What to do when you fail the North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination
Did you fail your NAPLEX exam and are confused about what to do next? In this video, I’ll teach you what to do after failing a board exam and later on, I’ll tell you 4 steps to take next in your journey.
You may also enjoy reading: 5 Tips for Studying for the NAPLEX Exam!
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This video is my personal opinion and not associated or sponsored.
As an Associate Professor, I see a failure really change a student’s life. Yes, you can feel all the feelings. Cry. Scream. Be mad for a day. And then start to pick yourself back up. Don’t dwell on this for more than a day.
My #1 piece of advice
DO NOT LET THIS DEFINE YOU AS A PERSON. You are a person and human being first. An examination demonstrates knowledge at ONE time point in your life. Maybe that one day was not your best. It’s ok. The exam is now in the past and you cannot change the outcome. It’s time to move forward with a plan, next steps and goals.
Now, let’s talk about the 4 steps to take next in your journey.
- Get the help you need. I often see students afraid to tell others about their results. Don’t be afraid. Everyone is here to support you – professors, mentors, university teams. Tell people you trust and ask for help. Did you need more time to study? Did you need more study resources? Did you forgot to utilize the materials provided by the university or the prep course? We have more information on study help in our other YouTube videos and FindYourScript shop.
- Get the accountability you need – when we are facing challenges and setting goals, it’s important we have a trusted accountability partner. You can share your goals, your study schedule and next exam test date with this accountability partner. Then check in daily or weekly to stay on track.
- Set goals by reverse engineering your next steps – when do you need and want to retake this exam by? Is there a start date for a new job or post-graduate training program you need to meet? If so, set the date for your next exam. Now reverse engineer how you will feel confident and ready to take this exam by that date. Do you want to dedicate a certain number of hours per week? Or topics per week? Or practice questions per week? Or calculation questions per week to get to that goal?
- Simplify your life and calendar to focus – to help you get to your goals, do you need to let go of anything on your calendar right now? Remember, this is a short season of your life so if you signed up for a new hobby or vacation, you could let those go for a the short term to achieve your long term goal of passing this board exam. taking 1, 2 or 3 months out of your life to dedicate the time and investment you need into a career you may have or the next 10-30 years is worth while. Don’t short yourself on this. do you need to carve out more time in the evenings or weekends to study? Do you need to talk with loved ones or family to share your new schedule and make sure it works for all involved?
Watch & Subscribe on YouTube Channel!
You may also Enjoy Reading:
- 5 Ways to Improve Study Habits
- 5 Tips for Staying Focused while Studying
- How to Use Medication Charts to Study Drugs
Grab your FREE Cheat Sheet Today!
Jessica Louie, PharmD, APh, BCCCP is the CEO of Clarify, Simplify, Align and Host of The Burnout Doctor Podcast. Dr. Louie uses her signature Burnout Doctor Method to coach burned out pharmacists & professionals to simplify because work-life balance is a LIE. Align work into your life & break free from people pleasing, perfectionism and thrive in life on YOUR TERMS.