A (CNPR®) is a federally trademarked certification mark conferred by the National Association of Pharmaceutical Sales Representatives® (NAPRx®) for those who want to gain entry into the pharmaceutical industry and for current pharmaceutical representatives. The CNPR® examination is dedicated to increasing the professional level of NAPRx® members and to developing meaningful and ethical standards fully accepted by its members and members of the pharmaceutical community. The goal of the training program is to develop education in clinical pharmacology, physiology and medical terminology. This knowledge will greatly enhance an individuals understanding of the pharmaceutical industry and its selling process as well as enhance an applicants hiring potential.

The goal of the NAPRx® is to prepare candidates for a career in pharmaceutical sales. All pharmaceutical sales representatives must be familiar with:

General Medical Terminology
Anatomy and Physiology
Clinical Pharmacology
Managed Care
Pharmaceutical Terms, Abbreviations,
Definitions
Drug Sampling Rules
PI Descriptions
Effective Pharmaceutical Selling Techniques
Therapeutic Classes and Categories
Ethical Selling Regulations & Guidelines
Physician Selling Techniques
Clinical Research & How to Sell to Doctors
Pharmaceutical Branding & Marketing

The National Association of Pharmaceutical Sales Representatives® understands how technical the pharmaceutical selling process is. Our Advisory Board of pharmaceutical industry experts recognizes the challenges encountered in the day to day activity of selling to physicians and how they expect you to provide all of the clinical and pharmacology answers they have about your product and also your competitors product. Our home study program is designed to not only prepare you for a career in pharmaceutical sales but to make you a more attractive candidate to pharmaceutical companies.

CNPR® members must be willing to participate in continuing education and must agree to uphold the NAPRx® Standards of Ethical Practices and Certification Program Rules. The certifying examination requires the candidate to demonstrate comprehensive knowledge in federal regulations and industry knowledge applicable to the pharmaceutical industry. The objective of the NAPRx® program is to set standards accepted within the profession which will assure the public that our organization acts as a merit to the pharmaceutical sales industry.

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2008 CNPR® Examination

The CNPR® examination can be taken at any time after you have purchased the test. After you have purchased the test, you will be able to register for the test on the NAPRx® website and can also take the test online. After completion of your test, you will be able to view your score immediately after submission. If you pass the test, a CNPR® certificate of achievement with your certification number will be mailed to you within 2 weeks. Employers can use this number to verify your membership and examination status using our online Verification System. If you happen to fail the test the first time, you can retake it for a fee of $39.00 after a 2 week waiting period.

The test can be taken online at anytime from your home computer and it will be a 2 hour timed test. A student must study the manual thoroughly and know all terminology to be able to pass the examination in the required allotted time. The manual can be used as a reference during the examination. However, a student who is not properly prepared will not be able to complete all 160 questions in the time allowed. (Note: The 2 hour time limit does not mean that you need to take the test within 2 hours of purchasing the packet. There is no time window in which you have to take the test after purchasing it. It simply means that you will be given 2 hours to complete the test.) Please click the "Topics" button to the left of this page to view the topics on the exam. Please email us at certify@napsronline.org for questions about the test.

TEST FORMAT

Test Duration: 2 hours (Timer can be seen at bottom-left of test form.)
Test Format: 160 questions - Multiple Choice, T/F
Required Passing Percentage: 80%