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Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) exam practice questions

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Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) exam practice questions

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1) The technician may legally
  1. counsel patients regarding refills
  2. repackage medications
  3. do the final product check
  4. authorize refills
2) Under current law, which of the following is not required to be on the prescription?
  1. quantity of drug to be dispensed
  2. number of refills
  3. disease state being treated
  4. route of administration
3) Grinding pharmaceutical ingredient is done with a:
  1. Graduate
  2. Mortar and pestle
  3. Pipette
  4. Stirring Rod
4) Auxiliary labels are attached to a container label to
  1. provide the billing information
  2. supplement the information on the container
  3. increase marketability of the product
  4. give the pharmacist's phone number
5) Which of the following abbreviaions is used to indicate the oral route of medication administration?
  1. prn
  2. po
  3. ou
  4. bid
6) Amber vials are named according to ______ size.
  1. milligram
  2. ounce
  3. dram
  4. gram
7) The DEA number on a prescription authorizes the
  1. pharmacist to substitute generic drug
  2. physician to prescribe controlled substances
  3. pharmacy technician to fill a prescription
  4. pharmacy technician to substitute a generic drug
8) The prescriber's _____ should be included in the prescription.
  1. address
  2. social security number
  3. license number
  4. birth date
9) A generic drig is usually
  1. less expensive than its brand name drug
  2. chemically equivalent to the brand name drug
  3. substituted for an equivalent brand name drug
  4. All of the above
10) The _______ route is used to deliver drugs, electrolytes, and fluids to patients who cannot take anything by mouth.
  1. intravenous
  2. subcutaneous
  3. intramuscular
  4. intradermal
11) The patient's birth date is helpful to
  1. process third-party billing
  2. evaluate the appropriateness of the drug and dose
  3. a and b
  4. All of the above
12) The medication container label must contain the
  1. address of the pharmacy
  2. address of the patient
  3. phone number of the pharmacy
  4. phone number of the physician
13) Which of the following referencebooks discusses the therapeutic equivalenceof products?
  1. Drug Topics Blue Book
  2. Drug Topics Green Book
  3. Drug Topics Orange Book
  4. Drug Topics Red Book
14) Medical history includes information such as
  1. allergies
  2. adverse drug reactions
  3. b and c
  4. All of the above
15) When ordering drug supplies, the ____ ensures that the exact drug and package size are obtained.
  1. drug strength
  2. DEA number
  3. NDC
  4. lot number
16) Exceptions to the Poison Prevention Packaging Act of 1970 include
  1. multivitamins
  2. nitroglycerin tablets
  3. antibiotic suspensions
  4. cough syrups
17) Records of Schedule V sales must include
  1. prescriber's name
  2. address of purchaser
  3. insurance information of purchaser
  4. technician handling the sale
18) Which of the following pieces of information may be found in the package insert?
  1. warnings
  2. overdose
  3. a and b
  4. All of the above
19) Which of the following dose forms is best for pediatric patients?
  1. suspensions
  2. tablets
  3. capsules
  4. caplets
20) Which form is used to inform a drug manufacturer of errors caused by commercial packaging and labeling?
  1. FDAfor 79
  2. Med Watch
  3. MERF
  4. USP-ISMP
21) Which of the following medications is not a calcium channel blocker?
  1. Diovan
  2. Isoptin
  3. Plendil
  4. Tiazac
22) In many instances, it is considered acceptable for a pharmacy technician to
  1. take prescription refill information by telephone
  2. take a new prescription by telephone
  3. discuss a drug interaction with a physician
  4. monitor a patient's response to therapy
23) Schedule III or IV prescriptions
  1. may be refilled up to 5 times within 6 months
  2. may be refilled up tp 6 times within 1 year
  3. may be refilled up to 12 times within 1 year
  4. cannot be refilled
24) Which of the following is not a patient's right covered under HIPPA?
  1. The right to request and amendment to his or her health record
  2. The right to obtain an accounting of any disclosures of his her protected health information
  3. The right to obtain a copy of his her designated record set of protected health information
  4. The right to recieve compensatory and punitive damage for violations of HIPPA
    HIPPA does not discuss consequences for violations of the law
25) What is the weight of grams of 4 fl ounce of orange peel with specific gravity of 0.844?
  1. 84
  2. 103
    Specific Gravity: Ratio between the weight of a substance and the weight of an equal volume of water, 1ml water weighs 1g. 4 fl in ml = 120 ml. Therefore, 0.84 = wt substance /120g.
  3. 112
  4. 142
26) Why should the pharmacy technician ask about allergies when filling a prescription for an antibiotic?
  1. Antibiotics are the most common medication allergy
  2. Allergy to an antibiotic may develop even after having safely taken it before
  3. The patient may have never reported the allergy before
  4. All of the above
27) ______ drugs may be dispensed without a prescription.
  1. OTC
  2. Legend
  3. Schedule V
  4. a and c
28) How many grams of fluorouracil will 153 lb patient recieve in 5 successive days at a dosage of 12mg/kg/day.
  1. 0.42
  2. 0.84
  3. 4.2
    153 pounds / 2.2 = 70 70 X 12 mg = 840 (5 days) 4200 mg / 1000 = 4.2 g
  4. 8.4
29) How many 250mg capsules are needed to fill the following prescription? "Amoxicillin 500 mg tid for 10 d."
  1. 20
  2. 40
  3. 60
  4. 80
30) The pharmacist initialinga prescription after the pharmacy technician completes thefill indicates that the
  1. pharmacist takes sole responsibility for the prescription
  2. pharmacy technician has completed the prescription
  3. prescription would be paid for by insurance
  4. pharmacist assumes responsibility for its correctness
31) The ____ contains information on the appropriate use and common side effects of a drug product.
  1. package insert
  2. auxiliary label
  3. prescription drug label
  4. stock drug label
32) A _______ is a fixed number of dose units in a drug stock container.
  1. unit of use
  2. unit dose
  3. dispensing unit
  4. direct dose
33) The prescription's sig refers to the
  1. directions for the patient to follow
  2. prescriber's signature
  3. patient's signature
  4. medication prescribed
34) A person who purchases a Schedule V drug without a prescription must be at least _____ years of age.
  1. 18
  2. 21
  3. 25
  4. 65
35) Which term refers to mistreatment of a patient based on age, gender, race or sexual preference?
  1. Decorum
  2. Discrimination
  3. Harassment
  4. Innuendo
36) Having the patient's weight available is helpful in which of the following situations?
  1. infant
  2. toddler
  3. older adult
  4. All of the above
37) What type of information should be collected from the patient or representative before processing a prescription?
  1. Disease states of the patient
  2. Drug allergies
  3. Medications taken by the patient, whether prescription or OTC
  4. All of the above
38) If a patient is experiencing nausea and vomiting, which of the following dosage forms would be more effective?
  1. Capsule
  2. Oral solution
  3. Suppository
    If patient is experiencing N/V, they would have trouble keeping oral meds down. Suppository would do the job but there aren't a lot of meds available in this form.
  4. Tablet
39) To measure less than 1.5ml of liquid you would use:
  1. A pipette
  2. A conical graduate
  3. A mortar
  4. A beaker
40) Many states have laws restricting the access and sales of products containing
  1. ephedra
  2. diphenhydramine
  3. pseudoephedrine
  4. a and c
41) If a physician prescribes 250 mg qid × 10 days, how many milliliters of Keflex oral suspension containing 250 mg per 5ml sould be dispensed?
  1. 75
  2. 100
  3. 150
  4. 200
    250ml/5ml × 4 (20ml per day) For 10 day supply : 200
42) At which point in the prescription filling process should the stock drug label be checked?
  1. when it is pulled from the shelf
  2. at the time of preparation
  3. when it is returned to the shelf
  4. All of the above
43) What must be found on all controlled substance prescriptions?
  1. Pharmacy DEA number
  2. Physician's business license number
  3. Physician's DEA number
  4. Physician's license number
44) Which of the following medications is not a proton pump inhibitor?
  1. Aciphex
  2. Concerta
    Concerta (methylphenidate) is used in the treatment of ADHD and ADD.
  3. Prevacid
  4. Protonix
45) In a patient who is experiencing vomiting, which of the following dose forms of Phenergan(prometahzine) would be best?
  1. tablet
  2. syrup
  3. capsule
  4. suppository
46) How can a falsified DEA number be recognized?
  1. Follow a step-by-step mathematical formula
  2. Call the DEA
  3. Call the physician
  4. Ask the pharmacist
47) Which drug classification may cause rhinitis medicatmentosa with repeated use?
  1. Antihistamines
  2. Corticosteroids
  3. Nasal Decongestants
  4. Xanthime derivatives
48) In the process of filling prescriptions, ____ accuracy is expected.
  1. 75%
  2. 90%
  3. 99%
  4. 100%
49) The physician's Desk Reference is primarily a compilation of
  1. patient profiles
  2. package inserts
  3. prescriptions
  4. stock drug labels
50) Which route of administration has the quickest onset of action?
  1. IM
  2. IV
    IV goes directly into the bloodstream. No first - pass effect.
  3. PO
  4. PR
51) As required by law, the pharmacist must check
  1. only new prescriptions
  2. only prescriptions for controlled substances
  3. every prescription
  4. only prescriptions filled by interns
52) Which of the following medications is not a combination product?
  1. Estratest
  2. Hyazzar
  3. Lotrel
  4. Remeron
    Remeron (mirtazapine) is not a combination product.
53) Auxiliary labels are attached to a container label to
  1. provide the billing information
  2. supplement the information on the container
  3. increase marketability of the product
  4. give the pharmacist's phone number
54) Refills for a prescription can be given when the
  1. refill space is left blank
  2. pharmacist says to refill the prescription
  3. refill space is filled in
  4. prescription is two years old
55) The patient's computerized profile may be updated by the
  1. technician
  2. pharmacist
  3. store manager
  4. a and b
56) The ______ reviews the medication history to make sure that a new prescription will not cause any harmful drug interactions.
  1. technician
  2. patient
  3. pharmacist
  4. pharmaceutical sales representative
57) How many grams of NaCl are in 100ml of NS solution?
  1. 0.009
  2. 0.09
  3. 0.9
    Normal saline is a 0.9 (w/v) solution. % w/v is the number of grams/100ml X 100
  4. 9.0
58) If dropped on the counter while being counted, a tablet should be picked up with
  1. fingers
  2. forceps
  3. a spatula
  4. a mortar
59) When using the geometric dilution method you add the most potent ingredient:
  1. Last
  2. First
  3. Halfway through
  4. It makes no difference when it's added
60) Depending on store procedures and on state laws, the container label may be
  1. affixed to the container by the person generating the label
  2. affixed to the container once checked by the pharmacist
  3. affixed to the back of the prescription once filled
  4. both a and b
61) To which schedule does meperidine belong?
  1. II
  2. III
  3. IV
  4. V
62) _____ drugs maybe found in the front store of a community pharmacy.
  1. Legend
  2. Over-the-counter
  3. Controlled
  4. Scheduled
63) With the increased use of over-the-counter drugs, the pharmacy technician is responsible for
  1. selecting the over-the-counter drug to be used by the patient
  2. advising the patient on the over-the-counter drug to be used
  3. helping patients locate over-the-counter drugs on the shelves
  4. recommending presecription drugs rather than over-the-counter drugs
64) Which of the following classes of antibiotics should not be taken with either fruit juices or colas?
  1. Macrolides
  2. Penicillins
    Because of the acidic nature of both fruit juices and colas, penicillin is inactivated by both.
  3. Quinolones
  4. Sulfas
65) How many milligrams of atropine sulfate are needed to make 30ml of a 1:200 solution?
  1. 1.5
  2. 15
    Final volume X % (expressed as a decimal)= amount of active ingredient(g). The final volume is 30ml and 1:200 can be expressed as 1/200 or 0.005g. Multiplying 0.15g × 1000mg/g (changing grams to milligram...) will yeald 150mg.
  3. 150
    Final volume X % (expressed as a decimal)= amount of active ingredient(g). The final volume is 30ml and 1:200 can be expressed as 1/200 or 0.005g. Multiplying 0.15g × 1000mg/g (changing grams to milligram...) will yeald 150mg.
  4. 1,500
66) What type of drug is used to facilltate and examination or come to conclusion regarding a condition or disease?
  1. Destructive agent
  2. Diagnostic agent
  3. Prophylactic agent
  4. Therapeutic agent
67) Prescription labels can be directly applied to
  1. tablets
  2. capsules
  3. metered dose inhalers
  4. caplets
68) Medication history includes
  1. insurance provider information
  2. current OTC medications
  3. refill information
  4. b and c
69) As the pharmacy technician prepares to fill a prescription, the technician should check for accuracy
  1. once
  2. twice
  3. several times
  4. when the pharmacist asks
70) Which of the following is not an example of an oral dosage form?
  1. Amoxicilln
  2. Depakote
  3. Nitrostat
    Nitrostat is available as a sublingual dosage form
  4. Synthroid
71) Which of the is true regarding signatures on Schedule II prescriptions?
  1. must be handwritten
  2. may be stamped
  3. must be in black in
  4. may be omitted
72) A prescription must include the
  1. full first name and last name of the patient
  2. patient's social security number
  3. pharmacist's signature
  4. generic name if the drug
73) _____ labels are generally discouraged becauseof the potential for labeling error.
  1. Preprinted
  2. Computer-generated
  3. Typewritten
  4. Container
74) A cylindrical graduate is:
  1. Not very accurate
  2. The same accuracy as a conical graduate
  3. More accurate that a conical graduate
  4. Not used to measure liquids
75) The Poison Prevention Packaging Act of 1970 requires that allprescription drugs be packaged in
  1. amber vials
  2. unit of use containers
  3. child-resistant containers
  4. unit dose form
76) Equipment used for counting medications should be cleaned with
  1. bleach
  2. isopropyl alcohol
  3. Lysol spray
  4. Clorox wipes
77) Which association represents the interests of chain drug stores?
  1. APHA
  2. NABP
  3. NACDS
  4. NCPA
78) A graduate that has a wide top and tapers from the top to the bottom is:
  1. A pipette
  2. A conical graduate
  3. A plastic graduate
  4. A cylindrical graduate
79) The term "dispense as written" means
  1. do not substitute a generic
  2. do not change the quantity
  3. dispense only on the date the prescription was written
  4. do not call the physician for clarification
80) The _____ consists of all the information written on the prescription.
  1. package insert
  2. auxiliary label
  3. prescription drug label
  4. stock drug label
81) If a patient profile is not complete,
  1. the physician should be contacted for the missing information
  2. the technician may ask the patient for the missing information
  3. no medications can be dispensed to the patient
  4. optimum care can be provided
82) A pharmacy technician may legally
  1. take a prescription by telephone
  2. take a prescription from a patient
  3. update the patient's profile
  4. b and c
83) Which of the following describes the correct way to use nicotine gum?
  1. Chew and then park it between the cheek and gum
    The correct way to use nicotine gum is to chew it slowly a few times until you feel a tingling sensation, then “park” it between your cheek and gum. After the tingling fades, chew again and repeat the cycle for about 30 minutes. This “chew and park” method helps the nicotine absorb properly and reduces side effects like hiccups or heartburn.
  2. Chew it quickly like chewing gum
  3. Let it dissolve under the tongue and then swallow it
  4. Use it right after eating a large meal

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