Pharmacy Technician Basics — Proficiency Exam

15 questions · pass with 50%

1. A patient at the retail counter asks whether their new blood pressure tablet can be taken with the ibuprofen they already use. What do you do?
Look it up in the interaction database and tell them the resultSay it is fine because ibuprofen is available over the counterBring the pharmacist to the counter to answer the questionTell them to ask their doctor at the next appointment
2. Which task is most characteristic of a hospital inpatient pharmacy technician rather than a retail technician?
Restocking automated dispensing cabinets on the nursing unitsRunning third-party claims through the insurance switchCalling prescribers for refill authorisationsSelling over-the-counter products at the register
3. What does a long-term care pharmacy technician mean by a cycle fill?
A batch fill of a facility's residents into blister cards for a set period, usually monthlyRotating stock so the oldest packages are dispensed firstRe-running a rejected insurance claim after correcting itThe scheduled cleaning cycle of a laminar airflow hood
4. Who ultimately defines what a pharmacy technician is permitted to do day to day in the United States?
The Drug Enforcement AdministrationThe Pharmacy Technician Certification BoardThe drug manufacturer's package insertThe state board of pharmacy, together with employer policy
5. You notice a filled prescription on the will-call shelf has the wrong patient's name on the bag. The pharmacist is on the phone. What is correct?
Reprint the bag label yourself and reshelve itPull the prescription out of will-call and hand it to the pharmacist as soon as the call endsLeave it — the pharmacist verified it, so it must be rightAsk the next patient to confirm whether it is theirs
6. A prescription reads valsartan 80 mg. From the stem alone, what class is this and what is it most likely treating?
An angiotensin receptor blocker, treating high blood pressureA statin, treating high cholesterolA proton pump inhibitor, treating refluxA beta blocker, treating angina
7. Why is predniSONE printed with those capital letters on the shelf label?
It indicates the drug is a controlled substanceIt marks the product as brand rather than genericIt is tall man lettering, highlighting the letters that distinguish it from prednisoLONEIt signals the product must be refrigerated
8. Which of these appears on the ISMP list of high-alert medications?
Amoxicillin oral suspensionLoratadine 10 mg tabletsOmeprazole 20 mg capsulesConcentrated potassium chloride for injection
9. A prescription is written for metoprolol succinate ER 50 mg and your shelf has metoprolol tartrate 50 mg. What is correct?
Dispense the tartrate — same drug, same strengthDispense the tartrate and add a note on the labelSplit the difference by dispensing half the quantityDo not substitute; these are different products with different release profiles, so escalate to the pharmacist
10. What does an AB rating in the Orange Book tell you?
The drug has been withdrawn from the marketThe generic has been shown bioequivalent to the reference brand productThe drug is approved for use in childrenThe manufacturer holds an exclusive patent
11. A child weighs 66 lb. What is the weight in kilograms?
30 kg33 kg68.2 kg145.2 kg
12. How much sodium chloride is contained in a 1000 mL bag of 0.9 percent sodium chloride injection?
0.09 g0.9 g4.5 g9 g
13. An order calls for 1000 mL of lactated Ringer's over 10 hours using tubing with a drop factor of 20 gtt/mL. What is the rate in drops per minute?
17 gtt/min20 gtt/min33 gtt/min100 gtt/min
14. A patient uses 40 units of U-100 insulin daily. How many days will one 10 mL vial last?
10 days25 days40 days100 days
15. You need to prepare 60 g of a 5 percent ointment from 10 percent and 2 percent stock. Using alligation, how many grams of the 10 percent product do you use?
15 g22.5 g30 g37.5 g

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