Preparing for a New Era in Pharmacy Law Examination

As pharmacy practice becomes increasingly mobile and pharmacists more frequently seek licensure across multiple states, regulatory bodies are exploring new ways to modernize the assessment of pharmacy law competency. This year, the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) is introducing a uniform version of the Multistate Pharmacy Jurisprudence Examination (MPJE), a standardized law exam designed to evaluate pharmacists' knowledge of shared legal and regulatory principles across participating jurisdictions and help streamline license portability.

In this Q&A, Jasmina Bjegovic, PharmD, discusses the development of the Uniform MPJE (UMPJE), how it differs from the MPJE, and what the change could mean for pharmacy students, educators, and pharmacists pursuing multistate practice.

This interview was edited lightly for clarity.

Pharmacy Times: Can you provide an overview of what the UMPJE is and why it’s being introduced?

Jasmina Bjegovic, PharmD:In recognition of the importance of competency in state and federal law as a key component of safe pharmacy practice, [NABP] member boards of pharmacy passed Resolution 118-3-22, National Standardized Pharmacy Jurisprudence Examination, which called for the evaluation of a uniform national pharmacy jurisprudence examination for use by boards of pharmacy as a tool to assess competency for licensure.

The UMPJE measures a pharmacist's competency in state and federal pharmacy law, further streamlining license mobility. The goal of the UMPJE, where adopted, is for a pharmacist to pass a single pharmacy jurisprudence exam to demonstrate their competency and then be eligible to practice in any of those states without taking another law exam.

Pharmacy Times: Regarding its scope and content, how does the UMPJE differ from the state-specific MPJE?

Bjegovic: The uniform version of the MPJE is designed to leverage commonality among state laws and will focus on assessing knowledge of uniform pharmacy laws and regulations applicable across all participating jurisdictions. While the UMPJE assesses applicable and relevant federal law, its primary purpose is not to test federal law alone, but to evaluate knowledge of uniform pharmacy laws and regulations shared by most states.

The MPJE was developed to standardize the assessment of regulatory knowledge and application of federal and state-specific rules and regulations to meet the state's public health and safety needs. Jurisdiction-specific content is tailored to reflect the terminology and characteristics unique to each participating state’s rules and regulations; however, the exam's development is standardized across all participating jurisdictions.

The UMPJE mirrors the current MPJE layout, with 120 questions and a 180-minute seat time. One difference is that the UMPJE features 3-option, single-answer multiple-choice items. This format, distinct from the 4- or 5-option multiple-choice and multiple-response formats used in the MPJE, is designed to be succinct without compromising psychometric rigor.

Pharmacy Times: What were the major drivers that led to the development of a national standardized exam for pharmacy law?

Bjegovic: Over the years, changes in the health care system have increased the need for pharmacists to practice across multiple jurisdictions. In many jurisdictions, pharmacists must pass the current state-specific version of the MPJE to obtain or transfer their licensure. In light of this changing landscape, we have developed an additional tool for boards of pharmacy to use to assess licensure candidates’ knowledge of pharmacy law: the UMPJE. In response to the member boards of pharmacy passing a resolution at the NABP Annual Meeting, a steering committee convened in 2023 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 applicable across participating jurisdictions. The UMPJE has the potential to further streamline license portability and exam score transfer processes and to facilitate increased license mobility between jurisdictions. Boards now have the option to use the UMPJE or continue using the current state-specific MPJE.

Pharmacy Times: How has NABP engaged pharmacists, educators, and boards of pharmacy during exam development?

Bjegovic: For over 50 years, NABP has developed and administered high-stakes examinations that have allowed us to perfect processes and streamline operations to reliably create valid examinations. In addition, NABP has been supported by a community of experts in pharmacy practice, regulation, and academia throughout the examination development process. Along with its expert staff, the success of NABP’s exams is also a result of the dedicated volunteers who work tirelessly to develop these vital licensing exams.

In October 2024, a practice analysis was conducted, which included the newly formed UMPJE Review Committee. As part of the practice analysis process, a content outline was drafted, and a survey was administered to gather 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 the state in which they practice. The content outline was finalized and posted on the NABP website in May 2025.

An item development workshop was held in April 2025, where dedicated volunteers from all areas of pharmacy practice and law, including staff from member boards of pharmacy and faculty from schools and colleges of pharmacy, refined the exam content. Following the item development workshop, the UMPJE Review Committee met in August 2025 to evaluate the exam content developed during the item development workshop. To ensure exam items are written in a way that is applicable to any current or future participating jurisdiction, item writers must have active licenses to practice pharmacy in 15 or more jurisdictions.

Pharmacy Times: How are early adopter states implementing the [UMPJE], and what changes will candidates in those states experience?

Bjegovic: The early adopter boards of pharmacy—Arizona, Iowa, Kansas, North Carolina, Ohio, and Rhode Island—have adopted the new exam prior to the general rollout in June 2026. Students seeking licensure in these jurisdictions and attending an in-state college of pharmacy will be able to sit for the exam as early as April 1, 2026.

NABP is committed to creating a smooth transition for boards of pharmacy, colleges of pharmacy, and candidates by offering guidance and resources, [including the following]:

• The UMPJE content outline provides key details about the exam format, question style, content areas, and sample questions.
• An updated Candidate Application Bulletin was recently released, covering updated processes.
• The Pre-UMPJE practice exam launched in January 2026 to help candidates prepare before taking the exam.

These provide background information on the UMPJE and key details about the exam processes. Transition periods vary by adopting state, including, in select situations, the option for candidates to take either the UMPJE or the state-specific MPJE. Candidates are encouraged to visit their board of pharmacy's website and review the details about participating jurisdictions on the NABP website, where the latest updates, resources, and state-specific FAQs can be found.

Pharmacy Times: How might the UMPJE change the landscape for pharmacists who hold or seek licensure in multiple states?

Bjegovic: The introduction of the UMPJE represents a significant shift in pharmacist licensure jurisprudence exams and how they are approached. Currently, pharmacists seeking licensure in multiple states must sit for and pass multiple state-specific MPJEs. This could make it more difficult for qualified pharmacists to obtain licensure for specific pharmacy practice settings or within a certain time frame, a concern that has become increasingly evident as more pharmacists engage in multistate or remote nonresident pharmacy practice.

One of the most promising aspects of the UMPJE is its potential to further streamline reciprocity and exam score transfer processes by allowing candidates to take only one law exam to satisfy the licensure-by-examination requirements of participating states. In addition, boards of pharmacy will spend less time reviewing eligibility to take MPJEs, potentially streamlining the licensure transfer process and reducing wait times for applicants.

Pharmacy Times: What impact might the uniform exam have on academic pharmacy training and preparation curricula?

Bjegovic: Law professors at colleges and schools of pharmacy prepare students to practice pharmacy in any jurisdiction in which they seek licensure after graduation. Therefore, the adoption of the uniform version of the MPJE should not change the pharmacy law curriculum, as graduates currently have the option to pursue licensure anywhere in the US. Graduates may pursue careers directly after graduation, in state or out of state, depending on their career plans, or they may match with a residency program outside the state where they attended pharmacy school. As the pharmacy law curriculum currently focuses on preparing future pharmacists to practice in accordance with state and federal laws, the UMPJE is simply another tool to assess candidates' competence in these key guiding principles.

As a current [Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education] accreditation requirement to include pharmacy law and regulatory affairs in the PharmD curriculum, the regulation of the pharmacy practice should cover important federal and appropriate state-specific statutes, regulations, policies, executive orders, and court decisions. There are variations in the length, timing, and placement of law courses in the PharmD curriculum for pharmacy law, whether they are embedded throughout the professional years, offered as a stand-alone course, assessed as part of required courses, or required as a capstone before [Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences]. The UMPJE content outline delineates essential information regarding the examination format, question style, and subject matter domains.

When compared with the MPJE Competency Statements, which also enumerate the content areas evaluated on the state-specific version of the examination, it becomes apparent that there is substantial overlap in the major subject domains between the 2 pharmacy jurisprudence assessments. Compliance with regulations governing pharmacy practice constitutes a transferable competency. Licensees should bear in mind that they remain accountable for complying with state-specific legislation, even if such laws are not explicitly covered on the UMPJE. Academic instructors in pharmacy law can assist students in locating and interpreting state regulations and other pertinent resources accessible through state board of pharmacy websites.

Pharmacy Times: Is NABP changing the timing of when students can take the MPJE and the UMPJE?

Bjegovic: Yes. Starting July 1, 2026, NABP will work with member pharmacy boards and PharmD programs in select states to allow students to take the required law exam before graduation. Responding to positive feedback from stakeholders, especially future graduates, students in participating areas can attempt the MPJE or UMPJE—whichever is needed for licensure—in their school’s jurisdiction before they officially graduate. This early exam option aims to help students meet one licensure requirement before graduation, so they can focus on taking and passing the [North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination]after graduation. This strategy may help reduce the overall time needed to become licensed.

Pharmacy Times: Any final or closing thoughts?

Bjegovic: Members of the pharmacy community have voiced the need for a standardized, flexible approach to evaluating pharmacy jurisprudence. NABP's role in serving its member boards of pharmacy is to provide tools and resources as requested by its membership.

Keeping that in mind, it is ultimately up to the board of pharmacy to select what best meets its needs for evaluating the pharmacy law competence of applicants seeking licensure in its jurisdiction. With this new exam option available, boards will have the option to use a state-specific version of the MPJE, while the UMPJE will provide an alternative to meet the regulatory needs of their state.