Pharmacist Licensure by Examination

PURPOSE: This rule establishes licensure requirements for examination applicants that have graduated from an accredited college/school of pharmacy. (1) Examination Applications. (A) Graduates of an Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) accredited school/college of pharmacy may apply to the board for licensure as a Missouri pharmacist by examination. Applications shall be submitted on forms provided by the board with the examination application fee. The application must be notarized and include— 1. Satisfactory evidence that the applicant has graduated from an ACPE-accredited school/college of pharmacy that meets the requirements of this rule; 2. Proof that the applicant has completed a state and federal criminal history background check, as required by 20 CSR 2220-7.090; and 3. Proof of one thousand five hundred (1,500) hours of pharmacy practice experience in activities related to the practice of pharmacy as approved by the board or connected with— A. Patient-centered pharmaceutical care or pharmacist clinical services; B. Evaluating or interpreting prescriptions or medication orders; C. Compounding, dispensing, and labeling of drugs and devices; D. The proper and safe storage of drugs and devices and appropriate recordkeeping for them; E. Medication administration; F. Medication therapy review/management; and G. Consulting with patients and other health care practitioners about the safe and effective use of drugs and devices. (B) Pharmacy practice experience earned in another state must be certified directly to the board from an ACPE-accredited school/college of pharmacy or the state or governmental pharmacist licensing entity where the hours were earned. Alternatively, the board may, in its discretion, accept proof of graduation and the required pharmacy practice experience hours from National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP). Graduates of an ACPE-accredited school/college of pharmacy located in a U.S. state or territory shall be deemed compliant with the pharmacy practice experience hours required by this rule and are not required to submit additional proof of pharmacy practice experience, unless otherwise requested by the board or the board’s authorized designee. (C) The board shall review the application and determine the candidate’s eligibility to test. Applications shall be deemed incomplete until all requirements of this rule have been met. All application fees are non-refundable. (2) Test Scheduling. When an application has been completed, the board will notify the applicant and/or NABP if he/she is eligible for the North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination (NAPLEX) and/or the Multistate Pharmacy Jurisprudence Examination (MPJE). If eligible, the applicant shall schedule testing dates for both the NAPLEX and MPJE, as required by NABP. The applicant must comply with all registration, application, testing, and scheduling requirements established by NABP for the examinations, and payment of any fee(s) required by NABP for scheduling/taking the examination(s). (A) To avoid forfeiture of eligibility, the applicant must take the examination(s) within three hundred sixty-five (365) days after having been determined eligible by the board to test. If the applicant does not take the examination within three hundred sixty-five (365) days, the applicant must reapply to the board for examination/licensure and pay the examination application fee again. AND INSURANCE (B) A determination by the board that an applicant is eligible for examination does not guarantee that the applicant will be issued a Missouri pharmacist license. The board reserves the right to deny an applicant for licensure that has been approved for examination as authorized by Missouri law. (3) Testing. Applicants for pharmacist licensure by examination must successfully pass both the NAPLEX and the MPJE. To successfully pass, a minimum score of seventy-five (75) is required for each of the required examinations. Applicants must pass both the NAPLEX and MPJE exams within two (2) years of submitting their application for licensure by examination to the board. Failure to achieve passing scores on both exams in this two (2) year period will result in the license application being rejected as incomplete. The applicant may reapply for licensure and restart the examination process, except as otherwise provided by subsection (4)(A) or other provisions of Missouri law. (4) Retesting. If an applicant fails to achieve a score of seventyfive (75) on both the NAPLEX and the MPJE, the candidate shall retake and pass the failed examination(s) before a license can be issued. Applicants seeking to retake an examination must file an application for re-examination with the board and pay the examination application fee each time. All examinations are scored independently and may be retaken independently. (A) The board or its authorized designee shall review and approve any applicant that fails the NAPLEX or MPJE three (3) consecutive times prior to the applicant being declared eligible to retest. A candidate will not be declared eligible to retest under this subsection until approved by the board. In lieu of disapproval, the board may establish a date after which the candidate shall be eligible to retest or may establish additional training or study requirements that must be completed before authorization to retest is granted. Applicants who fail the NAPLEX five (5) times shall not be declared eligible to retake the NAPLEX. Applicants who fail the MPJE five (5) times shall not be declared eligible to retake the MPJE unless otherwise approved by the board for extenuating circumstances. (B) Application for re-examination must be made on a form provided by the board. Examination/re-examination fees are non-refundable. (5) A pharmacist application shall be deemed invalid if the applicant fails to submit all information required to complete the application within six (6) months after the application is received by the board, with the exception of successful completion of the NAPLEX and/or MPJE. However, the application may remain active if the applicant has applied for licensure as a Missouri intern pharmacist to complete the required pharmacy practice experience and has completed all other application requirements, provided the application shall be deemed void if the applicant fails to complete the required pharmacy practice experience within two (2) years from the date the applicant’s pharmacist application was initially received by the board. AUTHORITY: sections 338.020, 338.040, 338.060, and 338.070, RSMo 2016, and sections 338.035 and 338.140, RSMo Supp. 2025.* Original rule filed Jan. 10, 2013, effective Aug. 30, 2013. Amended: Filed May 31, 2022, effective Nov. 30, 2022. Amended: Filed Aug. 27, 2025, effective Feb. 28, 2026. *Original authority: 338.020, RSMo 1939, amended 1947, 1949, 1981, 1990, 2014; 338.035, RSMo 1990, amended 1993, 1995, 2007, 2020; 338.040, RSMo 1939, amended 1961, 1969, 1981, 1990; 338.060, RSMo 1939, amended 1943, 1947, 1949, 1951, 1981, 1984, 1997, 1999; 338.070, RSMo 1939, amended 1947, 1953, 1961, 1969, 1981, 1985, 1997; and 338.140, RSMo 1939, amended 1981, 1989, 1997, 2011, 2019.