Graduates of the Ohio Northern University Raabe College of Pharmacy continued their record of outstanding achievement on the North American Pharmacists Licensure examination (NAPLEX) with an overall passage rate of 97 percent, which ranks among the top scores for 2015 graduates from all Ohio pharmacy schools who took the examination for the first time.

ONU’s passage rate of 97 percent was above the overall state average of 95 percent, as well as the national average of 93 percent. Out of the 137 applicants who graduated in May who took the exam, 133 received passing scores. Since 2012, Ohio Northern has achieved a passage rate of 95 percent or higher.

The NAPLEX measures a candidate’s knowledge of the practice of pharmacy and is used by the boards of pharmacy as part of their assessment of a candidate’s competence to practice as a pharmacist, according to the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy.

Steven J. Martin, dean of the ONU Raabe College of Pharmacy, said, “ONU’s strong showing is a credit to the outstanding faculty and staff who make the success of their students their overarching mission. We have a long tradition of excellent board passage rate among our graduates. Continuing that excellence into the next generation is a top priority. The scores from our class of 2015 reflect that we are accomplishing this goal.”

In addition to the strong showing on the NAPLEX, 100 percent of the 104 ONU graduates who took the Ohio Multistate Pharmacy Jurisprudence Examination (MPJE) passed on their first attempt. The MPJE is required in addition to the NAPLEX for licensure in Ohio as a pharmacist. The pass rate for all Ohio colleges of pharmacy was 99 percent. A total of 119 ONU graduates took the MPJE in states other than Ohio and their passage rate was 94 percent. The national average was 93 percent.

The MPJE serves as the pharmacy law examination in participating jurisdictions, and is required for licensure in addition to the NABLEX. Among other things, the MPJE tests candidates on are legal aspects of pharmacy practice, including responsibilities with regard to the distribution and dispensing of pharmaceuticals and for the care of patients; licensure, registration, certification, and operational requirements; and regulatory structure and terms of the laws and rules that regulate or affect pharmacists, pharmacies, manufacturers and distributors.