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2026 Edition

Pharmacy Tech Practice Test

Try the free Pharmacy tech practice exam below. Your results will be scored automatically and will display your strengths and weaknesses.

For complete practice of actual exam topics, check out the complete Pharmacy Technician Certification Practice Exam for the PTCE/ExPCT with 300 questions and fully explained answers.

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Pharmacy Law and Regulation 

1 Pharmacy technicians should be familiar with pharmacy law at both the federal and state level because a state law can be more ________ than a federal law, and therefore, supersedes the federal law.
Incorrect. Please choose another answer.
It does not matter whether a law is federal or state-level. What does matter is the level of specificity. Therefore, whichever law is more specific or stringent (strict) is the law that supersedes the other. The more stringent law applies.
2 The Controlled Substance Act categorizes substances into _______ groups based on varying qualifications such as currently accepted medical use and potential for abuse.
Incorrect. Please choose another answer.
Controlled substances are categorized into five groups. Schedule I is reserved for drugs with no medicinal purpose, such as crack cocaine and heroin. Schedule II drugs have accepted medical uses and high potential for abuse. They must be kept in secure locations. Schedule III, IV, and V have relatively low potential for abuse compared to Schedule I and II and may be stored on shelves among routine medications.

Medication Order Entry, Interpretation and the Fill Process 

3 When two different physician orders come across the fax machine for two different patients, one for Nitroglycerin drip and one for Keflex capsules, the order for ____________ should be given priority and should be filled and delivered first.
Incorrect. Please choose another answer.
Nitroglycerin drip is used for critical cardiac patients, as opposed to oral antibiotics and previously faxed non-emergency medications.
4 A physician order that reads, "i tab po qhs," is interpreted as _______________.
Incorrect. Please choose another answer.
The correct answer is "every night at bedtime" because tab = tablet, po = by mouth, and qhs = every bedtime or every night at bedtime.

Pharmacology for Technicians 

5 A patient presents to the counter with a prescription for INH and B6. To fill the prescription correctly, the pharmacy technician should pull which of the following off of the shelf?
Incorrect. Please choose another answer.
The pharmacy technician should use isoniazid and pyridoxine because the abbreviation and brand name "INH" is standard for isoniazid and the generic name for B6 is pyridoxine.
6 A customer presents a prescription for Oxycodone that is written for a six month supply. Which of the following actions should a pharmacy technician take?
Incorrect. Please choose another answer.
The pharmacy technician should pass the prescription to the pharmacist because Oxycodone is a class II narcotic, which is not refillable and a 6 month supply is not allowed.

Compounding Procedures and Safety 

7 A pharmacy technician arrives to work. The first thing she did when she arrived was donned a bouffant, mask, lab coat and shoe covers. Then she entered the I.V. Room and turned on the laminar flow hood. After pulling all of the medications from the shelves that she needed to fill existing medication orders, she put on gloves. A pharmacist noticed her actions and immediately reprimanded her. What for?
Incorrect. Please choose another answer.
Pharmacy technicians and pharmacists should always wash their hands before entering the I.V. Room. Since microorganisms can enter the laminar flow hood by jewelry, cosmetics, handwashing is very important.
8 When preparing chemotherapy drugs, which of the following is TRUE?
Incorrect. Please choose another answer.
A vertical laminar flow hood is used when preparing chemotherapy drugs. The same aseptic technique is not used because air flows from top to bottom. Therefore, hands should not hover over the top of medication vials because doing so would block the flow of air to medication vials.

Calculations 

9 When a medication needs to be stored at room temperature, which is about 73 degrees Fahrenheit, what degree Celsius would be an appropriate temperature?
Incorrect. Please choose another answer.
Room temperature is about 73 degrees Fahrenheit. The correct answer is 23 degrees Celsius because the conversion from Fahrenheit to Celsius is calculated by subtracting 32 from the Fahrenheit temperature, then multiplying by 5/9: (73 - 32) *5/9 = 22.77.
10 The normal body temperature for a human is 98.6 degrees F. It is equal to _________ degrees Celsius.
Incorrect. Please choose another answer.
The correct answer is 37 degrees Celsius because the conversion from Fahrenheit to Celsius is calculated by subtracting 32 from the Fahrenheit temperature, then multiplying by 5/9: (98.6 - 32) *5/9 = 37.

Anatomy and Physiology 

11 The Sinoatrial Node (SA) is located within which of the following heart structures:
Incorrect. Please choose another answer.
The SA node is located within the upper wall of the Right Atrium of the heart.
12 Which of the following puts the layers of skin in correct order from right to left?
Incorrect. Please choose another answer.
The layers of skin from outermost layer to innermost layer is the epidermis, dermis and the hypodermis.

Inventory Management and Quality Assurance 

13 Potassium Chloride 20 _______/10 mL is commonly dispensed from _______ pharmacies.
Incorrect. Please choose another answer.
The correct answer is "mEq" because that is the unit of measurement used to express the strength of this particular medication, and it's commonly dispensed from inpatient pharmacies, not outpatient pharmacies.
14 Among the packaging requirements for radiopharmaceuticals, the use of ___________ are included.
Incorrect. Please choose another answer.
Since proper handling of isotopes must be ensured, special shipment containers are required for packaging and delivery of radiopharmaceuticals.

Medication Administration 

15 The route of administration that allows medication the quickest onset of action is ____________.
Incorrect. Please choose another answer.
Medication administered by intravenous therapy (I.V.) goes directly into the patient's veins, which allows medication to act faster than when introduced into the body by mouth, by muscle, or rectally.
16 Which of the following ways are Nitrostat tablets taken?
Incorrect. Please choose another answer.
Nitrostat tablets are taken sublingually (SL). This particular medication is formulated to be dissolved by saliva under the tongue, and therefore, quickly delivered through the bloodstream.

Professionalism 

17 A patient presents to the window with a prescription for Triamcinolone cream and begins to explain the circumstances surrounding the rash on his arm. Then he asks the pharmacy technician if the Triamcinolone cream will make the rash go away, and also asks about the side effects of the medication. The pharmacy technician should _______.
Incorrect. Please choose another answer.
The pharmacy technician should ask a pharmacist to speak with the patient. Pharmacy technicians are not permitted to answer questions about effects of medications.
18 A patient presents with a prescription for Amoxicillin capsules, but requests that it be filled with Amoxicillin suspension instead. What should the pharmacy technician do?
Incorrect. Please choose another answer.
The pharmacy technician should pass the prescription to a pharmacist. If the patient consents and the change is a therapeutic equivalent, a pharmacist does not need the prescribing physician's approval to change the form of the medication, cap/tab to liquid or vice versa.

Equipment 

19 Which of the following is a type of automated medication dispensing system kept on nursing units that gives nurses and physicians quick access to medications?
Incorrect. Please choose another answer.
Pyxis Medstation is commonly used to store medication, while also providing safety and security.
20 Laminar flow hoods require ________ filters for use.
Incorrect. Please choose another answer.
HEPA filters should be used with laminar flow hoods.

Billing and Reimbursement 

21 A customer presents to the counter of an outpatient pharmacy with an untampered pharmacy product and seeks a refund. Under which of the following circumstances will the refund request be denied?
Incorrect. Please choose another answer.
Expiration dates determine whether products are still usable. Therefore, if an item is expired, and a customer requests a refund, the refund request must be denied. Customers can get a refund on products recalled by the FDA.
22 A customer who claims to be a Medicaid recipient presents a handwritten prescription to be filled. Which of the following steps should be taken first by a pharmacy technician?
Incorrect. Please choose another answer.
A medication financed in any part by Medicaid must be "tamper-resistant," which means handwritten prescriptions must be written on paper that ensures unauthorized copying, modification, and use of counterfeit prescription forms. Upon being presented a handwritten prescription, the pharmacy technician must inspect it to see if it complies with the tamper-resistant regulations. If a pharmacy technician is presented a prescription that appears to be on improper paper, the tech should consult with a pharmacist before filling the prescription.

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