From Egyptian pharmacist to US pharmacist: FPGEE, TOEFL, internship, NAPLEX and MPJE

The path, step by step

NABP's Foreign Pharmacy Graduate Examination Committee (FPGEC) certifies foreign graduates. You need FPGEC certification before a US state will license you. In order:

1. Check that you are eligible

   You need a pharmacy degree from a recognized school outside the US. If you graduated before 1 January 2003, a curriculum of at least 4 years is enough; on or after that date it must be at least 5 years. You also need an unrestricted license and/or registration to practise in another country (both, if your country issues both).

2. Open an NABP e-Profile and apply for FPGEC certification

   Submit the FPGEC application in your NABP e-Profile and pay the $750 non-refundable application fee by card. Then post the paper documents: the FPGEC Attestation, signed in front of a notary, consular official or magistrate, two identical passport-size photos (51 × 51 mm) and a notarized copy of your passport or other accepted photo ID. FPGEC does not accept these electronically. Do not send supporting documents before the application is submitted; NABP advises sending them within 3 months of it. From the application date you have 2 years to meet the acceptance requirements.

3. Have ECE evaluate your degree

   Apply to Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE) for a General Evaluation Report and order an extra copy to be sent to FPGEC. Send ECE your official transcripts (sealed, or sent directly by the school), official proof of your pharmacy degree and translations of documents not in English. ECE sets its own fees, listed on its website. ECE is the only organization that evaluates your degree for NABP, and its report is valid for 2 years.

4. Prove your license to practise

   Send documents that prove your unrestricted right to practise, following the bulletin's rules (some documents must arrive in sealed envelopes).

5. Pass an English test

   Pass the TOEFL iBT, or the OET for Pharmacy for tests taken from 11 January 2027. You need only one of the two. The test must be taken at a test centre in the US, Canada or another NABP jurisdiction, not in Egypt or the Gulf, and NABP does not start reviewing your application until the official score report arrives. Details are in the English section below.

6. Get accepted, then pass the FPGEE

   NABP reviews your application once every document, including the English score report, has arrived. It says this takes about 12 weeks, and each resubmission to fix a missing or wrong document can add about 12 more. Once accepted, you have 2 years to take and pass the FPGEE. NABP says these expiration dates are final. The exam runs once a year in the continental US, and the pass mark is a scaled score of 75.

7. Receive FPGEC certification

   When every step is complete and you have passed both the English test and the FPGEE, you are certified. There is no paper certificate: the certification date appears in your NABP e-Profile.

8. Complete your state's internship

   Each state board of pharmacy sets its own rules and intern hours for foreign graduates. Ask the board of the state where you want to practise what it needs before it issues an intern license. NABP lists every board on its boards of pharmacy page.

9. Pass the NAPLEX and the law exam

   The NAPLEX has 225 questions over 6 hours. You apply for eligibility in your NABP e-Profile, buy the exam once your board grants eligibility, and book it with Pearson VUE once you receive your Authorization to Test (ATT). You also need your state's law exam: the MPJE, a state-specific exam, or the Uniform MPJE (UMPJE) in participating jurisdictions. Your board tells you which one applies. Fees are in the Costs section.

Who this guide is for

Anyone with a pharmacy degree from outside the US who wants a US pharmacist license, including graduates of Egyptian, Saudi, Jordanian and other Arab faculties of pharmacy. US graduates of accredited schools do not take the FPGEE.

MediHelp does not have an FPGEE question bank. For FPGEE practice, use NABP's official Pre-FPGEE (see Costs). MediHelp's exam prep starts at the NAPLEX, the step after FPGEC certification and internship.

The English test: TOEFL iBT or OET

• Where you can test: the TOEFL iBT must be taken at an ETS test centre in an NABP member or associate member jurisdiction: the 50 US states, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands and 10 Canadian provinces. The OET for Pharmacy must also be taken at an approved test centre in one of these places. A TOEFL taken in Egypt, Saudi Arabia or another Arab country is not accepted for FPGEC (FPGEC bulletin, section 6).
• NABP does not accept the at-home or remotely proctored TOEFL iBT (Special Home Edition) (NABP FAQ).
• OET for Pharmacy is accepted for tests taken from 11 January 2027, for the FPGEE 2027 cycle (NABP FAQ).
• TOEFL MyBest scores are accepted from 1 November 2026 for the 2027 FPGEE. They combine your best section scores from valid tests within a rolling two-year period (NABP FAQ).
• Minimum TOEFL iBT scores, per section (a high total does not make up for a low section). For tests taken on or after 21 January 2026, when ETS moved to a 1–6 scale (ETS): Reading 4, Listening 5, Speaking 5, Writing 4.5. For older tests on the 0–30 scale: Reading 21, Listening 22, Speaking 25, Writing 22. Source: FPGEC bulletin, section 6, checked 29 October 2026; older tables on forums may be out of date.
• All four sections must come from one test session (unless you use MyBest scores), and the report must go straight from ETS to FPGEC using code 9103. Passing TOEFL scores are valid for FPGEC for 2 years from the test date.
• OET minimum scores for FPGEC had not been published when we checked; NABP says it will add them. Check the bulletin.
• NABP's FPGEC page lists a 15% ETS discount code for FPGEC candidates (NABPTOEFL). Check that it is still valid before you book.

The FPGEE itself

The Foreign Pharmacy Graduate Equivalency Examination covers four areas: Foundational Biomedical Sciences (12%), Pharmaceutical Sciences (31%), Social, Behavioral and Administrative Sciences (20%) and Pharmacy Practice and Clinical Sciences (37%) (FPGEC bulletin, section 13). The detailed topic list is in NABP's FPGEE content outline (PDF).

Key dates

The 2027 dates were not yet published on NABP's FPGEE page when we checked on 29 October 2026. The 2026 calendar is shown for reference only; check the FPGEE page for the current cycle.

Costs

NABP fees from the FPGEC bulletin and the NAPLEX/MPJE bulletin, checked 29 October 2026. NABP can change them; check before you pay.

Not set by NABP: ECE's General Evaluation Report and extra copy (see ECE), TOEFL or OET fees (ETS, OET), your state board's intern and pharmacist licence fees (they vary by state) and travel to the US or Canada for the English test and to the US for the FPGEE.

Travel and visa

The FPGEE is given only in the continental United States, and the TOEFL iBT or OET must be taken in the US, Canada or another NABP jurisdiction, so you may need to travel twice: once for the English test and once for the FPGEE. You need permission to enter the country for each trip. Read the US State Department's visitor visa page and the website of the US embassy in your country, and allow for interview waiting times when you pick an exam year. We do not give visa advice.

A realistic timeline

The fixed points come from NABP. Everything else depends on your documents, your English score and your state.

Example (an estimate, not an NABP figure): if you applied in November 2026, took the English test in the US or Canada and finished ECE in early 2027 and the 2027 calendar matched 2026, you would sit the FPGEE in October 2027 and see the result around December 2027. Internship, NAPLEX and the law exam would follow in 2028. Plan for at least two years from application to license; because the FPGEE runs once a year, a late document or a failed attempt usually costs a full year.

A 16-week study plan

A suggestion, not an NABP requirement. Use the content outline to weight your time.

• Weeks 1–2: foundational biomedical sciences (12% of the exam: physiology, biochemistry, microbiology, immunology).
• Weeks 3–6: pharmaceutical sciences (31%: medicinal chemistry, pharmaceutics, pharmacokinetics) and calculations.
• Weeks 7–11: pharmacy practice and clinical sciences (37%: pharmacology and therapeutics).
• Weeks 12–14: social, behavioral and administrative sciences (20%), including US pharmacy practice basics.
• Weeks 15–16: timed mixed blocks and the official Pre-FPGEE.

Do not use "recalls"

NABP exam content is confidential, and candidates agree to keep it that way. Using or sharing real exam questions breaks those rules, and the bulletin explains the consequences. Study from original practice material and the official Pre-FPGEE instead.

Working while you wait

Some foreign graduates work as pharmacy technicians during the process. Technician rules, such as registration or PTCB certification, differ from state to state, so ask the board before you rely on it.