NAPLEX Results: When They Post, Where to Check, and What They Mean
NAPLEX results come back as one word: Pass or Fail. In most jurisdictions they appear in your NABP e-Profile within 14 business days of your exam. If your primary jurisdiction is California, Guam, Illinois, Minnesota, Puerto Rico, or the Virgin Islands, your board releases the result instead. (NABP: NAPLEX Results)
Find your results date
NABP's official rule is within 14 business days after you take the exam. The table below is a weekday-only planning estimate: it starts with the day after your exam and skips Saturdays and Sundays. NABP does not publish a holiday-counting rule on its NAPLEX results page or in the result-timing section of the Bulletin, so treat the exact calendar dates here as estimates, not guaranteed posting deadlines.
| You took the NAPLEX on a… | 14-weekday planning estimate | Calendar days after your exam |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Friday, 2½ weeks later | 18 |
| Tuesday | Monday, three weeks later | 20 |
| Wednesday | Tuesday, three weeks later | 20 |
| Thursday | Wednesday, three weeks later | 20 |
| Friday | Thursday, three weeks later | 20 |
| Saturday | Thursday, about three weeks later | 19 |
| Sunday | Thursday, about three weeks later | 18 |
Example: if you test on Friday, September 25, 2026, the weekday-only estimate lands on Thursday, October 15, 2026.
Holidays: NABP does not define holiday treatment in the published result-timing rule. If you also exclude the federal holiday on Monday, October 12, the same example moves to Friday, October 16. Neither date is an NABP-guaranteed release date; the official promise remains within 14 business days.
Where it shows up:
| Your primary jurisdiction | Where your result comes from |
|---|---|
| Most states, plus DC | Your NABP e-Profile → Exam Services → Examination tab |
| California, Guam, Illinois, Minnesota, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands | Directly from that board or jurisdiction, on its own timeline. It may never appear in your e-Profile. |
The table is our business-day math on NABP's 14-business-day rule. NABP publishes the rule, not these dates.
By the Castleport Test Prep Editorial Team · Last verified September 25, 2026 against NABP's NAPLEX Results page, Candidate Application Bulletin Sections 3, 11, 12, 13 and 16, NABP Support Center answers, and the California State Board of Pharmacy's results notice.
Calculate your results and exam deadlines
This is a planning aid, not an official NABP release date. NABP says results appear within 14 business days in most jurisdictions, but does not say whether holidays count.
The other deadlines that started on your exam day
Your result isn't the only clock. Several NABP deadlines count from your exam date, and two of them only help you if you catch them in time.
| Deadline | Rule | Cost | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Score transfer (sending your result to another state) | Buy it up to 89 days after your exam. Don't leave it to the last day; NABP warns the option can disappear. | $105 per jurisdiction | Bulletin Sec. 12 |
| Rescore | After your result is released to your board, and within 60 days of your exam | $200, nonrefundable | Bulletin Sec. 11 |
| Earliest retake (after a Fail) | 45 days after the failed exam, or longer if your jurisdiction requires it | $100 application + $520 exam | Bulletin Sec. 3, Sec. 16 |
| Attempt limits | 3 attempts in any 12 months, counted from your initial attempt. 5 attempts total unless a board decides otherwise. | — | Bulletin Sec. 3 |
Worked example for an exam on Friday, September 25, 2026. Every date except the first counts calendar days from the exam date.
| Row label | Date |
|---|---|
| 14-weekday planning estimate | Thursday, October 15, 2026 (Friday, October 16 if the federal holiday is excluded) |
| Earliest retake scheduling, if you failed | Monday, November 9, 2026 |
| Last day to buy a rescore | Tuesday, November 24, 2026 |
| Last day to buy a score transfer | Wednesday, December 23, 2026 |
What to do right now
Find the row that matches what you're looking at.
| What you see | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Nothing yet, fewer than 14 business days | You're still inside NABP's published window. | Keep checking the correct result channel through the official 14-business-day window. The date table above is a planning estimate, not an official release appointment. Nothing else on your e-Profile tells you the outcome early. |
| Nothing yet, and your primary jurisdiction is CA, Guam, IL, MN, PR, or the Virgin Islands | Your result comes from your board, not your e-Profile. | Follow your board's process. California's is explained below. |
| Nothing after 14 business days | Something needs checking. | Confirm your primary jurisdiction, look for an email from NABP about a hold, then email ExamServices@nabp.pharmacy with your name, NABP e-Profile ID, and exam date. |
| A hold notice | NABP is reviewing the result before releasing it. | Follow the instructions in the notice. |
| Pass | You passed the exam. You don't have a license yet. | Finish your board's other requirements (see You passed). |
| Fail | You also get a performance report by content area. | Read it using the guide below, then plan the retake. |
Where to check your NAPLEX result
Log in to your NABP e-Profile, open Exam Services, and select the Examination tab. That's where Pass or Fail appears for most jurisdictions. (NABP Support Center)
A few details catch people out:
- Your primary jurisdiction controls where the result appears. NABP usually shows NAPLEX results only under the jurisdiction you registered as primary. If that's one of the six direct-reporting jurisdictions, you won't see a result in your e-Profile. That stays true even if you sent a score transfer to a state that uses online reporting. (Bulletin Sec. 11)
- Your board gets it the same day. NABP sends your result to your board the same day it posts to your e-Profile. It also goes to any states you bought score transfers for. (Bulletin Sec. 11)
- The e-Profile screen is for you only. Boards won't accept a result posted in your e-Profile for licensure or score transfer. Official confirmation goes between NABP and the board. (Bulletin Sec. 11)
- Your school sees your result only if you agreed. Before the exam, NABP offers an optional waiver to share results with your college of pharmacy. Declining doesn't affect your degree. (NABP: NAPLEX Results)
- The result doesn't come from the test center. NABP's Bulletin describes results arriving through your e-Profile or your board, nowhere else.
California specifically: the California State Board of Pharmacy mails results to your address of record. It says it typically releases NAPLEX results 30 to 45 days after the exam, and sooner when it can. If more than 45 days have passed, email intern-examstatus@dca.ca.gov with your file number, full name, and NAPLEX date. (California Board of Pharmacy: Release of Scores)
Guam, Illinois, Minnesota, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands: ask your board about its timing. NABP lists every board's contact details in its boards of pharmacy directory.
What Pass or Fail tells you
The official result is one word. NABP does not give you a scaled score, whether you pass or fail. (Bulletin Sec. 11)
The pass line still exists behind that word. It's a scaled score of 75 on a 0–150 scale, set after a standard-setting review in July 2020. (NABP blog, 2021) Two things people get wrong about it:
- It isn't 75% correct. NABP says so directly: a scaled score is not the percentage of questions you got right. (NABP Support Center)
- It isn't curved against other test-takers. NABP says the ability level that defines a pass is the same on every NAPLEX. You pass or fail against that fixed standard, not against the room. (Bulletin Sec. 11)
If you've seen a scaled score from NABP before, it came from a practice exam such as the Pre-NAPLEX or NAPLEX Advantage. Those report scores differently. The real NAPLEX gives Pass or Fail only.
A Pass comes with no breakdown. A Fail comes with a performance report by content area, covered below. Whatever the result, NABP doesn't allow anyone to review the actual exam questions afterward.
Still waiting? What is and isn't a signal
Nothing in your e-Profile tells you the result before the result itself appears. NABP publishes no early indicator.
You'll find forum threads about a "two-box trick," a "Closed" status, or the score-transfer button appearing. People read these as signs of a pass or a fail. NABP has never said any of them mean anything, and we don't treat them as results. You'll also see posts from people whose results came well before 14 business days. That happens, but NABP only commits to "within 14 business days." Waiting inside that window tells you nothing either way.
If 14 business days have passed with no result, work through these in order:
- Check which jurisdiction you registered as primary. If it's one of the six direct-reporting jurisdictions, your e-Profile was never going to show the result.
- Look for an email from NABP about a hold.
- Email ExamServices@nabp.pharmacy with your name, NABP e-Profile ID, and exam date.
Why a result might be on hold. NABP can hold a result for further review:
- as part of routine quality control;
- after an incident at the test center;
- when a candidate's performance differs noticeably across two or more attempts;
- when a result is unusually low.
If a hold involves suspected misconduct, NABP notifies you and your board within 7 business days, with instructions for responding. A hold isn't a verdict. (Bulletin Sec. 11)
You passed: what happens next
Congratulations. One thing to be clear on: a Pass is not a pharmacist license. Only your board of pharmacy issues one. (Bulletin Sec. 11)
- Finish your board's other requirements. Depending on the jurisdiction, that can include a pharmacy law exam or other board-specific steps. Our MPJE / UMPJE guide helps you identify the NABP law-exam route where one applies. Your board sets the actual licensure requirements, application steps, and fees.
- Licensing in more than one state? Buy score transfers within 89 days of your exam. Earlier is safer. They cost $105 per jurisdiction. Once you've taken the exam, you can't change a destination you already bought, and transfers bought after the exam aren't refundable. All 50 states, DC, Guam, and Puerto Rico participate. (Bulletin Sec. 12)
- Ask how long your passing result stays usable. NABP notes that the validity period of a score transfer varies by jurisdiction, and boards set their own time limits for completing licensure. The board you're applying to is the one to ask. (Bulletin Sec. 12)
- Your law exam may not transfer. A state MPJE result can't be transferred to another state. A UMPJE result can. (Bulletin Sec. 12)
You failed: how to read your performance report
A Fail is hard news, especially after six hours on an exam you couldn't go back through. But it's also the only NAPLEX result that shows where you stood. Your report gives an achievement level for each of the five content areas on the current exam. (Bulletin Sec. 11, NABP Support Center)
What each level means
NABP's published explanation of the candidate performance report uses cut points at 50, 75, and 100 on the 0–150 scale. That methodology was published in 2021; the current report still uses the same four achievement-level descriptors, while the current Bulletin does not restate the numeric cut points.
| Level on your report | Scaled-score range | NABP's meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | 0–49 | Far below the minimum needed to show competency |
| Level 2 | 50–74 | Does not meet the minimum |
| Level 3 | 75–99 | Meets the minimum |
| Level 4 | 100–150 | Exceeds the minimum |
Source: NABP blog, "The Science Behind the Score," 2021.
How much each area weighs
Your report uses the five domains of the current NAPLEX Content Outline. That outline applies to exams given on or after May 1, 2025.
| Content area | Share of scored questions | About how many of 200 |
|---|---|---|
| 3. Person-Centered Assessment and Treatment Planning | 40% | 80 |
| 1. Foundational Knowledge for Pharmacy Practice | 25% | 50 |
| 2. Medication Use Process | 25% | 50 |
| 4. Professional Practice | 5% | 10 |
| 5. Pharmacy Management and Leadership | 5% | 10 |
Source: NAPLEX Content Outline, effective May 1, 2025, p. 3. These are blueprint weights for the 200 scored questions; they are not a formula for converting your domain levels into an overall score.
Reading it without over-reading it
NABP's own psychometrician explained the limits of these levels. (NABP blog, 2021)
- A domain level is not an exact score. In NABP's 2021 explanation of the performance-report method, it described domain estimates as less precise than the total exam score and reported typical subscore error in the 10-to-20-point range. The current five-domain report still uses achievement levels, but NABP does not publish a candidate formula for reconstructing an overall score from them.
- The NAPLEX measures general pharmacy practice knowledge as a whole. A Level 3 in one domain on a failed report does not mean that domain is finished or that it independently "passed."
Our rule of thumb for planning a retake. This is editorial study-planning guidance, not an NABP scoring formula.
- Start with the domains where your report shows the lowest achievement level.
- When two domains have the same level, the current blueprint weights are a reasonable tie-breaker: Domain 3 is 40% of scored questions; Domains 1 and 2 are 25% each.
- Keep Domains 4 and 5 in the plan even though each is 5% of scored questions. A small domain is still part of the exam.
- Keep mixed practice across all five domains. Domain levels are feedback, not five separate pass/fail decisions.
A worked example. Say your report reads: Domain 1 Level 2, Domain 2 Level 3, Domain 3 Level 2, Domain 4 Level 3, Domain 5 Level 2. Domains 1, 3, and 5 all need attention because they are at Level 2. Using blueprint weight only as a tie-breaker, start the heaviest repair work with Domain 3, then Domain 1, while keeping Domain 5 in regular review. Domain 2 and Domain 4 still stay in mixed practice rather than disappearing from the plan.
For the current blueprint, format, and planning tools, see our NAPLEX exam prep hub.
Retaking the NAPLEX, and whether a rescore is worth it
You can schedule a retake 45 days after the failed exam at the earliest. Some jurisdictions require a longer wait, and if yours does, the longer wait applies. NABP won't issue a new authorization to test before then. (Bulletin Sec. 3)
A retake starts eligibility over:
- Apply again through your e-Profile and pay the $100 application fee.
- Your board reconfirms your eligibility.
- Pay a new $520 exam fee. Each retake costs $620 in NABP fees.
Attempt limits:
- 3 attempts in any 12-month period. If you use all three, you must wait at least 12 months from your initial attempt before reapplying.
- 5 attempts in total, unless a board decides otherwise.
The 12-month clock runs from your first attempt, not your third. Rushing attempts two and three doesn't get you licensed sooner; it can leave you locked out for most of a year. Treat the 45 days as a minimum, not a target. If your dates fall close to the 12-month line, ask your board how it counts them.
Is a rescore worth $200?
Usually not. A rescore doesn't mean someone re-reads your answers.
- What NABP does: confirms your exam was delivered as intended, then recomputes your score with an independent scoring tool. It does not review question content, and NABP calls a changed result "extremely unlikely."
- When you can buy it: after your result goes to your board, and within 60 days of your exam.
- Terms: you can't cancel it and there are no refunds. NABP emails you the outcome within about four weeks.
Our take: a rescore makes sense only if you think something went wrong with how your exam was delivered, such as a technical problem during your session. It isn't a path from Fail to Pass. For most people, $200 does more good going toward retake preparation.
NAPLEX pass rates: how results look nationally
Among 2025 graduates of ACPE-accredited programs, 86.8% passed on their first attempt, up sharply from the two years before.
| Graduation year | First attempts | First-time pass rate | All attempts | All-attempt pass rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 9,869 | 86.8% | 10,632 | 85.6% |
| 2024 | 11,136 | 75.9% | 14,316 | 72.2% |
| 2023 | 12,305 | 76.4% | 16,275 | 71.2% |
Source: NABP, NAPLEX Passing Rates for 2023–2025 Graduates, prepared March 16, 2026, p. 14. Candidates are grouped by graduation year, and NABP notes the figures can change as graduates retest.
You may also see 85.7% given as the 2025 pass rate. That's a different measure: the average of 142 individual school rates (same report, p. 15), not the share of all candidates who passed. The report lists every accredited program if you want your own school's numbers. Castleport's NAPLEX pass rates by pharmacy school page organizes the same current NABP dataset by program and keeps the source limitations visible.
A national rate describes a graduating class. It can't tell you anything about your own result.
Quick answers
Why do some websites say results take 5 or 7 business days? They may be describing anecdotal turnaround or older guidance. NABP's current Bulletin and results page give the rule to plan around: within 14 business days for jurisdictions that use online reporting.
Can I see which questions I missed? No. The exam is secure, and NABP allows no review of test questions or content. (Bulletin Sec. 11)
I left questions unanswered. Does that matter? Yes. NABP scores unanswered NAPLEX questions as incorrect. (Bulletin Sec. 11)
Do score transfers go out if I fail? Yes. NABP processes score transfers whether you pass or fail. If you retake the exam and want the new result sent, you have to buy a new transfer. (Bulletin Sec. 12)
I missed my exam appointment. Does that count as an attempt? No. NABP says missed appointments don't count against your attempt limits, but you'll need to buy a resit to get a new testing appointment. (Bulletin Sec. 13)
Official sources
We checked each of these on September 25, 2026. For your own application, NABP and your board of pharmacy are the authorities. Confirm anything that affects your plans with them.
- NABP: NAPLEX Results. Results timing, the six direct-reporting jurisdictions, score transfers, the school waiver.
- NABP Candidate Application Bulletin, Section 11: Exam Results and Other Outcomes (March 2026). Pass/Fail reporting, performance report, rescore, holds.
- Bulletin Section 3: What Is the NAPLEX? (March 2026). Retakes, waiting period, attempt limits.
- Bulletin Section 12: Score Transfers (June 2026).
- Bulletin Section 13: Resits and Missed Examinations (January 2026).
- Bulletin Section 16: Overview of Exam Fees (March 2026).
- NABP Support: Where do I check my examination results?
- NABP Support: How do I read my candidate performance report?
- NABP Support: What does the scaled score and domain level information mean?
- NABP blog: The Science Behind the Score: The New NAPLEX Candidate Performance Report (2021).
- NAPLEX Content Outline (effective May 1, 2025).
- NABP: NAPLEX Passing Rates for 2023–2025 Graduates (March 16, 2026).
- California State Board of Pharmacy: Release of Scores.
- NABP: Boards of Pharmacy directory.
The date tables and the retake rule of thumb are our own math and editorial judgment. Every rule, fee, and figure comes from NABP or a board of pharmacy.
Castleport Test Prep is an independent exam prep publisher and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or approved by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP). NAPLEX, MPJE, and UMPJE are used here only to identify the exams discussed; trademarks belong to their respective owners. Licensure decisions are made by boards of pharmacy.
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