At NABP, we offer pharmacist examinations like the North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination (NAPLEX) and the Multistate Pharmacy Jurisprudence Examination (MPJE) to assess a pharmacist’s competency to practice while protecting the public health. In our last blog post, we discussed the development and the recent improvements that have been made to the MPJE and its purpose: to evaluate candidates’ understanding and application of federal and state-specific laws and regulations.
In recent years, especially as telehealth has become a prevalent method to treat patients and certain parts of the country are experiencing a shortage of pharmacists, pharmacists have needed to adapt to practice in multiple states and jurisdictions, requiring them to obtain licensure in multiple jurisdictions and pass the MPJE in each. To address this issue and help the boards of pharmacy further streamline licensure, we are developing a uniform version of the MPJE as an additional tool that boards can leverage to assess candidates’ knowledge of pharmacy law.
Development of the Uniform MPJE
The development of the uniform MPJE started at the 118th NABP Annual Meeting in 2022 when our members passed a resolution to develop a national standardized pharmacy jurisprudence examination, which formally addressed the need for a new examination that could better assess the legal knowledge of pharmacists across state lines. A year after this resolution passed, a steering committee convened to explore the feasibility of the standardized exam and determine how it could be implemented to meet the diverse needs of the boards of pharmacy. The committee decided that the uniform version of the MPJE will focus on assessing knowledge of pharmacy laws and regulations that are applicable across participating jurisdictions.
In October 2024, a Practice Analysis was conducted which included the newly formed Uniform MPJE Review Committee. As part of the Practice Analysis process, a content outline was drafted which will culminate into the exam’s blueprint. A survey was then administered to a representative sample of practicing pharmacists currently licensed in multiple jurisdictions as well as pharmacy law educators to collect feedback on the drafted outline. The survey was administered to thousands of practicing pharmacists to validate that the content outline assesses core legal principles that all pharmacists must know, regardless of which state they practice in.
Uniform MPJE Launches Spring 2026
The uniform version of the MPJE is expected to launch in June 2026. The development process will remain responsive to the evolving needs of the pharmacy community. We will maintain an open dialogue with boards of pharmacy throughout the development process, ensuring that the exam meets their needs.
An Item Development Workshop was held in April 2025, where dedicated volunteers from all areas of pharmacy practice and law, as well as faculty from colleges of pharmacy refined the exam content. Following the Item Development Workshop, the Uniform MPJE Review Committee will meet in August 2025 to evaluate the exam content developed at the Item Development Workshop.
The Uniform MPJE Will Be Offered Alongside the Existing MPJE
The current MPJE will remain a valuable, state-specific exam. State boards of pharmacy will continue to have the option to use the state-specific MPJE as a critical component of the licensure process. The uniform MPJE will provide states with an alternative option to fit their needs. The uniform MPJE will also act as a resource for states that have a desire to allow practice in multiple participating jurisdictions.
Pharmacists who pass the uniform MPJE will still be held responsible for adhering to state-specific laws, even if they are not addressed on the exam. State boards, of course, retain the authority to grant licensure and enact rules for compliance with their regulations.
Why the Uniform MPJE?
In addition to offering flexibility to boards of pharmacy, the new version of the exam will be helpful for pharmacists seeking licensure in participating jurisdictions. The uniform MPJE is a unique tool that will address the need to allow practice in multiple participating jurisdictions. Students and pharmacists seeking licensure in multiple states must currently sit for and pass each state’s specific law exam. In 2026, graduates and pharmacists seeking licensure in states that adopt the uniform MPJE will only be required to take and pass one law exam, reducing the overall cost, regulatory burden, and time to licensure. Keep an eye out for future blog posts and check the MPJE page on our website to stay up to date on information as it’s released.
Read about the MPJE in Part 1 of this blog post.
