NAPLEX exam: cost, format, pass rates and practice questions
The NAPLEX exam is the North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination from NABP, the national exam boards of pharmacy use to assess general practice knowledge for licensure. It has 225 questions in six hours, 200 of them scored, and results are reported as pass or fail. The exam purchase fee is $520, plus a $100 eligibility application fee.
- Exam
- North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination (NAPLEX), NABPNABP NAPLEX page, checked 18 October 2026
- Questions
- 225 (200 scored, 25 pretest), computerized fixed formNABP Candidate Application Bulletin, checked 18 October 2026
- Time
- 6 hours of testing; 6 hours 45 minutes appointment; two optional 10-minute breaksNABP Candidate Application Bulletin, checked 18 October 2026
- Fees
- $100 eligibility application plus $520 exam purchaseNABP Candidate Application Bulletin (March 2026), checked 18 October 2026
- Results
- Pass or fail; no scaled score reportedNABP Candidate Application Bulletin, checked 18 October 2026
- Attempts
- 5 attempts to passNABP Take the NAPLEX Exam, checked 18 October 2026
- First-time pass rate, 2025 graduates
- 86.8% (ACPE-accredited programs)NABP Passing Rates for 2023-2025 Graduates, checked 18 October 2026
- Official practice exam
- Pre-NAPLEX: 100 questions, 140 minutes, $90 per attemptNABP Pre-NAPLEX, checked 18 October 2026
Know if you're ready for NAPLEX — before you book.
Certsqill measures your NAPLEX readiness across every official exam domain — one 0–100 score built only from first-try answers and kept deliberately conservative, so a high number has to be earned. It tells you whether to book, keep studying, or sit.
Why people switch to Certsqill
Everything you need to walk in ready
Know where you stand, understand every mistake, and study in your language — one payment, no subscription.
Your NAPLEX Readiness Score, not a guess
One conservative number from your first-try answers across every exam domain tells you whether to book the exam or keep studying.
Understand every NAPLEX mistake
When you miss a question, it explains why — using your own answer history to catch the patterns you keep repeating. Included, no subscription.
Explanations in your language, questions stay exam-accurate
Get every explanation in your language while the questions stay in exam-accurate English. Technical terms stay in English — the way the exam writes them.
Everything you need to pass
Why you can trust these NAPLEX questions
What is the NAPLEX exam?
The NAPLEX is designed by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) to evaluate general practice knowledge. Boards of pharmacy use it as part of pharmacist licensure; your eligibility to take it must be approved by a board of pharmacy, and NABP forwards your result to that board.
Passing the NAPLEX is not a license by itself. NABP states that a passing result on its site does not constitute a license to practice pharmacy; your board decides on licensure.
Source: NABP — Take the NAPLEX Exam. Checked 18 October 2026.
NAPLEX exam format
The NAPLEX test is a six-hour, computer-based exam with 225 questions in a fixed form. NABP uses 200 of them to calculate your result; the other 25 are pretest questions spread through the exam. Most NAPLEX exam questions are scenario-based, with stand-alone questions in between.
The full appointment lasts six hours and 45 minutes, and you may take two optional 10-minute breaks. Unanswered questions are scored as incorrect, so answer every item before time runs out.
Source: NABP — Candidate Application Bulletin: What Is the NAPLEX?. Checked 18 October 2026.
What the NAPLEX covers
NABP’s content outline, effective for all exams from May 1, 2025, has five domains. Person-centered assessment and treatment planning is the largest at 40%.
- Foundational Knowledge for Pharmacy Practice: 25%
- Medication Use Process (prescribing, transcribing and documenting, dispensing, administering, monitoring): 25%
- Person-Centered Assessment and Treatment Planning: 40%
- Professional Practice: 5%
- Pharmacy Management and Leadership: 5%
Source: NABP — NAPLEX Content Outline (effective May 1, 2025). Checked 18 October 2026.
NAPLEX cost: how much is the NAPLEX exam?
The NAPLEX exam cost has two parts: a nonrefundable $100 eligibility application fee and the $520 exam purchase fee. So the cost of NAPLEX for most candidates is $620. If you seek licensure in AK, AZ, CO, DC, ID, KY, LA, ME, MI, NE, NC, OR, RI, UT or WI, NABP adds an $85 eligibility processing fee.
Other NAPLEX cost items from the same fee table: rescheduling with Pearson costs $50, a resit costs the full $520 unless an emergency request is approved ($190), and each score transfer to another jurisdiction costs $105. The NAPLEX exam price does not include practice exams.
Source: NABP — Candidate Application Bulletin: Overview of Exam Fees. Checked 18 October 2026.
NAPLEX pass rates
NABP publishes first-time NAPLEX pass rates by graduation year for graduates of ACPE-accredited programs. In its report dated March 16, 2026, the NABP NAPLEX pass rates 2025 graduates achieved are 86.8% across 9,869 first attempts, up from 75.9% for the 2024 graduates and 76.4% for the 2023 graduates.
So the NAPLEX pass rate 2024 graduates recorded was the lowest of the last ten years in NABP’s ten-year table, where first-time rates fell from 92.0% for 2015 graduates before recovering in 2025. NABP notes that the figures can change as graduates take further attempts.
Source: NABP — NAPLEX Passing Rates for 2023-2025 Graduates. Checked 18 October 2026.
Are NAPLEX pass rates 2026 available?
Not yet. NABP’s current report covers graduates from 2023 to 2025; NAPLEX pass rates 2026 graduates achieve were not published on the pages checked. NABP’s reports group candidates by graduation year, so 2026 figures follow once that cohort has tested.
Source: NABP — NAPLEX Passing Rates for 2023-2025 Graduates. Checked 18 October 2026.
Pre-NAPLEX and the NAPLEX Advantage practice exam
NABP practice NAPLEX options come in two forms. The Pre-NAPLEX exam gives you 100 questions from a bank of real, retired NAPLEX questions in 140 minutes, for $90 per attempt. Your score is available immediately, you have seven days to take it after paying, and you can take the Pre-NAPLEX practice exam up to two times per year. Pre-NAPLEX questions are the closest thing to the real exam you can buy.
The NAPLEX Advantage practice exam is offered through colleges of pharmacy only; individual students cannot buy it. Its report shows an overall scaled score and performance across each NAPLEX content domain, usually one to two business days after the attempt.
Source: NABP — Pre-NAPLEX. Checked 18 October 2026.
Free NAPLEX questions: what NABP offers
NABP posts a NAPLEX sample questions PDF on its website with three example items: multiple choice, multiple response and fill in the blank. These free NAPLEX questions show the question types, not your readiness.
Is there a NAPLEX practice exam free of charge from NABP? Not on the pages checked: the Pre-NAPLEX costs $90 and NAPLEX Advantage is sold to colleges. If you find a NAPLEX practice test free of charge elsewhere, check that it follows the May 2025 content outline.
Source: NABP — NAPLEX Sample Questions. Checked 18 October 2026.
NAPLEX prep: courses, review classes and question banks
On the pages checked, NABP lists no NAPLEX prep course or NAPLEX review course of its own; its official preparation tools are the content outline, the sample questions, the Pre-NAPLEX and, through schools, NAPLEX Advantage. A NAPLEX review class, a NAPLEX course book or a NAPLEX question bank from another provider is optional.
Good NAPLEX exam preparation mirrors the exam: scenario-based NAPLEX prep questions weighted like the five domains, with heavy emphasis on assessment and treatment planning. A NAPLEX question of the day or a NAPLEX question of the week keeps material fresh, but full timed sets show whether you can hold the pace for six hours. NABP does not offer a daily or weekly question on the pages checked.
Source: NABP — NAPLEX Content Outline (effective May 1, 2025). Checked 18 October 2026.
How to pass NAPLEX: test day and retakes
To pass NAPLEX you need a pass on the total exam; NABP reports no scaled score to passing candidates. Failing candidates receive a report showing relative performance in each of the five content areas.
What is NAPLEX test day like? Arrive at least 30 minutes early and meet NABP’s ID requirements: a photo ID that includes your signature. An on-screen calculator in scientific or five-function mode is available, and personal calculators are not allowed. You have five attempts to pass; a retake means applying again, with board approval and a waiting period before you receive a new authorization to test.
Source: NABP — Candidate Application Bulletin: Taking Your Exams. Checked 18 October 2026.
NAPLEX practice questions on Certsqill
Certsqill’s NAPLEX practice questions are expert-developed and mapped to NABP’s five content domains, so your NAPLEX practice reflects the exam’s weighting, with the most work on person-centered assessment and treatment planning.
Every question has an explanation for each answer option, and your results build a readiness score per domain. That turns NAPLEX test prep and NAPLEX review into a clear picture of which domain still needs work. A 7-day money-back guarantee applies.
NAPLEX questions people ask
What is the NAPLEX exam?
The North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination from NABP, used by boards of pharmacy to evaluate general practice knowledge. Source: NABP, checked 18 October 2026.
How much is the NAPLEX exam?
$520 to purchase the exam plus a $100 eligibility application fee; some jurisdictions add $85. Source: NABP Candidate Application Bulletin, checked 18 October 2026.
How many questions are on the NAPLEX?
225, of which 200 are scored and 25 are pretest questions, in six hours. Source: NABP, checked 18 October 2026.
What is the NAPLEX pass rate?
86.8% for first-time 2025 graduates of ACPE-accredited programs, 75.9% for 2024 graduates. Source: NABP, checked 18 October 2026.
What is the Pre-NAPLEX exam?
NABP’s practice exam: 100 retired NAPLEX questions in 140 minutes for $90, up to two times per year. Source: NABP, checked 18 October 2026.
Are there free NAPLEX practice questions?
NABP posts a sample PDF with three example questions; its full practice exams are paid. Checked 18 October 2026.
How many times can you take the NAPLEX?
NABP allows five attempts to pass. Each retake needs board approval and a new application. Source: NABP, checked 18 October 2026.
