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Free Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam® (PTCE®) Practice Questions

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Sample Practice Questions

Try these 10 sample questions from the Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam® (PTCE®) practice bank. Each includes the answer and explanation. Continue with the interactive practice above to review the full question set.

  1. 1A technician is classifying lisinopril tablets while reviewing an order. Which medication class should be recorded?

    1. A. Angiotensin II receptor blocker
    2. B. Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor
    3. C. Calcium channel blocker
    4. D. Beta-adrenergic blocker

    Answer: B

    Explanation: The prescribing information states, "Lisinopril tablet USP is an angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor indicated for:" Therefore the ACE-inhibitor class applies to this order.

    Reference: DailyMed lisinopril tablets prescribing information — Highlights, Indications and Usage

  2. 2A pharmacy has hazardous waste pharmaceuticals subject to the federal sewering prohibition. Which disposal pathway is barred for this waste, regardless of whether manufacturer credit is possible?

    1. A. Discharge into a sanitary sewer drain
    2. B. Transfer to a qualified reverse distributor
    3. C. Shipment to a permitted hazardous-waste facility
    4. D. Destruction by permitted hazardous-waste incineration

    Answer: A

    Explanation: EPA says it "prohibited all healthcare facilities and reverse distributors from disposing of their hazardous waste pharmaceuticals down the drain". The sanitary-sewer route is categorically barred. The other routes are recognized for appropriate waste categories under separate conditions; none is the sewering pathway.

    Reference: EPA's Ban on Sewering Pharmaceuticals: Introductory Fact Sheet — Introductory Fact Sheet, p. 1

  3. 3A hospital pharmacy reviews concentrated insulin stock for high-alert safeguards. Which insulin strength does ISMP single out for special emphasis?

    1. A. Insulin U-100
    2. B. Insulin U-200
    3. C. Insulin U-300
    4. D. Insulin U-500

    Answer: D

    Explanation: The ISMP high-alert list names "insulin U-500 (special emphasis*)" and explains that this concentrated form needs distinct error-prevention strategies. All insulin is high alert, but U-500 is singled out.

    Reference: ISMP List of High-Alert Medications in Acute Care Settings — Specific Medications and insulin footnote, p. 1

  4. 4A prescription directs two tablets twice daily, and the pharmacy dispenses 84 tablets. Assuming the patient follows the fixed schedule, what days' supply should be entered?

    1. A. 21 days
    2. B. 42 days
    3. C. 84 days
    4. D. 168 days

    Answer: A

    Explanation: CDC notes that the days' supply field is calculated "based on quantity prescribed and daily dosage." The order uses 2 × 2 = 4 tablets per day, so 84 ÷ 4 = 21 days. The other values omit a dosing factor or fail to divide quantity by daily use.

    Reference: CDC Controlled Substance Prescribing Patterns—Prescription Behavior Surveillance System — Limitations, discussion of days' supply calculation

  5. 5A technician notices concurrent orders for lisinopril and aliskiren. Which patient condition makes this combination expressly contraindicated in the lisinopril labeling?

    1. A. A history of hypertension
    2. B. A history of heart failure
    3. C. A history of diabetes
    4. D. A history of myocardial infarction

    Answer: C

    Explanation: The label directs, "Do not co-administer aliskiren with lisinopril in patients with diabetes". Diabetes is the specified condition for this combination; the other choices are not that condition.

    Reference: DailyMed lisinopril tablets prescribing information — Section 4, Contraindications

  6. 6A patient requests a refill of a Schedule II prescription already dispensed. Under federal controlled-substance rules, how many refills may be authorized on that prescription?

    1. A. Zero refills
    2. B. One refill
    3. C. Three refills
    4. D. Five refills

    Answer: A

    Explanation: The DEA manual states, "The refilling of a prescription for a controlled substance listed in schedule II is prohibited." A new prescription is required; zero refills may be authorized.

    Reference: DEA Pharmacist's Manual, Revised 2022 — Section VII, Refills for Schedule II Controlled Substances, p. 46

  7. 7A technician is transcribing an order for a dose of one-half milligram. Which notation follows ISMP's recommendation to prevent a missed decimal point?

    1. A. .5 mg
    2. B. 0.5 mg
    3. C. 0.50 mg
    4. D. 5.0 mg

    Answer: B

    Explanation: ISMP advises, "Use a leading zero before a decimal point when the dose is less than one measurement unit." It also warns against trailing zeros. Thus 0.5 mg preserves the prescribed half-milligram dose without the hazardous notation.

    Reference: ISMP List of Error-Prone Abbreviations, Symbols, and Dose Designations — Table, Lack of a leading zero before a decimal point, p. 5

  8. 8An oral ibuprofen suspension contains 100 mg in each 5 mL. A prescription calls for a 200 mg dose. What volume provides one dose?

    1. A. 2.5 mL
    2. B. 5 mL
    3. C. 10 mL
    4. D. 20 mL

    Answer: C

    Explanation: FDA describes "children’s ibuprofen oral suspension 100mg/5 mL". A 200 mg dose is twice the labeled 100 mg amount, so the technician calculates 2 × 5 mL = 10 mL for one dose.

    Reference: FDA Questions and Answers on Compounded Oral Suspension Medications for Pain and Fever — What information is available on dosing and risks for ibuprofen oral suspension?

  9. 9An order switches a patient from sacubitril/valsartan to lisinopril. What is the minimum separation specified by the lisinopril label before lisinopril may be administered?

    1. A. 24 hours
    2. B. 36 hours
    3. C. 48 hours
    4. D. 72 hours

    Answer: B

    Explanation: The label says, "Do not administer Lisinopril tablet USP within 36 hours of switching to or from sacubitril/valsartan". The question asks for the minimum interval, so 36 hours is the boundary.

    Reference: DailyMed lisinopril tablets prescribing information — Section 4, Contraindications

  10. 10A Schedule IV prescription is within six months of issue and the prescriber authorized refills. Under the federal rule, what is the maximum number of refills before a new prescription is required?

    1. A. Three refills
    2. B. Four refills
    3. C. Five refills
    4. D. Six refills

    Answer: C

    Explanation: The DEA manual says Schedule III and IV prescriptions "may only be refilled up to five times within six months after the date of issue." The five-refill limit applies even when the prescription remains within six months.

    Reference: DEA Pharmacist's Manual, Revised 2022 — Section VII, Schedules III-V Controlled Substances, Refills, p. 48

Topics in this practice bank

These topics describe the available practice for Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam® (PTCE®). Review the examination outline and its sources for scope and allocation details.

  • Medications
    • Generic names, brand names, and classifications of medications
    • Therapeutic duplications
    • Common or life-threatening drug interactions and contraindications (e.g., drug-drug, drug-dietary supplement, drug-laboratory, drug-nutrient, drug-disease)
    • Strengths/doses, dosage forms, routes of administration, special handling and administration instructions, and duration of drug therapy
    • Common or severe medication side effects, adverse effects, and allergies
    • Indications of medications
    • Drug stability (e.g., oral suspensions, insulins, reconstitutables, injectables, vaccinations)
    • Proper storage of medications (e.g., temperature ranges, light sensitivity, restricted access)
  • Federal Requirements
    • Federal requirements for storage, handling, and disposal of non-hazardous, hazardous (e.g., P-list), and pharmacological substances and wastes
    • Federal requirements for controlled substance prescriptions (i.e., new, refill, transfer) and DEA controlled substance schedules
    • Federal requirements for receiving, storing, ordering, labeling, dispensing, returning, take-back programs for, loss or theft of, and destroying controlled substances
    • Federal restricted drug programs and related medication-processing requirements (e.g., pseudoephedrine, Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies [REMS])
    • FDA requirements for medication recalls
    • FDA product serialization, tracking, tracing, handling, and quarantining requirements (i.e., Drug Supply Chain Security Act [DSCSA])
  • Patient Safety and Quality Assurance
    • High-alert/risk medications and look-alike/sound-alike (LASA) medications
    • Error prevention strategies (e.g., prescription or medication order to correct patient, Tall Man lettering, separating inventory, leading and trailing zeros, bar code usage, limit use of error-prone abbreviations)
    • Issues that require pharmacist intervention (e.g., drug utilization review [DUR], adverse drug event [ADE], OTC recommendation, therapeutic substitution, misuse, adherence, post-immunization delivery care, allergies, drug interactions)
    • Event reporting procedures (e.g., medication errors, adverse effects, product integrity, MedWatch, VAERS, near miss, root-cause analysis [RCA], continuous quality improvement [CQI])
    • Types of prescription errors (e.g., incorrect dose, quantity, patient, drug, route of administration)
    • Infection prevention procedures and cleaning standards (e.g., handwashing, personal protective equipment [PPE], cleaning counting trays, countertops, and equipment)
  • Order Entry and Processing
    • Formulas, calculations, ratios, proportions, conversions, Sig codes (e.g., b.i.d., t.i.d., Roman numerals), abbreviations, medical terminology, and symbols for days supply, quantity, dose, concentration, dilutions
    • Equipment and supplies required for drug administration (e.g., diabetic supplies, inhaler spacers, oral syringes, injectable syringes, filters, dilution solutions, immunization supplies, nebulizers)
    • Lot numbers, expiration dates, and National Drug Code (NDC) numbers
    • Procedures for identifying and returning dispensable, non-dispensable, and expired medications and supplies (e.g., credit return, return to stock, reverse distribution)

How to use these free practice questions

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These are independent study questions, not actual examination items. For examination requirements and official information, view Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam® (PTCE®) details.