USC School of Pharmacy students had a 99.43 percent North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination (NAPLEX) passing rate in 2015.
This high percentage put the School in the top spot for overall passing rate in California and No. 3 in the entire country, according an article in Pharmacy Times recognizing this achievement. Of the nearly 100 percent of USC School of Pharmacy students who passed the exam, 176 passed on their first attempt.
The School saw an increase in NAPLEX passing rates this year, rising from 98.83 percent in 2014.
South Dakota State University and University of Pittsburgh took the No. 1 and 2 spots respectively, each with a 100 percent NAPLEX passing rate. Butler University ranked 4th with a 99.22 percent passing rate, and University of California, San Francisco rounded out the top five with a 99.15 percent passing rate.
According to the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy, which administers the test, the North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination “measures a candidate’s knowledge of the practice of pharmacy.” It is one component of the licensure process.
The 185-question computer-based exam “tests a prospective pharmacist’s ability to measure pharmacotherapy and therapeutic outcomes, prepare and dispense medications, and implement and evaluate information for optimal health care.”