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Foreign Pharmacy Graduate Equivalency Examination® (FPGEE®)
Foreign Pharmacy Graduate Examination Committee ™ (FPGEC®) Certification
Foreign Pharmacy Graduates are required to pass the Foreign Pharmacy Graduate Equivalency Examination® (FPGEE®) as part of the FPGEC Certification process. The FPGEE is based on a nationally uniform content blueprint and is developed, administered, and scored under policies and procedure developed by NABP’s Advisory Committee on Examinations and approved by NABP’s Executive Committee. The content of the FPGEE is created by practitioners and educators from around the country through their service as Examination Review Committee members and item writers. In order to be considered for approval to sit for the FPGEE, applicants must submit a completed application form, fees, and supporting documentation in accordance with the procedures established by the FPGEC and as described in the FPGEC Application Bulletin.
Currently the FPGEE is offered as a paper-and-pencil examination twice per year in multiple locations throughout the United States. For more information regarding dates, times, and test centers please refer to the FPGEE FAQs.
Effective April 14, 2006, the FPGEC Certification Program application process changed, and a new process for evaluating applicant’s educational credentials was implemented. On April 14, 2006, NABP partnered with Educational Credential Evaluators, Inc (ECE) for the educational credential evaluation of new applicants to the FPGEC Certification Program. Information on sending an application and supporting documents to ECE is available in the revised FPGEC Application Bulletin, which can be downloaded by clicking on the link on this page. The FPGEC Certification program is accepted by 50 state boards of pharmacy as a means of documenting the educational equivalency of an applicant’s foreign pharmacy education. Foreign-educated pharmacists awarded FPGEC Certification are considered to have partially fulfilled eligibility requirements for licensure in those states that accept the Certification.
Also available from NABP is the Pre-FPGEE®. Preparing for the FPGEE is much easier when students use the Pre-FPGEE. The Pre-FPGEE will familiarize students with the types of questions that may appear on the FPGEE, and is the only FPGEE practice examination written and developed by NABP. The FPGEC Certification Program Application Bulletin includes information about applying for the FPGEE.The FPGEC Application Bulletin can be downloaded by clicking on the link on the right side of this Web page. The FPGEE Study Guide includes information about the blueprint of the FPGEE, sample questions, and a list of textbooks commonly used in United States pharmacy schools.
Where Do I Send My Documents?
Please send your documents to the correct location. A delay in the processing of your applications and documents will occur if documents are not sent to the correct location.
Please send the following items to Educational Credential Evaluators, Inc (ECE):
1. ECE Application Form for the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) and appropriate fees (example: $85);
2. Official transcript; and
3. Official proof of degree.
ECE, at its discretion, may require further documentation in order to complete the General Evaluation Report.
Educational Credential Evaluators, Inc
PO Box 514070
Milwaukee, WI 53203-3470
Phone: 414/289-3400
Web site: www.ece.org/nabp
National Association of Boards of Pharmacy Foreign Pharmacy Graduate Examination Committee
Please send the followings items to the Foreign Pharmacy Graduate Examination Committee (FPGEC) at NABP:
1. FPGEC Application Form for Examination and Certification (Form 100) and appropriate fees (example: $700);
2. Official proof of license and/or registration; and
3. Two photographs.
The FPGEC, at its discretion, may require further documentation to qualify an applicant for certification.
National Association of Boards of Pharmacy
Foreign Pharmacy Graduate Examination Committee
1600 Feehanville Dr
Mount Prospect, IL 60056
Phone: 847/391-4406
Web site: www.nabp.net
North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination™ (NAPLEX®)
The NAPLEX is developed by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy® (NABP®) and is utilized by the boards of pharmacy as part of their assessment of competence to practice pharmacy. The NAPLEX is a computer-adaptive examination that consists of 185 multiple-choice test questions. Of these, 150 questions will be used to calculate your test score. The remaining 35 items will serve as pretest questions, which will not affect your NAPLEX score. Pretest questions are administered to evaluate the item’s difficulty level for possible inclusion as a scored question in future examinations. These pretest questions are dispersed throughout the examination and cannot be identified by the candidate.
A majority of the questions on the NAPLEX are asked in a scenario-based format (ie, patient profiles with accompanying test questions). To properly analyze and answer the questions presented, you must refer to the information provided in the patient profile. Other questions are answered solely from the information provided in the question. Also available from NABP is the Pre-NAPLEX®. Preparing for the NAPLEX is much easier when students use the Pre-NAPLEX. The only NAPLEX practice examination written and developed by the NABP, the Pre-NAPLEX will familiarize students with the NAPLEX testing experience.
Multistate Pharmacy Jurisprudence Examination® (MPJE®)
The computer-adaptive MPJE combines federal- and state-specific law questions to serve as the state law examination in participating jurisdictions. The MPJE is based on a national blueprint of pharmacy jurisprudence competencies; however, the questions are tailored to the specific laws in each state. The MPJE consists of 90 multiple-choice test questions. Of these, 60 questions will be used to calculate the test score. The remaining 30 items serve as pretest questions, and do not affect the MPJE score. Those pretest questions are dispersed throughout the examination and cannot be identified by the candidate.
Disease State Management (DSM) Examinations
The DSM examinations are standardized assessment tools designed to measure the knowledge and skills of pharmacists providing disease state management services to patients with asthma, diabetes, and dyslipidemia, as well as those undergoing anticoagulation treatment. Each examination is based upon national standards developed by a coalition of experts representing NABP, the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA), the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS), PCS Health Systems, Inc, and pharmacy practitioners from the major practice areas.
Administration of all DSM examinations has been suspended while the National Institute for Standards in Pharmacist Credentialing (NISPC) Board decides the future of the DSM program. Recently, NISPC, upon NABP’s recommendation, suspended administration of the examinations in the areas of asthma, dyslipidemia, and anticoagulation. The suspension was due to the difficulty in keeping the examinations reliable and valid due to the insufficient number of examinations administered. In addition, the NISPC Board, again upon NABP’s recommendation, also suspended the current diabetes examination due to several major changes in the standards for diabetes care and available medications. While administrations of all four DSM examinations are suspended, the Board will evaluate the current and future demand by pharmacists, payers, patients, and the health care system for these credentials.
Test of Spoken English (TSE)
What is TSE?
The Test of Spoken English (TSE), the most widely used assessment of spoken English worldwide, measures the ability of nonnative speakers of English to communicate effectively. The test is used for employment, graduate assistantships, licensure, and certification purposes.
Who takes TSE?
If you are a student or working professional with English as your second language, you may be asked to take the test to demonstrate how well you can speak in English.
Where and when do people take TSE?
The original TOEFL® iBT introduction schedule stated that the Test of Spoken EnglishTM TSE® would be discontinued as a stand-alone test as of July 2006. However, because TOEFL iBT will now be introduced only in locations where there is sufficient testing capacity, ETS will administer the TSE test on August 19, October 14, and November 18, 2006, and January 13 and March 9, 2007, in locations outside the United States and Canada. Check the 2006-07 Information and Registration Bulletin (PDF) for information about registering for a TSE test. View testing locations and dates. This list will change as additional administration locations are established during the year.
Who accepts TSE?
Academic institutions, corporations, government agencies, health care systems, and other organizations use your score on the TSE to guide their decisions regarding graduate assistantships in teaching and research, employment, and licensing and certification.
What is the TSE Test's format?
TSE uses speech activities such as narrating, recommending, persuading, and giving and supporting an opinion to measure your ability to speak in English. You will be asked to tell a story, describe a graph, and answer questions. The session will be recorded and trained raters will determine your overall test score.
TOEFL® Internet-based Testing
What Is the TOEFL Test?
The Test of English as a Foreign Language™ (TOEFL®) measures the ability of nonnative speakers of English to use and understand English as it is spoken, written, and heard in college and university settings.
The TOEFL test is offered in different formats depending on a test taker's location.
The Internet-based TOEFL Test
The TOEFL Internet-based Test (TOEFL iBT) tests all four language skills that are important for effective communication: speaking, listening, reading, and writing. The test helps students demonstrate that they have the English skills needed for success.
What Is the Benefit of An Internet-based Test?
TOEFL iBT emphasizes integrated skills and provides better information to institutions about students' ability to communicate in an academic setting and their readiness for academic coursework. With Internet-based testing, ETS can capture speech and score responses in a standardized manner.
Online registration and online score reporting make it easier for students to register for TOEFL iBT and receive their test scores.
When Will TOEFL iBT Be Available?
TOEFL iBT was introduced in the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, and Puerto Rico in 2005. The second phase of the rollout began on March 25, 2006, when test centers in selected cities in Africa, the Americas, Europe, Eurasia, the Middle East, and North Africa offered TOEFL iBT for the first time.
A list of cities where TOEFL iBT is being introduced is posted in the Learners and Test Takers section of this Web site. This list is updated every week.
TOEFL iBT introduction dates have not yet been set for some countries (PDF). When these countries are ready to implement TOEFL iBT, a message will be posted on this Web site. To provide continued access for TOEFL and TSE test takers in these areas, ETS will offer the paper-based TOEFL test and the test until TOEFL iBT can be delivered.
What Is Happening To The Current TOEFL Tests?
The computer- and paper-based (CBT, PBT) versions of the TOEFL test will be given at a particular location until the Internet-based version is implemented.
Why Take the TOEFL Test?
Most people take the TOEFL test as a prerequisite for admission into colleges and universities where English is used or required. In addition, many government, licensing, and certification agencies and exchange and scholarship programs use TOEFL scores to evaluate the English proficiency of people for whom English is not their native language.
Who Should Take the TOEFL Test?
Nonnative English speakers at the 11th-grade level or above should take the TOEFL test to provide evidence of their English proficiency before beginning academic work. The test content is considered too difficult for students below 11th grade.
Many institutions report that they frequently do not require TOEFL test scores of certain kinds of international applicants. These include:
* nonnative speakers who hold degrees or diplomas from postsecondary institutions in English-speaking countries (e.g., the United States, Canada, England, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand)
* nonnative speakers who have successfully completed at least a two-year course of study in which English was the language of instruction
* transfer students from institutions in the United States or Canada whose academic course work was favorably evaluated in relation to its demands and duration.
* nonnative speakers who have taken the TOEFL test within the past two years
* nonnative speakers who have successfully pursued academic work at schools where English was the language of instruction in an English-speaking country for a specified period, generally two years.
Students should contact their prospective institutions directly concerning their specific admission requirements.
Where Can People Take the Test?
TOEFL iBT is taken via the Internet at ETS-certified test centers. This makes it possible to greatly expand the number of locations where the test can be taken.
Who Accepts TOEFL Scores?
More than 6,000 colleges, universities, and licensing agencies in 110 countries accept TOEFL scores.
See list of these institutions (PDF). See Also: TOEFL Computer-based and Paper-based Testing Overview
GRE General Test
What Is It?
The GRE® General Test measures verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, critical thinking, and analytical writing skills that have been acquired over a long period of time and that are not related to any specific field of study.
Verbal Reasoning — The skills measured include the test taker's ability to
* analyze and evaluate written material and synthesize information obtained from it
* analyze relationships among component parts of sentences
* recognize relationships between words and concepts.
Quantitative Reasoning — The skills measured include the test taker's ability to
* understand basic concepts of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and data analysis
* reason quantitatively
* solve problems in a quantitative setting.
Analytical Writing — The skills measured include the test taker's ability to
* articulate complex ideas clearly and effectively
* examine claims and accompanying evidence
* support ideas with relevant reasons and examples
* sustain a well-focused, coherent discussion
* control the elements of standard written English.
Who Takes It and Why?
Prospective graduate applicants take the General Test. GRE test scores are used by admissions or fellowship panels to supplement undergraduate records and other qualifications for graduate study. The scores provide common measures for comparing the qualifications of applicants and aid in evaluating grades and recommendations.
Where Do People Take It?
The General Test is offered year-round at computer-based test centers in the U.S., Canada, and many other countries. It is offered at paper-based test centers in areas of the world where computer-based testing is not available. See which format is available in your area.
Who Accepts It?
Any accredited graduate or professional school, or any department or division within a school, may require or recommend that its applicants take the General Test, a Subject Test, or both. If approved by the GRE Board, a non-accredited institution can also receive test takers' scores.
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