How to Study for the MPJE
Did you know that 1 in 5 people fail the MPJE?
That's not just first-timers. That's also people taking the exam for a second (or third) time.
And that’s the AVERAGE when you look at every college of pharmacy. There are some schools with pass rates in the 50 - 60% range. So if you go to one of those schools, your odds are closer to 1 in 2 of failing the MPJE at least once.
Why do you think the pass rate is that low?
There are many potential reasons…
Pharmacists don’t speak “law” (and most of us aren’t all that interested in it)
Your practice experience likely reflects the standards of your employer, which may not follow the letter of the law exactly
Your school is accredited based off your NAPLEX score, not your MPJE score
You might end up moving anywhere in the US after graduation…exactly which state’s MPJE should your school prepare you for?
But honestly, none of these reasons really matter. At the end of the day, YOU are the one that has to pass your MPJE.
Each and every MPJE attempt sets you back $250. Gradaution, the NAPLEX, and getting licensed is expensive enough as it is, do you really want to throw a couple of MPJE failures on top of that?
And there’s an even bigger cost to think about…
Every time you fail the MPJE, you delay (by several weeks) your ability to earn a legit pharmacist salary.
When you factor in the opportunity cost of failing, it's downright tragic. We've all heard tales of people that were "fired" from residency because they didn't pass the MPJE (and so couldn't get licensed in time). How awful is that?
You don’t want that for you. We don’t want that for you. No one wants that for you.
There is a predictable code to MPJE questions.
Obviously there is no way of knowing which specific questions you’ll get asked.
But the TYPES of questions on each state’s MPJE tend to be the same (even though the specific laws are different).
For example, no matter which state you’re in, you can practically guarantee your MPJE will include questions like:
Whether or not you can fill a CII for fentanyl from a dentist
The number of CE credits required to maintain your license as a pharmacist
The RPh to technician ratio
Your timeframe to notify the board for a change in PIC
The rules for filling out of state (or in some cases, out of country) prescriptions
And more...
When you start to see this pattern, the MPJE becomes much less scary. It's almost predictable. You can walk into the exam with confidence because you already know what's coming.
MPJE Resources
Here are a few tools to help you pass your MPJE (on your first try)…
First, we wrote an article that contains just about every trick we know to prepare for the MPJE. It’s totally free, and it will help you figure out exactly how (and what) to study for this beast of an exam. You can get the article here: How to Study for the MPJE (and Pass on Your First Try), and if you want a downloadable and printer-friendly copy to take notes on, you can get that here.
MPJE Cheat Sheet
The MPJE Cheat Sheet guides and focuses your studying. It's basically a 9-page document of "potential MPJE questions." If you fill out (and memorize) the entire thing, you'll be more than prepared for the test. You get a fillable Word document and a printable PDF.
Here's what you do…
Download this bad boy
Grab your state law book (either the physical copy or the online version)
Fill out the prompts and commit them to memory
Make sure to have plenty of wine on hand, because this isn’t fun.
But, once you've memorized everything, you'll be more than ready for your MPJE.
You can even use it for the law portion of the CPJE (but in full disclaimer, you will need more than this cheat sheet to pass the CPJE. No worries though! We wrote this article to help you out).
Use this cheat sheet for any MPJE, and re-use it as many times as you like. It's yours forever.
Pre-filled State-Specific MPJE Cheat Sheets
Is it the 11th hour and you’re looking to save some time?
Or maybe you don’t want to spend the few days or so of your life digging through legalese?
Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.
Our pre-filled MPJE Cheat Sheet is the resource we wish existed when we were studying for the MPJE. We start with our blank MPJE Cheat Sheet. Then we fill in all the information for you. Each answer has a link that will take you to the relevant portion of that state’s law code online. So you get to read the full law in context AND you get to verify the information in the sheet.
After digging through 52 states and territories, we can say that these pre-filled MPJE cheat sheets will literally save you days (if not weeks) of your life. Hands down, they’re the best investment you can make for your MPJE preparation. Total game-changers. They pair very nicely with our article on How to Study for the MPJE.
SPECIAL NOTE: Idaho, Michigan and Vermont candidates, please consult your board of pharmacy webpage to confirm requirements regarding jurisprudence examinations. As of the writing of this note, there are no requirements or requirements are waived at this time. Our cheat sheet is a great resource for information on laws and rules pertaining to the practice of pharmacy for those states, but you may not have a requirement to pass a jurisprudence examination so please proceed accordingly. Thank you!
Guide to Federal Pharmacy Law, 9th ed.
Barry S. Reiss and Gary D. Hall
This book is great because it's simple and to the point. There’s not a lot of legal jargon, and no fluff or filler.
It’s also full of practice questions, and since most states more or less follow federal controlled substance laws, it’s a great way to learn one of the biggest components of the MPJE.
While I wouldn’t call this “required” to pass your MPJE, the practice questions alone make it worth the purchase price in my opinion.