, get to the test center early, and start your test. Take your time reading questions. You don't want to make a silly mistake because you misunderstood what the question was asking.
Eliminate, eliminate, and then choose the best answer!
Good luck!!
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