MPJE® Competency Statements
Your Guide To The Exam Blueprint
The Multistate Pharmacy Jurisprudence Examination® (MPJE®) is a pharmacy law exam developed by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy® (NABP®) to help individual state boards of pharmacy assess candidates’ competency and knowledge of pharmacy law. The MPJE Competency Statements provide an outline (i.e., MPJE blueprint) detailing the topics tested.
MPJE Competency Statements
The MPJE Competency Statements describe the knowledge and skills you will need to apply to questions on your exam. This blueprint is broken down into four areas: Area 1 (22%), Area 2 (33%), Area 3 (24%), and Area 4 (21%).
Area 1: Licensure/Personnel
This section of the MPJE blueprint represents approximately 22% of the content on the exam and covers topics that regulate the duties of pharmacists and non-pharmacist personnel, including licensure requirements. Specifically, you will need to be familiar with federal and state laws that outline the responsibilities of pharmacy personnel (e.g., pharmacists, interns, technicians) and define their scope of practice.
This area of the MPJE competency statements is further broken down into the following items:
- 1.1.1 – Qualifications, scope of duties, limitations and restrictions of duties, or conditions to practice for pharmacists-in-charge (or equivalent) and pharmacists
- 1.1.2 – Qualifications, scope of duties, limitations, and restrictions of duties, or conditions to practice for non-pharmacist personnel
- 1.2.1 – Qualifications, examinations, internships, maintaining pharmacist competency, and renewals of licensures, registrations, or certifications
- 1.2.2 – Classifications and processes of disciplinary actions
- 1.2.3 – Reporting to and participating in programs addressing the inability to practice with reasonable skill and safety
Area 2: Pharmacist Practice
Area 2 of the MPJE Competency Statements represents 33% of the exam and covers dispensing requirements for controlled and non-controlled medications, including limitations on practitioner’s authority to prescribe. This area also covers laws regarding patient counseling of medications and protecting patient confidentiality.
This area of the MPJE competency statements is further broken down into the following items:
- 2.1.1 Requirements for drug uses, limitations, or restrictions
- 2.1.2 – Scope of authority, scope of practice, limitations or restrictions of practice, and valid registration of practitioners who are authorized to prescribe, dispense, or administer drugs
- 2.1.3 – Requirements for issuing non-controlled prescriptions/drug orders
- 2.1.4 – Requirements for issuing controlled prescriptions/drug orders
- 2.1.5 – Authority limitations of practitioners’ ability to authorize refills
- 2.3.1 – Counseling or offering to counsel
- 2.3.2 – Documenting counseling or documenting offering to counsel
- 2.5.1 – Requirements for promoting quality and safety of public health
- 2.5.2 – Protecting patient and health record confidentiality
Area 3: Dispensing Requirements
This area of the MPJE competency statements represents 24% of the exam and tests on requirements for labeling and packaging of dispensed medications, transferring prescriptions, and conditions where dispensing a drug is prohibited. It also covers requirements for distributing and dispensing hazardous drugs, over-the-counter (OTC) medications, and restricted non-prescription (e.g., behind-the-counter) products.
- 3.3.1 – Requirements for reporting to PMP and accessing PMP data
- 3.8.1 – Dispensing or administration
- 3.8.2 – Labeling of non-prescription drugs and devices
- 3.8.3 – Packaging and repackaging of non-prescription drugs and behind-the-counter products
- 3.8.4 – Dispensing restricted, non-prescription drugs
Area 4: Pharmacy Operations
Area 4 tests on topics that deal with the day-to-day operation of the pharmacy, including ordering and acquiring drugs, recordkeeping, and compounding (eg, hazardous and non-hazardous preparations). It will also cover topics such as licensure requirements for specific pharmacy settings or businesses.
- 4.1.1 – Ordering and acquisition, including the maintenance and content of such records
- 4.1.2 – Distribution, including the maintenance and content of such records
- 4.2.1 – Non-dispensing requirements for operations of pharmacies or practice settings
- 4.2.2 – Possession, storage, and handling of non-hazardous drugs
- 4.2.3 – Training, possession, handling, storage, and disposal of hazardous drugs
- 4.2.4 – Allowing non-pharmacist personnel access to drugs
- 4.2.5 – Requirements for conducting controlled substance inventories
- 4.7.1 – Requirements for registration, license, certification, or permitting of a practice setting
- 4.7.2 – Requirements for the renewal or reinstatement of a license, registration, certificate, or permit of a practice setting
- 4.7.3 – Requirements for an inspection of a licensed, registered, certified, or permitted practice setting
- 4.7.4 – Classifications and processes of disciplinary actions that may be taken against a registered, licensed, certified, or permitted practice setting
How to Pass the MPJE Exam Using the Blueprint and UWorld RxPrep
The MPJE blueprint can help you plan your exam preparation, make your own study schedule, and prepare yourself so that there are no surprises on exam day. Plan one section at a time, as opposed to all four content areas at once. This will help you concentrate your study efforts. You should also change your schedule as you hone in on your study habits. Our recommendation would be to prepare for difficult topics first, as it is a time-intensive process.
You can save a lot of time by focusing on the MPJE Competency Statements in accordance with the score weightage and representative tasks laid out in the blueprints. Give importance to studying topics that carry more weight. This in turn, will enable you to dedicate an appropriate amount of time to each topic.
Having said that, you should also remember that you cannot solely rely on the MPJE competency statements. Studying with a strong, comprehensive review course is key to successfully passing the MPJE. The UWorld RxPrep MPJE Online Course covers all the important topics on the blueprint and emphasizes areas where state laws tend to be more strict than federal law. Did you know that at the end of the course manual, there is a 9-page fill-in-the-blank study guide based on the MPJE Competency Statements? You can also use the 110+ UWorld RxPrep state-specific online flashcards to test your knowledge of state laws.
Read More About the MPJE
Want to know what constitutes a passing score? Check out this page to learn the criteria to pass the MPJE.
Need information about registering for the MPJE? Check out this page with detailed information on how to register, eligibility requirements, and the costs to apply.