1.2 Pharmacist Licensure, Examination & Reciprocity

Pharmacist Licensure, Examination & Reciprocity

Quick Answer: Becoming a licensed pharmacist in Virginia requires earning an ACPE-accredited degree (PharmD or BS in Pharmacy), accumulating at least 1,500 hours of practical pharmacy internship, and passing both the NAPLEX and the Virginia MPJE (both are reported as Pass/Fail — NABP no longer releases a scaled score). Critical timing: the Virginia MPJE is administered only through September 30, 2026; from October 1, 2026 Virginia requires the UMPJE instead. National exam retake rules mandate a 45-day wait for NAPLEX and a 30-day wait for MPJE, with a strict 5-attempt lifetime cap per examination. Foreign graduates must earn FPGEC certification (passing the FPGEE and TOEFL iBT with a speaking score of 26) and complete 1,500 U.S. internship hours. Out-of-state pharmacists can transfer their license via NABP e-LTP reciprocity without retaking NAPLEX, provided they hold a license in good standing and pass the Virginia MPJE.

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1. Initial Licensure Requirements in Virginia

To practice pharmacy in the Commonwealth of Virginia, an individual must hold an active, unrestricted pharmacist license issued by the Virginia Board of Pharmacy pursuant to Code of Virginia § 54.1-3312 and 18VAC110-21-20.

Foundational Eligibility Criteria

1. Age & Character: The applicant must be at least 18 years of age and demonstrate good moral character. Applicants must disclose all criminal convictions (misdemeanor or felony) and past disciplinary history on the application.
2. Accredited Degree: Graduation with a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy or a Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) degree from a school or college of pharmacy accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE).
3. Transcripts: Official academic transcripts showing degree conferral must be submitted directly to the Board from the accredited educational institution.

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2. Practical Pharmacy Internship Requirements

Under 18VAC110-21-40 through 18VAC110-21-80, every candidate for initial licensure must acquire a minimum of 1,500 practical pharmacy internship hours prior to taking the licensure examinations.

Curricular Experiential Hours vs. Supplemental Hours

                               1,500 Total Internship Hours Required
                                                 │
                     ┌───────────────────────────┴───────────────────────────┐
                     ▼                                                       ▼
       ACPE-Accredited Curriculum                               Non-Curricular / Supplemental
  ─────────────────────────────────────                    ──────────────────────────────────────
  • IPPE & APPE clinical rotations                         • Requires prior Board Intern Registration
  • Automatically satisfies 1,500 hours                    • Supervised by licensed preceptor
  • Certified directly by Pharmacy School Dean             • Limit: 50 hrs/week (max 20 hrs/week during school)

Experiential Learning Equivalency

• PharmD Curriculum Exemption: For graduates of modern ACPE-accredited PharmD programs, the experiential hours earned through Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experiences (IPPE) and Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences (APPE) satisfy the entire 1,500-hour statutory mandate. The pharmacy school dean or experiential director certifies these hours directly to the Board upon graduation.
• Supplemental & Non-Curricular Internship: When hours are earned outside of an ACPE curriculum (e.g., summer internships or foreign graduate requirements):
  • Registration Mandate: The intern must be formally registered with the Virginia Board as a Pharmacy Intern before beginning work. No credit is awarded for hours completed prior to registration.
  • Preceptor Qualifications: The intern must be supervised by a Board-approved preceptor who holds an active, unrestricted Virginia pharmacist license with at least one (1) year of active practice experience.
  • Hour Constraints: The intern may log between 20 and 50 hours per week. However, during periods when the student is enrolled in full-time academic classes, intern hours may not exceed 20 hours per week unless school is officially in recess.

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3. Examination Standards & Score Reporting

To demonstrate professional competence, Virginia requires candidates to pass two standardized examinations administered by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP):

There Is No Passing Score of 75

The widely repeated "passing scaled score of 75" is obsolete. NABP's NAPLEX/MPJE/UMPJE Candidate Application Bulletin states plainly: "Your exam results will be reported as either Pass or Fail – you will not receive a scaled score." NABP stopped releasing numeric scores in January 2021.

• A passing result reports only the word Pass. There is no number to interpret and no margin to calculate.
• Only a failing result generates a Candidate Performance Report, which shows relative performance across the competency areas — useful for targeting a retake, but still not a score.
• Results post to your NABP e-Profile within 14 business days for most jurisdictions.

The 107-Item Completion Rule

The MPJE is computer-adaptive over a 2.5-hour appointment: you cannot skip an item and cannot return to one after confirming it.

• Answer fewer than 107 of the 120 items → no result is reported at all.
• Answer 107 to 119 items → a result is reported, but a penalty applies for each unanswered item.
• Answer all 120 → no penalty. If time is short, guessing beats leaving an item blank.

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3a. The Virginia MPJE Is Being Retired — Confirm Which Exam You Owe

This is the single most important logistical fact for any Virginia candidate in 2026. The Virginia Board of Pharmacy announced on August 11, 2026 that beginning October 1, 2026, applicants seeking a Virginia pharmacist license — whether by initial licensure or by license transfer — must pass the Uniform Multistate Pharmacy Jurisprudence Examination (UMPJE). Virginia will no longer offer or require the Virginia MPJE as of October 1, 2026.

What this means for you:

• Already passed the Virginia MPJE on or before September 30, 2026? You do not need to take the UMPJE for Virginia licensure — even if you have not yet passed the NAPLEX.
• Holding an active MPJE application you no longer want? Contact ExamServices@nabp.pharmacy to close it; NABP issues a full refund of the application and exam purchase fees.
• Testing on or after October 1, 2026? You owe the UMPJE. Virginia also accepts a UMPJE score transfer, which the MPJE never offered — score transfer does not exist for the MPJE.

How the content differs. The MPJE is state-specific: it tests Virginia statutes and 18VAC110 regulations alongside federal law. The UMPJE tests federal law plus concepts and general principles of state law that are uniform across jurisdictions, so jurisdiction-specific Virginia minutiae carry far less weight. The remainder of this guide teaches the Virginia MPJE. If you are testing on or after October 1, 2026, the federal chapters (controlled substances, DSCSA, labeling, packaging, compounding, HIPAA) remain directly applicable, but treat the Virginia-only rules as background rather than as your primary target, and study to NABP's UMPJE Content Outline.

A separate 2027 boundary applies to MPJE jurisdictions generally: NABP's MPJE Competency Statements — the four areas used throughout this guide — govern exams administered through February 28, 2027, after which a new MPJE Content Outline takes effect. Virginia retires its MPJE well before that date, so the Competency Statements are the correct blueprint for every remaining Virginia MPJE administration.

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4. Retake Policies, Waiting Periods & Lifetime Limits

NABP enforces strict national limits regarding exam retakes that apply directly to Virginia candidates.

Waiting Periods Between Failed Attempts

• NAPLEX Retake Window: If a candidate fails the NAPLEX, they must observe a mandatory waiting period of 45 calendar days before sitting for another NAPLEX attempt.
• Virginia MPJE Retake Window: If a candidate fails the Virginia MPJE, they must observe a mandatory waiting period of 30 calendar days before sitting for another Virginia MPJE attempt.

The 5-Attempt Lifetime Cap

• NABP enforces an absolute lifetime limit of five (5) attempts per examination.
• A candidate who fails the Virginia MPJE 5 times has permanently exhausted their testing eligibility for the Virginia MPJE under NABP governance.
• Similarly, a candidate who fails the NAPLEX 5 times across any jurisdiction cannot test again without extraordinary waivers that are almost never granted. This makes systematic preparation imperative for candidates.

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5. Foreign Pharmacy Graduate Pathway

Pharmacists who obtained their professional degree outside the United States, Puerto Rico, or Canada from an institution not accredited by ACPE cannot directly sit for the NAPLEX or Virginia MPJE. They must complete the Foreign Pharmacy Graduate Examination Committee (FPGEC) pathway (18VAC110-21-20).

┌──────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Foreign Pharmacy Degree (5+ Year Curriculum) │
└──────────────────────┬───────────────────────┘
                       ▼
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                 Pass FPGEE                   │
└──────────────────────┬───────────────────────┘
                       ▼
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  Pass TOEFL iBT (Speaking Section >= 26)     │
└──────────────────────┬───────────────────────┘
                       ▼
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│       Obtain NABP FPGEC Certification        │
└──────────────────────┬───────────────────────┘
                       ▼
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│   Register with Virginia Board as an Intern  │
└──────────────────────┬───────────────────────┘
                       ▼
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Complete 1,500 Hours U.S. Clinical Internship│
└──────────────────────┬───────────────────────┘
                       ▼
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  Pass NAPLEX & the Virginia law examination  │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Specific Foreign Graduate Requirements

1. Degree Equivalency: Verification that the applicant completed an approved professional program (at least a 5-year curriculum for graduates after January 1, 2003).
2. FPGEE Examination: A passing result on the Foreign Pharmacy Graduate Equivalency Examination, which tests basic biomedical, pharmaceutical, social, and administrative sciences.
3. TOEFL iBT Language Proficiency: Candidates must achieve passing scores across all four sub-sections, with a critical focus on the spoken language component:
   • Speaking: Minimum score of 26 (highly tested on MPJE exams)
   • Listening: Minimum score of 21
   • Reading: Minimum score of 22
   • Writing: Minimum score of 24
4. FPGEC Certificate: Upon completing the FPGEE and TOEFL iBT, NABP issues the FPGEC Certificate.
5. 1,500 Internship Hours: The candidate must register as a Virginia pharmacy intern and accumulate 1,500 hours of practical pharmacy experience under an approved preceptor in the United States before being permitted to take the NAPLEX and Virginia MPJE.

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6. Licensure by Endorsement (Reciprocity via NABP e-LTP)

Pharmacists already licensed in another state who desire to practice in Virginia do not repeat the initial licensure pathway. Instead, they apply for Licensure by Endorsement (Reciprocity) under 18VAC110-21-30 using the NABP Electronic Licensure Transfer Program (e-LTP).

Eligibility Criteria for Reciprocity

1. Licensure by Examination: The applicant must have obtained their original license by examination (passing NAPLEX and meeting equivalent qualifications in the original state) and that license must be active and in good standing.
2. State Reciprocity: The state of original licensure must grant reciprocal licensure privileges to pharmacists licensed in Virginia.
3. Disciplinary Clearance: The applicant must provide official verification from every state board where they have ever held a license, demonstrating no pending disciplinary charges or unresolved suspensions/revocations.
4. No NAPLEX Retake: The applicant is not required to retake the NAPLEX if they have maintained continuous, active practice or licensure.
5. Virginia MPJE Required: Every reciprocity candidate must sit for and pass the applicable Virginia law examination — the Virginia MPJE through September 30, 2026, or the UMPJE for applications on or after October 1, 2026 — to demonstrate thorough knowledge of Virginia pharmacy law.
6. Recent Practice Standard: If an applicant has not actively practiced pharmacy for at least one (1) year immediately prior to filing the reciprocity application, the Board may require additional experiential internship hours or practical assessments before approving the license.