2024 Edition

PTCB - Pharmacy Tech Practice Test

Try our free Pharmacy Tech  Practice Exam below. Your results will be scored automatically and will display your strengths and weaknesses.

There are two ways to become a certified Pharmacy Technician – through the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) and through the National Healthcareer Association (NHA).  Check your state to see which form of certification is accepted.  The PTCB and the NHA both require the taking of an exam prior to certification. 

The PTCE Exam is 110 minutes long and consists of 90 questions arranged into four knowledge domains, including Medications, Federal Requirements, Patient Safety and Quality Assurance and Order Entry and Processing.  

Candidates taking the ExCPT are given two hours to answer 120 multiple choice questions. The test focuses on four general areas: Overview and Laws, Drugs and Drug Therapy, Dispensing Process and Medication Safety and Quality Assurance.

For complete practice of actual exam topics, check out the Pharmacy Technician Practice Exam Kit with 800 questions and fully explained answers, written by instructors in pharmacy technician studies, former FDA reviewers and subject matter experts in pharmacy.

 
 

Pharmacy Law and Regulation

1. Which of the following is used to report medication quality problems?
2. Which of the following drugs is exempt from the Poison Prevention Packaging Act (PPPA) of 1970?
3. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996 established rules regarding patient rights to protect personal health information. Which of the following is NOT considered Protected Health Information?
4. In 2023, the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) revised regulations as they pertain to Schedule II prescriptions and the ability to transfer this type of prescription. Which of the following is part of the updated regulation?
5. How many refills are allowed on CIII drugs?

Medication Order Entry, Interpretation and the Fill Process

6. A 60 day supply for a prescription for Colace 100 mg capsule taken bid should be filled with ___.
7. A physician sends this patient's prescription electronically to the Retail Pharmacy. According to the prescription below, what directions should be given with this medication?
8. A patient drops off a prescription for Oxycodone 10 mg. Based on the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Diversion control, under 21 C.F.R § 1306.05(a), which of the following is NOT required for a Pharmacy to consider filling?
9. Inventory for Adderall XR 20mg has been scarce for months, with continued backorders and intermittent supply. The pharmacy receives a prescription for the medication, quantity thirty (30). When gathering the medication bottle from the safe, there is an "X" on the lid, indicating it is not a full bottle. The technician discovers the inventory is incorrect in the computer system and they are ten pills short to fill the entire prescription. What is the best action for the technician?
10. A PRN order is an order for a medication that is used on a(n) ________ basis in a hospital.

Pharmacology for Technicians

11. Pharmacy technicians can refer to the _______ Book to find out of if two drugs are equivalent.
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12. Grapefruit and other citruses can alter the absorption of a medication. Which drug class and medication is contraindicated for severe interaction with citrus?
13. Based on current CDC recommendations, what is NOT recommended best practice in vaccine storage?
14. Lansoprazole is considered a Proton Pump Inhibitor (PPI). PPIs are used to reduce the level of _____________ in the body.
15. What is the nature of a drug idiosyncrasy?

Compounding Procedures and Safety

16. Before, after, and throughout each shift, pharmacy technicians should wash their hands with an anti-microbial agent for at least _____.
17. The hospital retail pharmacy receives an order from an ER physician for a patient newly diagnosed with contact dermatitis, which caused large red welts to appear on his chest. The doctor orders Hydrocortisone 1%, 80 grams to be dispensed to the patient. The pharmacy has chosen to compound this medication using hydrocortisone powder. What is the required quantity of powder to fill this prescription for a 90-day period?
18. Based on current United States Pharmacopeia (USP) chapter <800> guidance, if no specific agent is listed on the HD label for deactivation, which agent should be used?
19. Which requirements are outsourcing facilities subject to when compounding non-sterile preparations?
20. Which of the following defines a solvent?

Calculations

21. A physician order for a 120 mg dose of Gentamycin 40mg/mL should be filled with ______ of Gentamycin.
22. A teen-aged female presents to Urgent Care after three days of not being able to swallow. Rapid testing indicates that the patient is positive for Strep A infection and needs to be treated with antibiotics. Based on patient demographics, the current recommended dosage for the prescribed antibiotic is 25mg/kg/day, divided into three 8-hour dosages in a 24-hour period. If the patient weighs 132 pounds, what would be the single dosage amount for this patient?
23. A patient in the ICU has an IV drip that is set to deliver 20 drops/minute. Given that there are 60 drops per mL, calculate the infusion rate (mL/hr.).
24. The pharmacy has a 3L bottle of 18% solution. A prescription for this medication is received, requiring you to use sterile water to dilute. The prescription requests a 12% solution concentration. How much sterile water is required?
25. There are ______ ounces (oz.) in a pound (lb).

Anatomy and Physiology

26. Epilepsy is caused by excessive ______ activity within the brain.
27. Name the substance that aids in the transmission of nerve impulses to the muscle.
28. What is the "major gland" of the endocrine system?
29. What disease can impact the metabolism or excretion of a drug in a significant way, increasing the potential for drug accumulation and toxicity?
30. Which age range defines a neonate?

Inventory Management and Quality Assurance

31. While working in a pharmacy, a technician can locate storage requirements for a particular drug in which resource?
32. Define the 340B program as it pertains to the hospital setting (including hospital retail).
33. Augmentin suspension should be _________ and it will last for ___________ days.

Medication Administration

34. The seven rights of medication include all of the following EXCEPT_______________.
35. What is true about drugs on the Preferred Drug list?
36. What is an inventory system that allows a continuous record of inventory in real-time?
37. What is the recommended maximum amount of medication that should be administered at one time for subcutaneous injections?
38. After administering a drug, the time when the body first starts to respond to the medication is called:

Professionalism

39. A patient asks a pharmacy technician if it is okay to drink grapefruit juice every day while taking a Coumadin. A pharmacy technician should _______.
40. If an IV injection of an antibiotic contains particulate matter, which of the following problems is of least concern?
41. Which factors are NOT considered when choosing a route of medication administration?
42. The primary role of the Pharmacy and Therapeutics (P&T) Committee is to:
43. Those who hold a credential of the National Certification of Pharmacy Technicians, according to the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB), have an obligation to maintain high standards of _____ and ______.
44. What should countertops in I.V. rooms be cleaned with?

Equipment

45. Laminar flow hoods require ________ filters for use.
46. Pharmacy Technicians are not permitted to do which one of the following when assisting patients with questions and concerns about herbal supplements?
47. Which of the following is one of the steps included in the proper cleaning of the Horizontal Laminar IV Flow Hood?
48. Medicare Part _____ will cover the cost of durable medical equipment, billed by the pharmacy.
49. As a sterile compounding pharmacy technician working with non-hazardous chemicals, all of the following personal protection equipment (PPE) are required to comply with current USP regulations, except:
50. Which scales are sensitive enough to measure a 650 mg to 120 g?

Billing and Reimbursement

51. Medicare ___ provides prescription coverage.
52. What three components are needed to bill a pharmacy claim?

Pharmacy Technician Practice Exam

Quality starts with who wrote the material.
Our practice exam writer
s
:
Lisa Thompson, RPht, CPht,
is an adjunct instructor in pharmacy technician studies at Barry University. She has been in the pharmacy industry for over 30 years and has been a reviewer for McGraw Hill and Elsevier in the field of pharmacy.


Domanique Culpepper, RPht, CPht,
is an instructor in pharmacy tech studies at Everest University and has worked as a pharmacy tech for over 10 years.. She is a member of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists.


Fabian Stone, CPht,
is an adjunct instructor in pharmacy studies at the University of North Georgia.


Bradley Gillespie, PharmD,
is a registered pharmacist and director of drug development for a company working with the NIH. He is widely published on the subject of pharmacology and is a former FDA pharmacology reviewer.

There are two ways to become certified—through the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) and through the National Healthcare Association (NHA). Check your state to see which form of certification is accepted. The PTCB and the NHA both require the taking of an exam prior to certification.   

The PTCE consists of 90 questions and is arranged into nine knowledge domains:

- Medications
- Federal Regulations
- Patient Safety
- Quality Assurance
- Order Entry
- Order Processing

The ExCPT has 120 multiple choice questions and focuses on three general areas:

- Technician Duties
- Drug Products
- Dispensing Process