NPLEX II study guide
NPLEX II · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The Naturopathic Physicians Licensing Examinations (NPLEX) are the examinations that regulatory authorities in the United States and Canada (with some exceptions) use as part of the licensure or registration process for naturopathic physicians. They are administered by NABNE, the North American Board of Naturopathic Examiners, an independent nonprofit that qualifies candidates, administers the exams, and sends results and transcripts to regulators. The NPLEX is for graduates of approved naturopathic medical programs who have completed the appropriate academic requirements; eligibility is tied to that coursework. The exam is split into two parts: Part I – Biomedical Science and Part II – Clinical Science Examinations, which include Part II – Core Clinical Science and Part II – Clinical Elective. Topics on this exam: Part I – Biomedical Science and Part II – Core Clinical Science. The NPLEX II study guide has 2 sections and about 776 words.
01Part I – Biomedical Science
Part I – Biomedical Science tests the mechanisms beneath clinical findings: integrated anatomy and physiology, biochemistry, microbiology and immunology, general pathology, and foundational pharmacology. Expect stems asking which process, organism, mediator, or enzyme best explains an observation, not simply to name a disease. Cell injury: reversible injury shows swelling and fatty change; irreversible injury shows membrane rupture, mitochondrial permeability transition, and calcium influx. Apoptosis is caspase-dependent and non-inflammatory; necrosis is not.
365 words, about 2 min02Part II – Core Clinical Science
Part II – Core Clinical Science tests clinical reasoning and safe application of naturopathic care: history and physical examination, laboratory and imaging selection, and evidence-informed therapeutics across nutrition, botanical medicine, physical medicine, lifestyle, and homeopathy, within appropriate referral boundaries. Test performance: sensitivity = TP/(TP+FN); a highly sensitive test is useful for ruling out disease when negative (SnNout). Specificity = TN/(TN+FP); a highly specific test is useful for ruling in disease when positive (SpPin). Positive and negative predictive values change with prevalence; likelihood ratios are more stable.
411 words, about 2 min