PTCE Pharmacy Technician practice questions with answers

Answer: C) Dry mouth and constipation

• AIncorrect. It tends to cause constipation.
• BIncorrect. It causes dry mouth.
• CCorrect. These are anticholinergic effects.
• DIncorrect. Dry mouth is typical.

Answer: A) Spironolactone

• ACorrect. Aldactone is spironolactone, a potassium-sparing diuretic.
• BIncorrect. Furosemide is sold as Lasix.
• CIncorrect. It's a thiazide-like diuretic.
• DIncorrect. Triamterene is in Dyazide and Maxzide.

Answer: C) Divalproex sodium

• AIncorrect. Phenytoin is Dilantin.
• BIncorrect. Carbamazepine is Tegretol.
• CCorrect. It's used for seizures, bipolar disorder and migraine prevention.
• DIncorrect. Oxcarbazepine is Trileptal.

Answer: B) In the refrigerator at 36–46°F (2–8°C) until the expiration date

Unopened insulin should be refrigerated at 36–46°F (2–8°C), and stored this way it stays effective until the expiration date. Unrefrigerated storage (59–86°F) limits use to about 28 days, and insulin must never be frozen.

• AIncorrect. FDA says unopened insulin kept unrefrigerated (59–86°F) stays effective for only up to 28 days, not until the expiration date.
• BCorrect. FDA recommends refrigerating insulin at about 36–46°F. Stored this way, unopened products stay effective until the expiration date.
• CIncorrect. The 28-day limit applies to insulin kept unrefrigerated. Unopened refrigerated insulin stays effective until its expiration date.
• DIncorrect. This range is warmer than the recommended refrigerator range. Only refrigeration at 36–46°F keeps unopened insulin effective until expiration.

Answer: C) Hydrochlorothiazide: thiazide; furosemide: loop

The main diuretic classes are thiazides (e.g., hydrochlorothiazide), loop diuretics (e.g., furosemide, bumetanide) and potassium-sparing agents (e.g., spironolactone, amiloride).

• AIncorrect. Hydrochlorothiazide is a thiazide, but furosemide is a loop diuretic. Potassium-sparing agents include spironolactone and amiloride.
• BIncorrect. This reverses the classes. Hydrochlorothiazide is a thiazide and furosemide is a loop diuretic.
• CCorrect. Hydrochlorothiazide is a thiazide diuretic (like chlorothiazide and metolazone), and furosemide is a loop diuretic (like bumetanide).
• DIncorrect. Furosemide is a loop diuretic, but hydrochlorothiazide is a thiazide, not a potassium-sparing agent such as spironolactone.

Answer: D) None

• AIncorrect. That is the federal limit for Schedules III and IV, not Schedule II.
• BIncorrect. Federal law does not allow even a single refill of a Schedule II prescription.
• CIncorrect. No controlled substance schedule allows unlimited refills for a year under federal law.
• DCorrect. Schedule II prescriptions cannot be refilled; a new prescription is required each time.

Answer: C) The FDA

• AIncorrect. The DEA does not assign NDC codes.
• BIncorrect. The CDC does not assign NDC codes.
• CCorrect. The FDA assigns the labeler code; the labeler assigns the product and package codes.
• DIncorrect. State boards do not assign NDC codes.

Answer: A) Schedule III

• ACorrect. Buprenorphine products are Schedule III.
• BIncorrect. It's Schedule III.
• CIncorrect. It's Schedule III.
• DIncorrect. It's Schedule III.

Answer: C) Lamictal and Lamisil, an anticonvulsant and an antifungal

A LASA risk comes from similar names, not similar uses. Lamictal (an anticonvulsant) and Lamisil (an antifungal) have been confused with each other, while same-class drugs with different names are not a LASA pair.

• AIncorrect. Both are anticonvulsants, but their names do not look or sound alike. Being in the same drug class does not make two drugs a LASA pair.
• BIncorrect. Both treat fungal infections, but their names are clearly different. A shared indication does not create a name-confusion risk.
• CCorrect. Lamictal (lamotrigine) and Lamisil (terbinafine) are unrelated drugs with very similar names. FDA labeling warns that the Lamictal name has been confused with other drug names, and FDA's name review for Lamictal XR evaluated Lamisil as a look/sound-alike name.
• DIncorrect. Both are used for seizures, but the names share no look-alike or sound-alike features. Belonging to the same class is not a LASA risk.

Answer: B) When the container is about three-quarters full

FDA guidance says to seal and dispose of a sharps container when it is about three-quarters full and not to reuse it. Overfilling, compacting, or emptying a container raises the risk of needlestick injuries.

• AIncorrect. Waiting until sharps reach the opening means the container is overfilled. FDA warns that overfilling raises the risk of accidental needlestick injuries.
• BCorrect. FDA advises sealing and disposing of a sharps container when it is about three-quarters full, because overfilling raises the risk of needlestick injuries.
• CIncorrect. FDA says sharps disposal containers must not be reused. Emptying a container exposes staff to used needles.
• DIncorrect. Pressing down on used sharps can cause needlesticks, and filling the container completely is overfilling.

Answer: A) The child's current weight, recorded in kilograms

A weight-based (mg/kg) pediatric dose needs a current, accurate weight, ideally recorded in kilograms. Children's weight changes quickly, and old or mixed-unit weights are a common cause of pediatric dosing errors.

• ACorrect. A mg/kg dose can only be checked against an accurate weight. Children grow quickly, so an old weight leads to the wrong dose. Recording the weight in kilograms avoids errors from mixing up pounds and kilograms.
• BIncorrect. Height is used with weight to calculate body surface area (BSA) for BSA-based dosing. This order is in mg/kg, so the calculation uses weight.
• CIncorrect. Children of the same age can differ greatly in weight. The prescriber ordered a mg/kg dose, so an age-band chart does not check this order.
• DIncorrect. A weight from an earlier visit may be out of date because children grow quickly. Using it can make the dose too low or too high.

Answer: A) Metformin and metronidazole

Metformin (antidiabetic) and metronidazole (antibiotic) are a documented look-alike/sound-alike pair. The other pairs are also confusable names but do not match the diabetes drug plus antibiotic combination.

• ACorrect. Metformin is an oral antidiabetic agent and metronidazole is an antibiotic; this pair is a documented source of drug name confusion errors.
• BIncorrect. This is a recognized look-alike pair (FDA tall man lettering: glipiZIDE/glyBURIDE), but both are sulfonylurea diabetes drugs; neither is an antibiotic.
• CIncorrect. Chlorpropamide is a diabetes drug, but chlorpromazine is an antipsychotic, not an antibiotic (FDA tall man lettering: chlorproPAMIDE/chlorproMAZINE).
• DIncorrect. This look-alike pair (sulfADIAZINE/sulfiSOXAZOLE) consists of two sulfonamide antibiotics; neither treats diabetes.

Answer: A) 50 g of each

• ACorrect. By alligation, 3% is midway, so equal parts.
• BIncorrect. That gives 4%.
• CIncorrect. That gives 2%.
• DIncorrect. That gives 3.4%.

Answer: D) 77 °F

• AIncorrect. That's near body temperature.
• BIncorrect. Recheck the conversion.
• CIncorrect. Recheck the conversion.
• DCorrect. (25 × 9/5) + 32.

Answer: A) 200 mg

• ACorrect. 44 lb ÷ 2.2 = 20 kg, and 20 kg × 10 mg/kg = 200 mg.
• BIncorrect. This uses the weight in pounds instead of converting to kilograms.
• CIncorrect. This multiplies by 2.2 instead of dividing (44 × 2.2 = 96.8 kg), then applies 10 mg/kg.
• DIncorrect. 20 is the weight in kilograms, not the dose.