(291) Factors Impacting First Attempt NAPLEX Pass Rates

Objective : To determine variables impacting first attempt North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination® (NAPLEX®) pass rates in correlation with progress examinations and other attributes of schools and colleges of pharmacy.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was administered to members of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) Assessment Special Interest Group (SIG) between December 2022 and February 2023. The survey collected Pharm.D. program demographics and information related to the use and structure of progress examinations. A k-means clustering was performed to separate higher performer and lower performer institutions and analyze variables impacting first time NAPLEX pass rates.

Results: Forty surveys were validated for completion, yielding a response rate of 28.6%. Results found institutions who utilize internally created progress examinations compared to externally created examinations tend to have higher first attempt pass rates (p = 0.007). Other factors leading to higher first attempt pass rates include average class size >50 (p = 0.032), >300 Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experience (IPPE) hours required (p = 0.034), and established programs of >22 years (p = 0.037).

Conclusions: This research shows schools and colleges of pharmacy looking to maintain or improve first attempt NAPLEX pass rates should utilize internally created progress examinations, strive for a class size greater than 50 students which can be associated to increased resources available for student success, and have more than the minimum 300 required IPPE hours in their Pharm.D. curriculum. Further research is needed to determine the impact of the structure and implementation of progress examinations on NAPLEX pass rates and student success.