4.2 Pharmacist Licensure by Exam & Score Transfer

4.2 Pharmacist Licensure by Exam & Score Transfer

Quick Answer: To become a Minnesota pharmacist by examination (or NAPLEX score transfer), you generally must be at least 18, of good moral character, a graduate of an ACPE-accredited PharmD program (or the University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy), complete 1,600 internship hours, pass the NAPLEX and Minnesota MPJE through NABP, complete a fingerprint-based criminal background check (Minn. Stat. 214.075), and pay Board fees under Minn. Stat. 151.065 (pharmacist examination application and original license fees are $225 each). Transfer a NAPLEX score to Minnesota within about 89 days of the exam or use the license transfer path instead.

This section is the exam “eligibility checklist.” MPJE items often hide a missing element—age, education, hours, exams, background check, or score-transfer timing—and ask what the applicant still needs.

Licensure by Examination: Core Eligibility

For graduates of ACPE-accredited colleges of pharmacy (and UMN graduates recognized under Minn. Stat. 151.10), Board licensure materials require applicants to:

1. Be of good moral character
2. Be age 18 or older
3. Hold a qualifying pharmacy degree (UMN College of Pharmacy or ACPE-accredited program the Board accepts as in good standing)
4. Complete 1,600 hours of internship experience (see section 4.4 and Minn. Stat. 151.101)
5. Register for and pass the NAPLEX and the Minnesota MPJE through NABP
6. Complete and pass a criminal background check

Minn. Stat. 151.10 frames examination eligibility: good moral character, age 18+, graduation from UMN or a college/school of pharmacy in good standing as judged by the Board, and completion of internship requirements prescribed by the Board. Foreign graduates follow additional FPGEC/English pathways described in Board materials; the high-yield domestic path for most MPJE candidates is ACPE/UMN + exams + hours + CBC.

Internship Hours in the Exam Pathway

Minn. Stat. 151.101 requires at least 1,600 intern credit hours under a preceptor before applying for pharmacist licensure under 151.10. Longstanding Board licensure checklists have additionally emphasized that a large share of those hours must reflect traditional compounding and dispensing practice—commonly tested and described as 800 of the 1,600 hours. Even when a condensed Board summary lists only the 1,600-hour total, plan study answers around:

• Statutory floor: 1,600 hours under preceptor direction (151.101)
• Board practice emphasis: substantial traditional compounding/dispensing experience within that total (historically 800 hours on Board checklists)

Always verify the current Board checklist before applying, but for MPJE recall, 1,600 total / 800 traditional compounding-dispensing is the classic Minnesota pair.

NAPLEX and Minnesota MPJE via NABP

Minnesota does not write a separate clinical board exam. Clinical competence is measured by the NAPLEX; Minnesota-specific and multistate jurisprudence competence is measured by the Minnesota MPJE. Both are purchased and scheduled through NABP (delivery at Pearson VUE). A completed Board application pathway, fees, and supporting documents must be in order before the Board authorizes examination as its process requires.

Score reporting runs through NABP to the Board; Board materials describe multi-day electronic reporting windows and state that scores are not provided by phone, fax, or ordinary mail. After failed attempts, NABP retake rules apply, and Board petition rules can apply after three unsuccessful attempts or after 18 months from the first examination date—read the current Board examination section if a vignette involves retakes.

Score Transfer: The ~89-Day Clock

Score transfer is for candidates who are not already licensed as pharmacists in another state and who want Minnesota to accept a NAPLEX score earned in connection with another jurisdiction (or as an additional jurisdiction selection).

Critical timing rule from current Board materials:

• Request NAPLEX score transfer to Minnesota through NABP within about 89 days of the exam date
• If you miss the ~89-day window, you generally must pursue licensure by license transfer / reciprocity through NABP instead of simple score transfer

NABP’s national program similarly allows score-transfer requests up to 89 days after sitting for the NAPLEX (with a per-jurisdiction administrative fee). Do not confuse:

Score transfer does not eliminate the Minnesota MPJE, internship compliance, moral-character review, fees, or the fingerprint background check. It only addresses how the NAPLEX result reaches the Minnesota Board within the short transfer window.

Criminal Background Check (Minn. Stat. 214.075)

Minnesota requires a fingerprint-based criminal background check for initial pharmacist licensure (and for transfer and reinstatement pathways). Authority is commonly cited as Minn. Stat. 214.075. Board materials stress:

• The CBC fee is typically bundled with other licensing fees at application
• Applicants receive fingerprinting instructions after fee payment; previously taken fingerprints generally cannot be reused
• Processing can take weeks and is not expedited for ordinary convenience
• A CBC report is time-limited (Board materials describe one-year validity concerns for incomplete applications)
• Pharmacist-interns and technicians are registered, not licensed as pharmacists, and do not substitute an intern registration for the pharmacist CBC requirement

On exam items, “I already registered as an intern, so I skip fingerprints for pharmacist licensure” is false.

Fees under Minn. Stat. 151.065 (High-Yield Numbers)

Current 151.065 fee amounts candidates should know:

Late renewals add a 50% late fee under the statute’s late-fee rule. Memorize $225 for pharmacist examination/original/renewal figures and do not confuse them with NABP’s separate NAPLEX/MPJE exam purchase prices.

After Licensure: Minnesota PMP Registration

Minn. Stat. 152.126 requires every pharmacist licensed by the Board and practicing within the state to register and maintain a user account with the Minnesota Prescription Monitoring Program. Board licensure materials restate that duty for newly licensed pharmacists practicing in Minnesota. PMP is not optional “if you feel like using it”—for in-state practice, account registration is mandatory. Deeper PMP reporting and access rules appear in controlled-substance chapters; the licensure takeaway is: license + in-state practice ⇒ PMP registration.

Exam Decision Tree

1. Age 18+? Education ACPE/UMN (or Board-accepted foreign path)?
2. 1,600 intern hours documented (with traditional compounding/dispensing emphasis)?
3. NAPLEX passed and, if not primary-MN, score transferred within ~89 days?
4. Minnesota MPJE passed?
5. Fingerprint CBC completed under 214.075?
6. Board fees paid ($225 examination application / original license as applicable)?
7. Once licensed and practicing in MN: PMP account registered?

If any step fails, the correct answer is usually “not yet eligible” or “use the other pathway,” not “Board must issue the license anyway.”