PASSED NAPLEX ON 3RD ATTEMPT!! Yaayyyyyy!!
- 1st attempt was months after graduation → underestimated and failed with Rxprep
- 2nd attempt → switched to PNN & took a live course, scores were much better, but scored a 1 in Math
Both of these fails were neither of these resources’ fault, it was my own. I never stuck to the study schedule, even though I printed multiple calendars out…. I would be serious for 1 week and then start to slack off. I would pick up shifts at work and ultimately was working way too much, and not focusing on the important thing - studying.
The 2nd failure killed my confidence. I did not crack open a book for months, I was depressed and did not want to admit it. I saw online chatter about Rxcellence and reached out to their Instagram. Dr. Laura will call you to scope out your situation and I could immediately tell she CARED. You can genuinely hear the compassion in her voice and she didn’t fault me for being on my 3rd attempt.
I anxiously enrolled in the 12 Day December Crash Course. It is INTENSE, zoom camera ON, you were expected to be READY to answer clinical questions at the drop of a hat. I was terrified, I was sitting on the edge of my seat, I wanted it to be over so I could click “end meeting”. I remember the end of the first session …I just stared at my laptop screen and said “WTF was that? What did I just get myself into …. I have 11 more days of this? YIKES”
I cried at the end of Day #2, not because of Laura’s fierceness, but because of myself. I was disappointed in my performance. I was disappointed that I was studying passively and not actually understanding the information. IT CLICKED …. that was my issue!! That is WHY I was on my 3rd attempt. I was just staring at the rx prep/pnn pages, rewriting them over and over, but NOT actually understanding the information. I couldn’t apply the clinical knowledge and tie it within multiple disease states.
I made a choice that evening, I was going to buckle down and make the most out of the next 10 days. I slept <5 hours a night to prepare for the next day's session, half way through I could see the shift in myself, I was able to answer a “few” questions. Truthfully I was blown away by some of Laura’s current students- they were able to answer her questions so quickly and confidently …I said to myself “I want to be like that!”
I was hooked, I knew I was in the right place! I signed up for Dr. Laura & Dr. Jen’s Math Course next. Math was my weakest link, so I had to trust the process. THEIR MATH COURSE WAS WORTH EVERY PENNY!!!! I actually enjoy pharmacy math now! I ZIPPED through the naplex math questions. I re-worked them 3 times each during my exam.
After the 12 Day CC & the Math Course, I had the backbone of my study tools. Dr. Laura promotes finding study partners and that is what I did. I reached out to the Rxcellence community and found 4 amazing girls that I spent 10+ hours a day studying. It seems crazy to say out loud, but we would talk through entire chapters and then verbally quiz each other at the end. Laura offers “clinical minis” during the week. I signed up for every single mini as long as I didn’t work. It is possible to work and study for naplex! I worked 2-3 shifts a week (20-30 hrs) and every other moment I was not at work, my butt was sitting in my office on my laptop. I even would come home from my late night shifts and study for 1-2 hours because that was 1-2 hours more of studying.
I owe Dr. Laura a lifetime of gratitude because this woman gave me my spark back, she reminded me how much I love learning, and how cool pharmacy and medication is!! I am so grateful and excited to start my career in pharmacy and use my clinical knowledge she helped me with. She was the kick in the ass I needed, she was the intensity I needed! She gave me structure in my chaotic life.
I walked into that exam with normal testing nerves (esp since it was my 3rd attempt), but I was answering clinical questions with ease. I was eliminating options because of pregnancy/allergies/the GOUT/age/etc. I breezed through the math and biostatistics math. I could not believe this was the same exam I previously was so petrified of, the same exam I would stare at the answers because of confusion and general thoughts of WTF is this question. Dr. Laura mentally and clinically prepared me for WAR, and she made my 3rd Naplex exam a small battle in my journey. Thankfully this is the last battle of my journey, I am still in disbelief that the words “PASS” are on my profile. I received an exciting "Congratulations" email from my BOP this morning. My future is bright again, and looking back to December when my life was so dark and messy, just 4 months in this program truly changed my life. I have acquired a lifelong sisterhood with my study girls and can’t wait for everyone to get their PASS!
My exam:
- Diabetes
- Vaccines
- Smoking cessation
- ID
- Ethics
- Really a nice mix of questions from every chapter
- I swear everyone had an allergy or was pregnant!!!!
- HEAVY MATH & BIOSTATS - at least 20-30 questions (I had 1 question that I didn’t know what to do, and I cried about it daily until I got my results - that question haunted me for 7 LONGGG business days!!!)
- Please apply for testing accommodations, I had never used this before and was approved. I truly needed the extra time to rework my math, to re-read the lengthy cases & check for allergies/hcg+/labs
IF ANY OF YOU ARE ON THE FENCE …. received a recent fail, depressed because of a fail months/years ago, nervous for your first attempt …. LET THIS BE YOUR SIGN …. This is your sign to do something for yourself and believe in yourself!! Please reach out to Rxcellence and get your spark back, and get that beautiful four letter word P-A-S-S!