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Objective: ACPE newly approved standards for PharmD programs (Standards 2025) indicates that colleges should maintain a student-to-faculty ratio of no greater than 10:1. This may have significant implications for colleges that are currently above the 10:1 ratio; yet, little published evidence exists for using 10:1 as the threshold for determining whether a college has sufficient faculty. This study examines the relationship of student-to-faculty ratio with NAPLEX first-attempt pass rate., Methods: Data were extracted from AACP institutional research reports for academic year 2022 to determine the number of enrolled students and faculty members for each college of pharmacy, and data were obtained from NABP public reports to determine NAPLEX pass rates for the colleges across 2021-2023. The 3-year average NAPLEX first-attempt pass rate for each college was calculated. The 3-year NAPLEX pass rate was compared between colleges with high (>10:1) and low (≤ 10:1) student-to-faculty ratios., Results: Complete data were available for 138 colleges of pharmacy wherein 29 of those colleges had a student-to-faculty ratio of at least 10:1. Of the 29 colleges with a high ratio, 24 were private institutions. The mean 3-year first attempt pass rate for NAPLEX was not substantially different for colleges that had a student-to-faculty ratio > 10:1 when compared to colleges with a ratio ≤ 10:1 (mean difference = 3.67 percentage points)., Conclusion: The NAPLEX first-attempt pass rate does not differ substantially between colleges based solely on student-to-faculty ratio. Additional research is needed to identify other factors that may explain these differences in program outcomes., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors have no conflict to disclose., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Objective: The purpose of this analysis was to identify, analyze, and report patterns (or themes) of planning and preparation considerations of students that scored less than the historic average score on the Pre-NAPLEX® exam., Methods: This qualitative study was a retrospective, inductive thematic analysis of de-identified semi-structured interview field notes collected from student interviews for those students that scored less than the historic average score on the Pre-NAPLEX® exam., Results: Ninety-one students were initially contacted based on their score on the Pre-NAPLEX® exam to participate in one-on-one virtual discussions (i.e., interviews) with faculty members. Fifty-two responded and participated with their responses analyzed and included in thematic categorization. Four major themes were identified during the analysis. These include 1) Organization and Messaging of NAPLEX® Preparation Efforts, 2) Time Management during Competing Obligations, 3) Test Taking Experience, and 4) Curricular Disconnect., Conclusion: Student performance on the NAPLEX licensing exam is of great concern to many colleges of pharmacy. As a result, many institutions are looking at root-causes for poor performance and working to implement structural changes at their institution to address these concerns. This investigation identified four major themes surrounding the preparation and planning for the Pre-NAPLEX® for students that scored less than the historic average score on the Pre-NAPLEX®. These include 1) Organization and Messaging of NAPLEX® Preparation Efforts, 2) Time Management during Competing Obligations, 3) Test Taking Experience, and 4) Curricular Disconnect. Each of these themes provides potentially actionable items to improve how students prepare and plan for the Pre-NAPLEX®, which may be translatable to informing actions to improve results on the actual NAPLEX exam itself., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background and Purpose: To investigate final-year student pharmacists' experiences of a new module for North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination® (NAPLEX®) preparation at one college of pharmacy in the United States., Educational Activity and Setting: All student pharmacists enrolled in a new Spring 2023 module for NAPLEX preparation (n = 118) were invited to complete an electronic questionnaire and participate in a semi-structured interview. The questionnaire investigated the perceived helpfulness, grading, importance, prioritization, structure, and timing of the module in the curriculum, as well as assignment choices, confidence building, and time management using a six-point Likert scale. Semi-structured interviews investigated experiences with NAPLEX modules, time management, and course format. Questionnaire data were descriptively analyzed; interview data were thematically analyzed., Findings: Forty-one completed questionnaires and seven interviews were analyzed. Median scores for questionnaire items were six (denoting strongly agree) for three items, five (denoting agree) for seven items, and four (denoting somewhat agree) for two items. Twenty-three (56%) students desired an online self-directed (asynchronous) course structure. Seventeen (42%) students desired a mixture of short and long course assignments with a greater proportion of short course assignments while another 17 (42%) desired only short course assignments. Two themes were constructed from interviews: timing (when to study for NAPLEX) and structure (how to study for NAPLEX)., Summary: Study findings indicated typically positive perceptions of a module for NAPLEX preparation among final-year student pharmacists at a college of pharmacy in the United States. Recommendations from students can be used to improve the module in future years., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: First-time pass rates of the North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination (NAPLEX) have declined 7% from 2019 to 2022 with more than a third of schools experiencing a decline of ≥10%., Commentary: The cause of the decline is likely multifactorial and extends beyond the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Changes to the NAPLEX blueprint in 2021, curricular revisions in response to the implementation of Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education Standards 2016, and changes to prerequisite course requirements in response to declining enrollment must also be evaluated as potential causes., Implications: The academy must respond to this decline by scrutinizing admissions, curriculum, and assessment processes. We urge the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy to provide access to student-level data on NAPLEX performance and increase transparency in passing standard practices to inform this process., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest None., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Introduction: We created a comprehensive, internally developed, knowledge-based assessment called the Year 1 Comprehensive Abilities Assessment (Y1-CAA) in order to address the unique assessment needs of an accelerated three-year pharmacy program. This study investigated the correlation between the Y1-CAA and performance on a variety of academic factors, including, but not limited to, curricular performance, Pharmacy Curriculum Outcomes Assessment (PCOA) scores, and North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination (NAPLEX) scores., Methods: The 120 question Y1-CAA was created and benchmarked by the faculty and given to students at the end of the first professional year. Y1-CAA scores were compared to a host of variables, including student demographics, pre-pharmacy grade point average (GPA), Pharmacy College Admission Test scores, PCOA scores, pharmacy school GPA, and NAPLEX scores using appropriate statistical methods., Results: A total of 233 students were included in the study. Performance on the Y1-CAA was positively correlated with performance in the pharmacy curriculum and on the PCOA. Y1-CAA performance also showed a significant correlation with NAPLEX scaled scores (R = 0.568, P < .001)., Conclusions: This study found a positive correlation between performance on the Y1-CAA and academic success, performance on the PCOA, and performance on the NAPLEX., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest None., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Student perceptions of active learning methods in medicinal chemistry education and correlation of those perceptions with academic performance measures have not been well studied., Methods: Perceived usefulness of six active-learning activities (study guides, team activities, assignments/quizzes, make your own questions, and two types of in-class live polls) was evaluated by survey. Correlations between perceived usefulness, active-learning activity grade, course grade, first-time North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination (NAPLEX) score, and Pharmacy Curriculum Outcomes Assessment (PCOA) score were examined., Results: Students perceived study guides as the most preferred activity while in-class live polls were least preferred. However, students agreed that all methods were useful to varying degrees. Although no significant correlation was seen between perceived utility of active-learning and course grades, positive correlations were observed between active-learning grades and NAPLEX (0.32), active-learning grades and PCOA (0.311), course grades and PCOA (0.449), and course grades and NAPLEX (0.483). Furthermore, correlation of PCOA and NAPLEX scores (0.456) was in line with previously published studies., Conclusions: Students found active-learning approaches to be useful to varying degrees. Active-learning activity and course grades had moderate, positive correlations with both NAPLEX and PCOA scores, suggesting that these active-learning activities may contribute to success on standardized exams., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest Authors do not have any conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: The objective was to determine institutional, faculty, and student attributes predictive of the 2016 US News & World Report (USNWR) pharmacy rankings and to explore if student attributes modify program rankings., Methods: Institutional attributes and student and faculty resources and outcomes were obtained from various sources. Regression analyses predicted rankings., Results: USNWR rankings were higher for older programs, those located at an academic health center or classified as a research-intensive institution, and members of a Power Five athletic conference. Number of fulltime equivalent faculty, Pharmacy College Admissions Test composite percentile, pharmacy practice h-index score, funding rank, and first time North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination (NAPLEX) pass rate predicted higher rankings. Nearly 45% of programs in the empiric models left or entered the top 25 rankings compared with the existing USNWR method (range 31 place increase to 22 place decrease). Among USNWR top 25 ranked programs, 16 remained in the top 25 in all four empiric models and three were not included in any of the models. Six USNWF unranked programs moved into the top 25 by one or more of the empiric models., Conclusions: Faculty and student attributes significantly impact program rankings, while impact of institutional attributes is negligible if independent of student and faculty attributes. Faculty numbers and productivity influence USNWR rankings more than student academic preparation and success on NAPLEX. These findings will inform efforts to improve the validity of the USNWR rankings and identify programs that are both prestigious and of high quality., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest None., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: There is a plethora of preparatory books and guides available to help study for the North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination (NAPLEX). However, the quality of questions included has not been scrutinized. Our objective was to evaluate the quality of multiple-choice questions (MCQs) construction in a commonly used NAPLEX preparatory book., Methods: Five students and two faculty members reviewed MCQs from the RxPrep 2018 edition course book. Item structure and utilization of case-based questions were evaluated using best practices for item construction. Frequency of item writing flaws (IWF) and utilization of cases for case-based questions was identified., Results: A total of 298 questions were reviewed. Twenty-seven (9.1%) questions met all best practices for item construction. Flawed questions contained an average of 2.53 IWF per MCQ. The most commonly identified best practice violations were answer choices containing differing length and verb tense (21%) and question stems containing too little or too much information necessary to eliminate distractors (16.6%). Of the case-based questions, the majority (61.9%) did not require utilization of the provided case., Conclusions: This pilot analysis identified that a majority of MCQs in one NAPLEX preparatory source contained IWF. These results align with previous evaluations of test-banks in published books outside of pharmacy. Further evaluation of other preparatory materials, to expand on the findings from this pilot analysis, are needed to evaluate the pervasiveness of IWF in preparatory materials and the effect of flawed questions on utility of study materials., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest None, (Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Introduction: Students consider numerous variables before applying to a doctor of pharmacy program. Some key non-modifiable variables may include program length, institution type, graduating class size, and pharmacy school grading system. The purpose of this study was to determine if there exists a difference in North American Pharmacists Licensure Examination (NAPLEX) performance based upon these variables., Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study using observational data. NAPLEX pass rates from 2015 to 2017 were obtained from the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) website. Data for pharmacy programs were extracted from the program, Pharmacy College Application Service, American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy, and NABP websites., Results: Based on each pharmacy program's performance on NAPLEX, variables with significantly higher pass rates were public institutions and those with graduating class sizes of 100 or more students., Conclusions: The results of this study suggest that graduating class size of 100 or more students and public institutions were significant predictors of success on the NAPLEX. Lower pass rates in 2016 may be due to the examination changes implemented by NABP that year. It is possible that programs and students were not being adequately prepared for the changes made to the NAPLEX format. Although not statistically significant, there was a rise in pass rates between the years 2016 and 2017. Therefore, future studies such as this one should be performed to compare NAPLEX pass rates from 2017 forward., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Many predictors of success on the North American Pharmacist Licensure Exam (NAPLEX) have been studied, but little information is available regarding the effect of assessments in the clinical skills setting on student success. One way to determine if these assessments affect NAPLEX success is to review student performance in clinical skills laboratory courses (termed patient care lab ["PCL"] at our institution), which incorporate such assessments., Methods: Students (n = 88) enrolled in a four quarter PCL sequence completed several individual assessments (both knowledge and skills-based), including drug information (DI) quizzes/final exams, patient case presentations and associated critical thinking questions, and formal DI responses. Linear regression assessed the relationship between PCL assessments and NAPLEX scores. Statistical tests were performed using IBM SPSS version 22 with a p-value <0.05 considered significant., Results: While drug information responses were not predictive of total NAPLEX scores (p = 0.192), the patient case presentation and associated critical thinking questions predicted 31.1% of variability (p < 0.05)., Conclusion: Performance of one cohort of students on certain pharmacy clinical skills lab assessments was predictive of total scores on the NAPLEX. Students who struggle with assessments in the clinical skills lab setting may be targets for early intervention to help improve the likelihood of success. More research is needed to fully elucidate the relationship between assessments in the clinical skills lab setting and NAPLEX performance., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: The Pharmacy Curriculum Outcomes Assessment (PCOA) is a recent assessment requirement for US pharmacy professional programs. This study analyses PCOA scores for uses described in the 2016 Standards with data from one professional program., Methods: PCOA data were analyzed for two consecutive classes (n=215) of pharmacy students at the end of their didactic curriculum to explore relationships among PCOA scores, grade point average (GPA), and North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination (NAPLEX) scores utilizing regression analyses., Results: Decisions about student learning based on PCOA scores and GPA indicated remediation would have been prescribed for approximately 7% of students. In comparison, NAPLEX scores revealed a 1% failure rate among the study sample. Relationships between PCOA scores and GPA (r=0.47) and NAPLEX (r=0.51) were moderate to large, respectively. GPA explained a larger portion of unique variance (14%) than PCOA (8%) in NAPLEX scores., Conclusions: In this sample of students, academic decisions would have varied depending upon the learning assessment, which is consistent with a moderate correlation between GPA and PCOA scores. Although PCOA scores correlate with GPA and NAPLEX, PCOA scores explained a smaller portion of unique variance in NAPLEX scores than GPA. The ongoing establishment of validity evidence of PCOA scores is important for meaningful interpretation of scores for the intended uses., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)