NAPLEX Pass Rates by Graduation Year, and the Passing Score of 75
The NAPLEX first-time pass rate for 2025 graduates was 86.8 percent, up from 75.9 percent for 2024 graduates, from the NABP ten-year report prepared February 2, 2026 and checked on September 22, 2026. Pass or fail turns on a scaled score of 75 on a 0 to 150 scale, and NABP reports your result as Pass or Fail with no number attached. All eleven years of pass rates are below with the candidate counts behind them, each tied to the graduation year it belongs to, and the 2025 rows are the newest NABP has published.
NAPLEX pass rates by year, 2015 to 2025
The NAPLEX first-time pass rate has run between 75.9 percent and 92.0 percent across the eleven graduation years NABP publishes, and the newest is 86.8 percent for 2025 graduates. Every figure below comes from the NABP ten-year report on NAPLEX passing rates, prepared February 2, 2026 and checked on September 22, 2026. Rows are graduation years, not calendar test years.
| Graduation year | NAPLEX first-time pass rate | NAPLEX all-time pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| NAPLEX, 2015 graduates | 92.0 percent | 87.8 percent |
| NAPLEX, 2016 graduates | 86.0 percent | 82.5 percent |
| NAPLEX, 2017 graduates | 87.0 percent | 82.6 percent |
| NAPLEX, 2018 graduates | 88.2 percent | 84.4 percent |
| NAPLEX, 2019 graduates | 87.0 percent | 82.3 percent |
| NAPLEX, 2020 graduates | 86.2 percent | 81.5 percent |
| NAPLEX, 2021 graduates | 81.7 percent | 76.3 percent |
| NAPLEX, 2022 graduates | 77.3 percent | 72.1 percent |
| NAPLEX, 2023 graduates | 76.4 percent | 71.2 percent |
| NAPLEX, 2024 graduates | 75.9 percent | 72.2 percent |
| NAPLEX, 2025 graduates | 86.8 percent | 85.6 percent |
Source: NABP, NAPLEX and MPJE passing rates for 2015 to 2025 graduates, prepared February 2, 2026, checked on September 22, 2026.
The first-time rate fell 12.3 points from 88.2 percent for 2018 graduates to 75.9 percent for 2024 graduates, then rose 10.9 points to 86.8 percent for 2025 graduates, both by subtraction.
NABP warns on the report that the 2025 row can still move, because candidates from that graduating year are still taking the exam. NABP verified graduation data through transcript requirements starting in 2021, so the 2015 to 2020 rows rest on self-reported data.
NAPLEX passing score and pass mark
The NAPLEX passing score is a scaled score of 75 on a 0 to 150 scale, from the NABP page on what the scaled score and domain level mean, checked on September 22, 2026. Meet or exceed it and the result is a pass, 75 to 150; below it is a fail, 0 to 74, from the NABP NAPLEX Advantage results interpretation guide.
You are not shown the 75. The bulletin reports results as either Pass or Fail with no scaled score, and the NAPLEX Advantage student guide repeats it. The NAPLEX pass score did not move for 2025 or 2026 exams, because the ability level the standard defines is the same at every NAPLEX administration, per the bulletin section on exam results, checked on September 22, 2026. NABP no longer provides a NAPLEX scaled score at all: the number now appears only on the NAPLEX Advantage practice exam, and the NAPLEX pass mark of 75 is a standard the exam is set against rather than a figure on your report.
No NAPLEX passing score percentage is published. NABP states that scaled scores are neither percentiles nor percentages of correctly answered items, so any percent correct you read somewhere was invented. USMLE publishes an approximate 60 percent for its Step exams, which is in the post on the Step 1 passing score and pass rates; NABP publishes no such figure.
A panel of pharmacy experts set the NAPLEX passing standard, per the same bulletin section on exam results. Fail, and you get one thing a pass does not: relative performance in each of the 5 major content areas.
How long is the NAPLEX exam, and how many questions to pass
The NAPLEX exam is 6 hours long and holds 225 questions, 200 scored and 25 pretest, from the NABP bulletin section on what the NAPLEX is, checked on September 22, 2026. No count of questions to pass the NAPLEX is published: NABP scores the 200 with an item response theory model that weighs how hard each question was, so the number you need right depends on which ones you get right.
Divide 6 hours by 225 and each question gets 96 seconds, this article's arithmetic on 21,600 seconds. The appointment runs 6 hours and 45 minutes, and the bulletin section on taking your exams asks you to arrive 30 minutes early. Two optional 10 minute breaks are built in; an unscheduled break comes out of the exam clock.
Most questions are scenario based and send you to a patient profile first. You answer in the order presented, cannot return to a confirmed answer, and an unanswered question is scored as incorrect, so guess rather than leave a blank.
The 200 scored questions split across five content domains, and NABP prints the counts as approximate. Question counts for nine more exams are in the post on how many questions are on each medical exam.
| NAPLEX content domain | Approximate questions of the 200 scored | Share of the scored exam |
|---|---|---|
| Foundational knowledge for pharmacy practice | About 50 of 200 scored questions | 25 percent |
| Medication use process | About 50 of 200 scored questions | 25 percent |
| Person-centered assessment and treatment planning | About 80 of 200 scored questions | 40 percent |
| Professional practice | About 10 of 200 scored questions | 5 percent |
| Pharmacy management and leadership | About 10 of 200 scored questions | 5 percent |
Source: NABP, NAPLEX content outline, effective May 1, 2025, which prints these counts under the header Approximate Number of Questions, checked on September 22, 2026.
| NAPLEX fact | Number | Applies to |
|---|---|---|
| NAPLEX questions | 225 total, 200 scored and 25 pretest | Every exam |
| NAPLEX testing time | 6 hours | Every exam |
| NAPLEX appointment length | 6 hours 45 minutes | Every appointment |
| NAPLEX time per question | 96 seconds, computed as 21,600 over 225 | Every exam |
| NAPLEX passing score | Scaled score of 75 on a 0 to 150 scale | Every administration |
Source: NABP candidate application bulletin, the sections on how to apply, what the NAPLEX is and taking your exams, and the NABP page on what the scaled score and domain level mean for the passing score row, checked on September 22, 2026. Seconds per question computed here.
NAPLEX pass rates 2025, with the candidate counts
9,869 graduates of ACPE-accredited programs took the NAPLEX for the first time as 2025 graduates and 86.8 percent of them passed, against 10,632 attempts in total at 85.6 percent, from the NABP school report, checked on September 22, 2026.
| Graduation year | First attempts | First-time pass rate | All attempts | All-time pass rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NAPLEX, 2023 graduates | 12,305 | 76.4 percent | 16,275 | 71.2 percent |
| NAPLEX, 2024 graduates | 11,136 | 75.9 percent | 14,316 | 72.2 percent |
| NAPLEX, 2025 graduates | 9,869 | 86.8 percent | 10,632 | 85.6 percent |
Source: NABP, NAPLEX passing rates for 2023 to 2025 graduates, the row for all ACPE-accredited programs, prepared March 16, 2026, checked on September 22, 2026.
Subtract first attempts from all attempts and the repeat attempts fall out: 3,970 for 2023 graduates, 3,180 for 2024, 763 for 2025. That arithmetic is this article's, and it is why 86.8 percent is provisional: the 2025 cohort has had the least time to retake.
First attempts fell from 12,305 for 2023 graduates to 9,869 for 2025, 2,436 fewer candidates and a decline of 19.8 percent.
Across the 142 schools in that report the mean first-time rate for 2025 graduates was 85.7 percent, standard deviation 11.5 percent, with 62.7 percent two standard deviations below the mean.
NAPLEX pass rate by school, the 20 programs with the most 2025 first-time candidates
The 20 pharmacy programs with the most first-time NAPLEX candidates in 2025 posted first-time pass rates from 75.9 percent to 95.4 percent against the national 86.8 percent, from the NABP school report, checked on September 22, 2026.
| School of pharmacy | NAPLEX 2025 first attempts | NAPLEX 2025 first-time pass rate | NAPLEX 2024 first-time pass rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nova Southeastern University | 203 | 80.8 percent | 69.6 percent |
| Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine | 191 | 75.9 percent | 62.4 percent |
| University of Florida | 191 | 94.8 percent | 88.2 percent |
| University of the Pacific | 175 | 87.4 percent | 84.6 percent |
| St John's University | 163 | 90.2 percent | 69.8 percent |
| Long Island University | 155 | 78.1 percent | 61.7 percent |
| University of Southern California | 155 | 86.5 percent | 87.1 percent |
| Midwestern University | 153 | 80.4 percent | 65.7 percent |
| MCPHS University, Boston | 139 | 78.4 percent | 65.8 percent |
| University of Illinois Chicago | 139 | 90.6 percent | 84.7 percent |
| Purdue University | 134 | 86.6 percent | 79.4 percent |
| Rutgers University | 134 | 94.8 percent | 84.1 percent |
| University of Georgia | 134 | 91.0 percent | 87.3 percent |
| University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | 130 | 95.4 percent | 92.0 percent |
| Auburn University | 128 | 83.6 percent | 80.5 percent |
| Saint Joseph's University | 125 | 83.2 percent | 65.8 percent |
| University of Kentucky | 124 | 92.7 percent | 71.9 percent |
| University of Tennessee Health Science Center | 123 | 92.7 percent | 78.3 percent |
| Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences | 121 | 84.3 percent | 74.8 percent |
| University of Wisconsin-Madison | 118 | 94.1 percent | 95.6 percent |
Source: NABP, NAPLEX passing rates for 2023 to 2025 graduates, prepared March 16, 2026, ordered by 2025 first attempts, checked on September 22, 2026.
Ten of the twenty beat the national 86.8 percent in 2025, and eighteen improved on their own 2024 figure.
NAPLEX cost 2026
A first attempt at the NAPLEX costs USD 620 in NABP fees in 2026: a USD 100 nonrefundable eligibility application fee plus a USD 520 exam purchase fee, from the bulletin sections on how to apply and on exam fees, checked on September 22, 2026. The USD 620 is this article's addition.
| NAPLEX fee | Amount in 2026 | When it applies |
|---|---|---|
| NAPLEX eligibility application | USD 100 | Nonrefundable, paid when you apply and again for every retake |
| NAPLEX exam purchase | USD 520 | Set effective March 1, 2024, paid once a board grants eligibility |
| Eligibility processing | USD 85 | Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, District of Columbia, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Nebraska, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Utah and Wisconsin |
| NAPLEX score transfer | USD 105 per jurisdiction | At purchase or up to 89 days after the exam |
| Emergency resit fee, NABP's name for an approved emergency retake | USD 190 | Emergency request approved |
| Resit fee, NABP's name for a retake without an approved emergency request | USD 520 | Emergency request not approved |
| NAPLEX rescore | USD 200 | Within 60 days of the exam date |
| Pearson rescheduling | USD 50 | Each reschedule, at least 2 business days ahead |
| Pre-NAPLEX practice exam | USD 90 per attempt | Up to 2 attempts a year |
| NAPLEX Advantage practice exam | USD 150 per exam | Bought by a school, 1 to 50 exam tier |
Source: NABP candidate application bulletin sections on how to apply and on exam fees, the Pre-NAPLEX page and the NAPLEX Advantage page, checked on September 22, 2026.
Budget by jurisdiction: a candidate licensing in Kentucky pays USD 705, because the USD 85 processing fee lands on top of the USD 620.
NAPLEX exam dates 2026 in the USA
NABP publishes no fixed NAPLEX test dates for 2026 and no testing windows. Pearson delivers the exam at Pearson Professional Centers in all 50 states, the US territories and the District of Columbia, and you book your own appointment once your authorization to test arrives, per the bulletin, checked on September 22, 2026.
Your eligibility period bounds the date: normally 1 year, and NABP cannot extend it. You cannot purchase the exam with 10 or fewer business days left in that period. Results reach you within 14 business days of the exam date in jurisdictions on the NABP results interface.
Eligibility comes first: a degree from an ACPE-accredited entry-level pharmacy school, or FPGEC certification if you trained outside the United States. FPGEC certification runs through the FPGEE, whose first-time pass rate was 92.6 percent in 2025 and 93.1 percent in 2024, from the NABP five-year FPGEE report, checked on September 22, 2026.
How many times can you take the NAPLEX in a year, and in a lifetime
You can take the NAPLEX 3 times in a year, counted as any 12 month period, with a lifetime maximum of 5 attempts unless a board of pharmacy decides otherwise, per the NABP bulletin, checked on September 22, 2026. NABP calls the 3 attempt limit and the 45 day wait mandatory with no exceptions. The 5 attempt maximum is the one a board of pharmacy can change.
The 45 day wait is the limit most candidates meet first: after a fail you wait 45 days from that attempt before scheduling again, and some jurisdictions require longer. Reach 3 attempts inside 12 months and you wait at least 12 months from your first attempt before reapplying.
Each retake restarts the paperwork and the bill: the USD 100 application fee again, a board reconfirming eligibility, then a new USD 520 exam fee. A canceled exam does not count against the limits. The post on how many times you can take Step 1, the NCLEX, the MCAT and PLAB 1 puts the limits side by side.
What is a good Pre-NAPLEX score, and NAPLEX score percentiles
NABP publishes no threshold for a good Pre-NAPLEX score and no NAPLEX percentile table, checked on September 22, 2026. The Pre-NAPLEX returns a total scaled score, and NABP publishes neither a scale for that score nor a mark to clear on it. The nearest official anchor is the NAPLEX passing standard of 75 on the 0 to 150 NAPLEX scale.
Percentiles do not exist for the NAPLEX because candidates receive Pass or Fail and no scaled score, so there is no distribution to rank yourself inside.
The Pre-NAPLEX is 100 questions in 140 minutes at USD 90 an attempt, up to 2 attempts a year. The NAPLEX Advantage is bought by your school and returns a scaled score with all five content domains.
How long to study for the NAPLEX
NABP publishes no recommended study time for the NAPLEX, so this article does the arithmetic instead: 25 questions a day for 8 weeks is 1,400 questions and 37.3 hours at the exam's own pace of 96 seconds a question, checked on September 22, 2026.
Weight your hours the way the exam weights the questions: person-centered assessment and treatment planning carries about 80 of the 200 scored questions, 8 times professional practice.
| Daily NAPLEX question set | Questions in 4 weeks | Hours in 4 weeks | Questions in 8 weeks | Hours in 8 weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 NAPLEX questions a day | 700 | 18.7 hours | 1,400 | 37.3 hours |
| 50 NAPLEX questions a day | 1,400 | 37.3 hours | 2,800 | 74.7 hours |
| 75 NAPLEX questions a day | 2,100 | 56.0 hours | 4,200 | 112.0 hours |
Source: this article's arithmetic at the NAPLEX pace of 96 seconds a question, 6 hours over 225 questions, checked on September 22, 2026.
After the two NABP practice exams run out, this site makes more from your own material. Upload a therapeutics lecture on the NAPLEX page, ask for 25 questions from one drug class, and set a 40 minute timer, which is 25 questions at 96 seconds each. Every question prints the sentence it was written from and the page it sits on. This is not a NABP question bank and has no connection to NABP.
The sample exam runs with no upload and no account. A guest gets 60 verified questions, an account 300 a month free, and pricing lists a 90 day Exam Pass at USD 19.99 and a 500 question pack at USD 5.99. Neither renews. The pharmacy workflow is on the page for pharmacy students.
Questions people ask
How many calculation questions are on the NAPLEX?
NABP publishes no count. Pharmaceutical calculations are subdomain C of domain 1 in the NAPLEX content outline, and domain 1 is 25 percent of the exam, or about 50 of the 200 scored questions. Nine areas sit under that subdomain, from patient parameters and dose conversions to pharmacokinetic parameters. NABP gives you an on-screen calculator in scientific or 5-function mode and bans personal calculators. Any site quoting an exact number of calculation items is guessing, checked on September 22, 2026.
How many NAPLEX questions do not count?
Twenty five of the 225 questions on the NAPLEX are pretest items and do not count toward your result, which leaves 200 scored questions. NABP distributes them through the exam and states that you will not know which ones they are, so treat all 225 as scored. A question left unanswered is scored as incorrect. Checked on September 22, 2026.
What is the NAPLEX fail rate?
13.2 percent of first-time candidates from the 2025 graduating classes failed, which is 100 minus the 86.8 percent first-time pass rate in the NABP report prepared February 2, 2026. For 2024 graduates the first-time fail rate was 24.1 percent and for 2023 graduates 23.6 percent. Counting every attempt by 2025 graduates, the fail rate was 14.4 percent. Checked on September 22, 2026.
Is the NAPLEX hard to pass?
Judged by the published rates, roughly one first-time candidate in eight from the 2025 graduating classes did not pass, and about one in four from the 2024 classes. Results vary by school: among the 20 programs with the most first-time candidates in 2025 the first-time rate ran from 75.9 percent to 95.4 percent. NABP allows 5 lifetime attempts and a 45 day wait between them, which is the structure a candidate who fails once has to work inside.
What is a NAPLEX score transfer?
A score transfer sends your NAPLEX result to another board of pharmacy, so you can seek licensure in a second jurisdiction without taking the exam again. It costs USD 105 per jurisdiction and can be bought when you purchase the exam or up to 89 days after you take it. All 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam and Puerto Rico take part. Checked on September 22, 2026.
How many questions are on the NAPLEX Advantage?
The NAPLEX Advantage practice exam holds 100 questions with a 150 minute time limit, and it costs a school USD 150 per exam at the 1 to 50 exam tier. Every item was used on a past NAPLEX. Results arrive in about 1 to 2 business days with a scaled score, a pass or fail result and performance in all five content domains. The Pre-NAPLEX is a separate 100 question exam of 140 minutes at USD 90.
What are the NAPLEX pass rates for 2026?
No 2026 rate exists. The newest NABP figures cover 2025 graduates and were prepared February 2 and March 16, 2026: 86.8 percent at the first attempt and 85.6 percent across all attempts. NABP reports by graduation year, so a 2026 figure can appear only after the 2026 graduating classes have tested and been counted. A page printing a 2026 NAPLEX pass rate today invented it.
What is a good NAPLEX score?
There is no good NAPLEX score to aim at, because NABP reports Pass or Fail and gives the candidate no number. The passing standard is a scaled score of 75 on a 0 to 150 scale, and NABP states that a scaled score is neither a percentile nor a percentage of correct answers. The Pre-NAPLEX returns a total scaled score, but NABP publishes no scale and no threshold for it, so the NAPLEX standard of 75 is the only published anchor.
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