Free Pharmacy Technician mock test

Pharmacy Technician sample questions with answers

10 more original exam-style Pharmacy Technician questions, worked in full. They are not real or recalled exam questions, and none of them is in the mock above or on the bank page, so sit the mock first if you have not.

1. Question 1 · Prescription Processing, Order Entry, Interpretation and Dispensing

   A patient stabilised on warfarin presents a new prescription for a 7-day course of an oral antibiotic. The system raises a major interaction alert. What is the technician's correct role?

   1. AOverride the alert because a 7-day antibiotic course is short
   2. BCounsel the patient that the antibiotic may increase bleeding risk and to halve the warfarin dose
   3. CCancel the antibiotic prescription and notify the patient
   4. DEscalate the alert to the pharmacist without overriding it and note the warfarin therapy on the record
   Show answer and explanation

   Correct answer: D. Escalate the alert to the pharmacist without overriding it and note the warfarin therapy on the record

   Assessing and acting on a clinically significant interaction, such as antibiotic potentiation of warfarin, is a pharmacist responsibility; the technician's role is to escalate the alert intact with relevant information. Overriding the alert bypasses the safety control, advising a dose change is a clinical decision outside technician scope, and cancelling a prescriber's order is not within the technician's authority.

   Reference: ASHP Guidelines on the Roles and Responsibilities of Pharmacy Technicians (2023); Stockley's Drug Interactions (12th ed., 2019)

2. Question 2 · Patient Safety, Professionalism, Ethics, Infection Control and Scope of Practice

   A physician writes 'Warfarin 50 mg once daily' for an elderly outpatient, intending 5 mg. A nurse copies the order accurately onto the medication chart, the pharmacy dispenses as written and the patient takes the dose and is admitted with major gastrointestinal bleeding. What type of error occurred at its origin?

   1. ATranscribing error
   2. BDispensing error
   3. CMonitoring error
   4. DPrescribing error
   Show answer and explanation

   Correct answer: D. Prescribing error

   The error originated when the prescriber wrote a dose ten times greater than intended, which is by definition a prescribing error; the transcription faithfully reproduced what was written, so it was not a transcribing error. The pharmacy's failure to question a clearly excessive warfarin dose is a failure of the independent check rather than the origin of the error, and monitoring errors relate to inadequate follow-up of laboratory or clinical parameters.

   Reference: World Health Organization, Medication Errors: Technical Series on Safer Primary Care (2016)

3. Question 3 · Sterile Compounding, Aseptic Technique and IV Admixture

   A continuous infusion is ordered and the package insert specifies that it must be prepared in a glass or polyolefin container with non-PVC administration tubing. Which drug most characteristically requires this because of sorption losses?

   1. AVancomycin
   2. BMetronidazole
   3. COndansetron
   4. DNitroglycerin
   Show answer and explanation

   Correct answer: D. Nitroglycerin

   Nitroglycerin is markedly adsorbed by polyvinyl chloride bags and tubing, with a substantial proportion of the dose lost to the plastic, so glass or polyolefin containers and non-PVC sets are required to deliver the intended dose; insulin and diazepam show similar sorption behaviour. Vancomycin, metronidazole and ondansetron are stable in standard PVC bags and do not require alternative container systems.

   Reference: Trissel's Handbook on Injectable Drugs, 21st ed. (2022); ASHP Injectable Drug Information (2023)

4. Question 4 · Inventory Management, Procurement, Storage and Supply Chain

   A pharmacy reports annual cost of goods sold of AED 3,600,000 and an average inventory value of AED 300,000. What is the inventory turnover ratio, and what does it indicate?

   1. A0.08 times per year, indicating excessive stock
   2. B12% per year, indicating slow-moving inventory
   3. C120 times per year, indicating a risk of frequent stock-outs
   4. D12 times per year, indicating stock is replaced about monthly
   Show answer and explanation

   Correct answer: D. 12 times per year, indicating stock is replaced about monthly

   Turnover ratio equals cost of goods sold divided by average inventory value, so 3,600,000 / 300,000 = 12 turns per year, meaning the entire inventory is used and replaced roughly once a month. The value 0.08 is the inverted calculation, turnover is a ratio of times per year rather than a percentage, and 120 is off by a factor of ten.

   Reference: Ballington & Laughlin, Pharmacy Practice for Technicians, 7th ed., 2018; ASHP Guidelines on Medication Cost Management Strategies, 2008

5. Question 5 · Over-the-Counter Products, Self-Care and Patient Interaction

   A patient taking aspirin 75 mg and clopidogrel after coronary stenting asks about several herbal products popular locally. Which combination of herbs is most likely to further increase bleeding risk and requires pharmacist review?

   1. APeppermint and chamomile
   2. BFennel and anise
   3. CGinkgo biloba and high-dose garlic
   4. DCinnamon and cardamom used as culinary spices
   Show answer and explanation

   Correct answer: C. Ginkgo biloba and high-dose garlic

   Ginkgo biloba inhibits platelet-activating factor and high-dose garlic supplements inhibit platelet aggregation, so both can compound the bleeding risk of dual antiplatelet therapy. Peppermint, chamomile, fennel and anise have no clinically significant antiplatelet effect at usual intake, and culinary quantities of cinnamon and cardamom do not pose a comparable bleeding hazard.

   Reference: Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database, Ginkgo and Garlic monographs; Izzo AA & Ernst E, Interactions between herbal medicines and prescribed drugs, Drugs (2009)

6. Question 6 · Drug Information, Pharmacovigilance and Adverse Event Reporting

   Which feature most strongly suggests that a document making an efficacy claim is promotional rather than independent evidence?

   1. AThe claim appears in a peer-reviewed article that describes its methods and limitations
   2. BThe claim is drawn from a systematic review with a published search strategy
   3. CThe claim emphasises a large relative risk reduction without giving the absolute risk reduction or number needed to treat, and cites only unpublished company data on file
   4. DThe claim is consistent with the entry for the medicine in a national formulary
   Show answer and explanation

   Correct answer: C. The claim emphasises a large relative risk reduction without giving the absolute risk reduction or number needed to treat, and cites only unpublished company data on file

   Presenting only relative risk reduction inflates the apparent benefit and, combined with a citation to unpublished company data that cannot be examined, is a hallmark of promotional communication. Peer-reviewed articles with stated methods, systematic reviews with transparent search strategies and national formulary entries are all independently scrutinised sources.

   Reference: WHO Ethical Criteria for Medicinal Drug Promotion, 1988; Greenhalgh T, How to Read a Paper, 6th ed., Wiley-Blackwell, 2019

7. Question 7 · Pharmaceutical Calculations and Dosage Computation

   An insurer reimburses at AWP minus 15% plus a dispensing fee of AED 10. For a prescription with an AWP of AED 120, what total reimbursement should the pharmacy expect?

   1. AAED 92
   2. BAED 102
   3. CAED 128
   4. DAED 112
   Show answer and explanation

   Correct answer: D. AED 112

   AWP minus 15% is 120 x 0.85 = AED 102, and adding the AED 10 dispensing fee gives AED 112. AED 102 omits the fee, AED 128 adds rather than subtracts the discount, and AED 92 subtracts the fee instead of adding it.

   Reference: PTCB PTCE Content Outline, Order Entry and Processing (2020); Ansel's Pharmaceutical Calculations, 15th edition (2017)

8. Question 8 · Pharmacology and Drug Classifications for Technicians

   A patient started on lamotrigine three weeks ago returns with a spreading painful rash, mucosal ulceration of the mouth and eyes, fever and skin peeling. Which adverse drug reaction should be suspected and treated as a medical emergency?

   1. AFixed drug eruption
   2. BSimple maculopapular drug rash
   3. CStevens-Johnson syndrome / toxic epidermal necrolysis
   4. DAcne-like drug eruption
   Show answer and explanation

   Correct answer: C. Stevens-Johnson syndrome / toxic epidermal necrolysis

   Mucosal involvement, fever, pain and epidermal detachment within weeks of starting lamotrigine are characteristic of Stevens-Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis, which are life-threatening and require immediate drug withdrawal and specialist care; the risk is highest when lamotrigine is titrated too quickly or combined with valproate. A simple maculopapular rash lacks mucosal ulceration, systemic features and skin detachment. A fixed drug eruption produces recurring lesions at the same site, and acneiform eruptions cause pustules without mucosal or systemic involvement.

   Reference: British National Formulary, 2024, lamotrigine monograph and MHRA safety advice; WHO Pharmacovigilance guidance on serious cutaneous adverse reactions

9. Question 9 · Top Medications, Brand-Generic Recognition and Therapeutic Equivalence

   A patient stabilised on a specific brand of warfarin returns for a refill and only a different manufacturer's warfarin is in stock. What is the most appropriate technician action, and why?

   1. ASubstitute silently, because all bioequivalent generics are identical in effect
   2. BSubstitute and simply add an auxiliary label advising the patient to take it at the same time each day
   3. CRefer to the pharmacist before substituting, because warfarin is a narrow therapeutic index drug where brand switching may require closer INR monitoring
   4. DRefuse to supply any warfarin until the original brand is available, without informing the pharmacist
   Show answer and explanation

   Correct answer: C. Refer to the pharmacist before substituting, because warfarin is a narrow therapeutic index drug where brand switching may require closer INR monitoring

   Warfarin is a narrow therapeutic index (NTI) drug in which small changes in exposure can cause bleeding or thrombosis, so many authorities restrict automatic substitution and require pharmacist involvement plus INR follow-up after any brand change. Silent substitution ignores the NTI caution, an auxiliary label does not address the monitoring need, and unilaterally refusing to supply an anticoagulant without escalating to the pharmacist risks an interruption in therapy. Other commonly cited NTI drugs include levothyroxine, phenytoin, digoxin, lithium, ciclosporin and tacrolimus.

   Reference: FDA Orange Book preface (narrow therapeutic index considerations), 2025, and BNF 87, 2024, Warfarin monograph

10. Question 10 · Pharmacy Law, Regulation and Controlled Substances (GCC and International)

    A relative arrives to collect a narcotic analgesic on behalf of a bedbound patient. Which requirement is most important for the technician to ensure is satisfied before the pharmacist releases the medicine?

    1. AThe collector pays in cash so that a transaction receipt can be produced
    2. BThe collector provides a written summary of the patient's diagnosis
    3. CThe collector's identity document is verified and recorded together with the patient's identification details
    4. DThe collector's mobile number is recorded, which is sufficient identification
    Show answer and explanation

    Correct answer: C. The collector's identity document is verified and recorded together with the patient's identification details

    Controlled substance regulations require positive identification of both the patient and any authorised collector, with the identification details recorded in the narcotic register or dispensing record to maintain the audit trail and deter diversion. Payment method and diagnosis summaries have no legal bearing, and a mobile number alone is not an acceptable form of identity verification.

    Reference: UAE MOHAP Narcotic and Controlled Medicines Dispensing Guidelines (2022); Dubai Health Authority Pharmacy Practice Standards (2021)