The scores are in.

The 2019 PC School of Pharmacy graduates had a higher NAPLEX pass rate than the national average.

Sixty-six of 68 students, or 97.06%, passed the pharmacists’ licensure exam on their first attempt when they took it this past spring. This first-time pass rate is more than 6% higher than the national average of 90.59%.

Why the Graduates Aced the NAPLEX

Dr. Cliff Fuhrman, professor at the PC School of Pharmacy, credits the curriculum, the faculty and preceptors, and the students for the high pass rate.

“(Our curriculum) has extensive learning in various areas of therapeutics, calculations and drug names and usages,” Fuhrman said. “I believe the combination of the curriculum and our faculty and preceptors providing excellent teaching and application skills contributed to these results.”

The PC School of Pharmacy graduates’ average test score was higher than the score from graduates at other pharmacy schools across the nation too.

NAPLEX scores can range from 1 to 150. On average, PC students scored a 101.16. On average, students at other pharmacy schools across the country scored 96.80.

One PC School of Pharmacy graduate scored a 130 on the NAPLEX. The score places the graduate in the highest 99% and in the top 130 of 12,000 test takers.

NAPLEX Prep

“The students bought into the curriculum,” Fuhrman said. “They stepped up and really learned the material, applied the material and prepared themselves for success for their licensure exam.”

The curriculum includes a spring capstone course that P4’s take in their final year of pharmacy school that includes exam review materials for all major disease states, pharmaceutical calculations practice and practice exams. The review consists of approximately 75 chapters of material that they must complete successfully in their last semester along with their advanced pharmacy practice experiences.

“This is an extremely rigorous assignment and forces the students to prepare for up to six months prior to taking the NAPLEX,” Fuhrman said.

Camaraderie at the Pharmacy School

The entire PC School of Pharmacy community feels invested in the success of the pharmacy graduates. Fuhrman believes that camaraderie that students feel with professors, preceptors and fellow students at the PC School of Pharmacy also factored into the impressive NAPLEX scores.

“A PC pharmacy school education prepares our students by challenging them in all aspects of the curriculum,” Fuhrman said.

“All pharmacy school curriculums are difficult. However, I do believe there becomes more of a camaraderie within our students than other places. I also feel that our faculty want our students to succeed even though sometimes I think the students don’t see it that way when an exam or assignments are extremely difficult.”

Visit Campus

Are you ready to visit a pharmacy school that prepares you for the NAPLEX? Please email Deanie Kane, the director of admissions, or give her a call at 864-938-3913.