Pharmaceutical Sales Training Exam Study Guide 2026 |
Complete Certification Prep | Pharmacology, Drug
Development, FDA Regulations, Medical Terminology &
Practice Questions
Pharmaceuticals - ANS✔✔-Medicines and vaccines for human and animal use.
Products may have a trademark (brand) name or be generic, and they may be
prescription or over the counter.
Diagnostic - ANS✔✔-Equipment and supplies used in screening, detecting, and
monitoring disease. Can range from simple home testing kits to sophisticated diagnostic
imaging technologies.
Medical Devices - ANS✔✔-Advanced instrumentation and appliances used for medical
therapy, such as joint replacements, implantable defibrillators, and pacemakers. Also
includes drug delivery devices such as syringes, infusion pumps, metered-dose
inhalers, and transdermal patches.
Medical Supplies - ANS✔✔-Commodity, high-volume supplies such as surgical gowns
and gloves.
Durable Medical Equipment - ANS✔✔-Reusable products for health-related use in the
home, such as walkers, wheelchairs, oxygen equipment, prosthetics and hospital beds.
Home-Based Care - ANS✔✔-- Patients/consumers and their families and friends
- Home health nurses and aides
Primary Care (Checkups and General Health Issues) - ANS✔✔-- OB/GYN
- Family/general practitioners
- Internists
Secondary Care (Specialized Outpatient Consults) - ANS✔✔-- Specialists
Tertiary Care (Inpatient) - ANS✔✔-- Community hospitals
- Academic medical centers
- Skilled nursing facilities
End-Stage Care - ANS✔✔-- Skilled nursing facilities
- Hospitals
- Hospices
HMO - ANS✔✔-Health Maintenance Organizations
PBM - ANS✔✔-Pharmacy Benefit Managers
PBM role - ANS✔✔-Act as intermediaries between pharmaceutical companies and
large drug purchasers, allowing the PBM to manage the pharmaceutical benefits of
HMOs.
HMO role - ANS✔✔-Large employers, nursing homes, hospitals, and other clients.
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) - ANS✔✔-Regulates the introduction of new drugs
and enforces the United States drug laws.
The marketing of prescription drugs fall into two main categories: - ANS✔✔-1.
Professional physician promotions
2. Direct-to-consumer advertising
Professional Physician Promotions - ANS✔✔-Primarily involve sales representatives'
activity in physicians' offices, hospitals, clinics, and pharmacies. Also includes
advertising in medical journals, conferences, seminars, direct e-mail, etc.
, Pharmaceutical Sales Training Exam Study Guide 2026 |
Complete Certification Prep | Pharmacology, Drug
Development, FDA Regulations, Medical Terminology &
Practice Questions
Direct-to-consumer Advertising - ANS✔✔-Refers to patient-directed messages in
television, radio, magazines, newspapers, etc. It is the newest effective marketing
technique.
Reasons for growth in the direct-to-consuming advertising industry - ANS✔✔-1. The
FDA easing regulations on this type of advertising.
2. Patients wanting to be more involved in their healthcare decisions, and thus more
receptive to advertising that includes educational messages.
3. The public's increasing medical and health literacy.
4. Physicians' increasing willingness to consider, and in many cases grant, their
patients' request for advertised drugs.
Headquarters - ANS✔✔-Executive-level sales managers (e.g., directors, the vice
president of sales) and support staff usually work out of corporate headquarters.
National account managers (NAMs), who sell to large managed care organizations
(MCOs) and pharmacy benefit management (PBMs), also typically work at corporate
headquarters. Headquarters also houses product managers who are part of the
company's marketing department, orchestrating the overall strategy that representatives
implement in the marketplace.
Regions - ANS✔✔-Most sales organizations divide the country into five to ten
geographic regions, each of which is supervised by a regional manager (RM). Typical
regions include Northwest, Midwest, Mid-Atlantic, etc.
Districts - ANS✔✔-Each region features several districts and each district is supervised
by a district manager (DM). For example, a Southwest region may be divided into
separate districts for Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, Tennessee, Mississippi, North
and Central Florida, and South Florida. Heavily populated states such as New York and
Connecticut may be split into 3 or 4 districts in the southern part of the state alone, with
separate districts for the rest of the state.
Territories - ANS✔✔-Finally, each district includes 8-12 territories. Territories are staffed
by representatives (the position that almost every entry level reps get when they first
start). Some representatives cover a territory by themselves. Other territories may be
staffed by several representatives with slightly different responsibilities. For example,
some may call on hospitals, and others on physicians' offices or clinics, or different
representatives may promote different products within the same territory.
The sales team consists of: - ANS✔✔-- Territory Representative
- Specialty, Hospital, and Institutional Representatives
- District Manager (DM)
- Regional Manager (RM)
- National Account Manager (NAM)
Territory Representative (Professional Sales Representative) - ANS✔✔-The heart of a
pharmaceutical sales team is the group of "reps" who interact with customers on a daily
basis. Regardless of how a company configures its territories, each team member is
assigned approximately the same number of physicians to cover.
, Pharmaceutical Sales Training Exam Study Guide 2026 |
Complete Certification Prep | Pharmacology, Drug
Development, FDA Regulations, Medical Terminology &
Practice Questions
Specialty Representatives - ANS✔✔-Trained to sell to specific physician specialists,
such a cardiologists, endocrinologists, or oncologists.
Hospital Representatives (Institutional Representatives) - ANS✔✔-Call exclusively on
hospitals. Institutional representatives may also call on Veterans Administration (VA)
hospitals, nursing homes, home healthcare agencies, and rehabilitation centers.
Representatives who sell to hospitals and other institutions have been promoted from
the ranks of territory representatives.
District Manager (DM) - ANS✔✔-Territory representatives report to a DM. Responsibility
is to coach and mentor territory representatives. DMs also ensure that each
representative is making their required calls and is on track to achieve monthly,
quarterly, semi-annual, and annual sales goals.
Regional Manager (RM) - ANS✔✔-The district managers report to a regional manager.
Sets the strategy for a region and monitors sales activity in each district under his or her
supervision.
National Account Manager (NAM) - ANS✔✔-Role is to negotiate product purchasing
contracts with mayor MCOs and giant pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs).
Market Share - ANS✔✔-Most common way to measure bonuses. The pharmaceutical
company determines how much of their product should sell, and forecasts a percentage
market share. If the pharmaceutical company forecasts that the medication should be
prescribed 30% of the time, your market share needs to be 30%. You will receive your
bonus if you obtain that percentage in your market, and receive additional bonuses for
increases in that percentage.
Actual Sales - ANS✔✔-Not many companies use this method because it is difficult to
calculate. Actual sales can be difficult to calculate because prescriptions are usually
sold through pharmacies. With this method, reps are paid a bonus or commission based
on the total actual sales in their respective territories.
Actual Sales vs. Forecast Sales - ANS✔✔-This method is based on the past history of
the rep's designated territory. Companies will forecast and set goals for the amount of
prescriptions to be sold in a specific territory. If the rep exceeds the forecast, he or she
will receive a bonus.
Company Car - ANS✔✔-Most pharmaceutical companies provide company cars to their
representatives. The company car is essentially a portable office, well-stocked with
product samples, educational brochures, promotional items, etc. In recent years, many
companies have reverted to car allowances for liability reasons, where the company
pays the rep a monthly payment to utilize towards the expenses of a car.
General Benefits - ANS✔✔-Once hired, reps can expect to receive general, medical,
life, disability, and other more specialized benefits.
Autonomy - ANS✔✔-One of the best benefits of being a pharmaceutical sales rep is
being able to work from home. The primary responsibility is to call on physicians during
office hours, but other duties are required. The rep must set aside time to complete
several reports, and must frequently attend regional and national meetings.
Complete Certification Prep | Pharmacology, Drug
Development, FDA Regulations, Medical Terminology &
Practice Questions
Pharmaceuticals - ANS✔✔-Medicines and vaccines for human and animal use.
Products may have a trademark (brand) name or be generic, and they may be
prescription or over the counter.
Diagnostic - ANS✔✔-Equipment and supplies used in screening, detecting, and
monitoring disease. Can range from simple home testing kits to sophisticated diagnostic
imaging technologies.
Medical Devices - ANS✔✔-Advanced instrumentation and appliances used for medical
therapy, such as joint replacements, implantable defibrillators, and pacemakers. Also
includes drug delivery devices such as syringes, infusion pumps, metered-dose
inhalers, and transdermal patches.
Medical Supplies - ANS✔✔-Commodity, high-volume supplies such as surgical gowns
and gloves.
Durable Medical Equipment - ANS✔✔-Reusable products for health-related use in the
home, such as walkers, wheelchairs, oxygen equipment, prosthetics and hospital beds.
Home-Based Care - ANS✔✔-- Patients/consumers and their families and friends
- Home health nurses and aides
Primary Care (Checkups and General Health Issues) - ANS✔✔-- OB/GYN
- Family/general practitioners
- Internists
Secondary Care (Specialized Outpatient Consults) - ANS✔✔-- Specialists
Tertiary Care (Inpatient) - ANS✔✔-- Community hospitals
- Academic medical centers
- Skilled nursing facilities
End-Stage Care - ANS✔✔-- Skilled nursing facilities
- Hospitals
- Hospices
HMO - ANS✔✔-Health Maintenance Organizations
PBM - ANS✔✔-Pharmacy Benefit Managers
PBM role - ANS✔✔-Act as intermediaries between pharmaceutical companies and
large drug purchasers, allowing the PBM to manage the pharmaceutical benefits of
HMOs.
HMO role - ANS✔✔-Large employers, nursing homes, hospitals, and other clients.
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) - ANS✔✔-Regulates the introduction of new drugs
and enforces the United States drug laws.
The marketing of prescription drugs fall into two main categories: - ANS✔✔-1.
Professional physician promotions
2. Direct-to-consumer advertising
Professional Physician Promotions - ANS✔✔-Primarily involve sales representatives'
activity in physicians' offices, hospitals, clinics, and pharmacies. Also includes
advertising in medical journals, conferences, seminars, direct e-mail, etc.
, Pharmaceutical Sales Training Exam Study Guide 2026 |
Complete Certification Prep | Pharmacology, Drug
Development, FDA Regulations, Medical Terminology &
Practice Questions
Direct-to-consumer Advertising - ANS✔✔-Refers to patient-directed messages in
television, radio, magazines, newspapers, etc. It is the newest effective marketing
technique.
Reasons for growth in the direct-to-consuming advertising industry - ANS✔✔-1. The
FDA easing regulations on this type of advertising.
2. Patients wanting to be more involved in their healthcare decisions, and thus more
receptive to advertising that includes educational messages.
3. The public's increasing medical and health literacy.
4. Physicians' increasing willingness to consider, and in many cases grant, their
patients' request for advertised drugs.
Headquarters - ANS✔✔-Executive-level sales managers (e.g., directors, the vice
president of sales) and support staff usually work out of corporate headquarters.
National account managers (NAMs), who sell to large managed care organizations
(MCOs) and pharmacy benefit management (PBMs), also typically work at corporate
headquarters. Headquarters also houses product managers who are part of the
company's marketing department, orchestrating the overall strategy that representatives
implement in the marketplace.
Regions - ANS✔✔-Most sales organizations divide the country into five to ten
geographic regions, each of which is supervised by a regional manager (RM). Typical
regions include Northwest, Midwest, Mid-Atlantic, etc.
Districts - ANS✔✔-Each region features several districts and each district is supervised
by a district manager (DM). For example, a Southwest region may be divided into
separate districts for Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, Tennessee, Mississippi, North
and Central Florida, and South Florida. Heavily populated states such as New York and
Connecticut may be split into 3 or 4 districts in the southern part of the state alone, with
separate districts for the rest of the state.
Territories - ANS✔✔-Finally, each district includes 8-12 territories. Territories are staffed
by representatives (the position that almost every entry level reps get when they first
start). Some representatives cover a territory by themselves. Other territories may be
staffed by several representatives with slightly different responsibilities. For example,
some may call on hospitals, and others on physicians' offices or clinics, or different
representatives may promote different products within the same territory.
The sales team consists of: - ANS✔✔-- Territory Representative
- Specialty, Hospital, and Institutional Representatives
- District Manager (DM)
- Regional Manager (RM)
- National Account Manager (NAM)
Territory Representative (Professional Sales Representative) - ANS✔✔-The heart of a
pharmaceutical sales team is the group of "reps" who interact with customers on a daily
basis. Regardless of how a company configures its territories, each team member is
assigned approximately the same number of physicians to cover.
, Pharmaceutical Sales Training Exam Study Guide 2026 |
Complete Certification Prep | Pharmacology, Drug
Development, FDA Regulations, Medical Terminology &
Practice Questions
Specialty Representatives - ANS✔✔-Trained to sell to specific physician specialists,
such a cardiologists, endocrinologists, or oncologists.
Hospital Representatives (Institutional Representatives) - ANS✔✔-Call exclusively on
hospitals. Institutional representatives may also call on Veterans Administration (VA)
hospitals, nursing homes, home healthcare agencies, and rehabilitation centers.
Representatives who sell to hospitals and other institutions have been promoted from
the ranks of territory representatives.
District Manager (DM) - ANS✔✔-Territory representatives report to a DM. Responsibility
is to coach and mentor territory representatives. DMs also ensure that each
representative is making their required calls and is on track to achieve monthly,
quarterly, semi-annual, and annual sales goals.
Regional Manager (RM) - ANS✔✔-The district managers report to a regional manager.
Sets the strategy for a region and monitors sales activity in each district under his or her
supervision.
National Account Manager (NAM) - ANS✔✔-Role is to negotiate product purchasing
contracts with mayor MCOs and giant pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs).
Market Share - ANS✔✔-Most common way to measure bonuses. The pharmaceutical
company determines how much of their product should sell, and forecasts a percentage
market share. If the pharmaceutical company forecasts that the medication should be
prescribed 30% of the time, your market share needs to be 30%. You will receive your
bonus if you obtain that percentage in your market, and receive additional bonuses for
increases in that percentage.
Actual Sales - ANS✔✔-Not many companies use this method because it is difficult to
calculate. Actual sales can be difficult to calculate because prescriptions are usually
sold through pharmacies. With this method, reps are paid a bonus or commission based
on the total actual sales in their respective territories.
Actual Sales vs. Forecast Sales - ANS✔✔-This method is based on the past history of
the rep's designated territory. Companies will forecast and set goals for the amount of
prescriptions to be sold in a specific territory. If the rep exceeds the forecast, he or she
will receive a bonus.
Company Car - ANS✔✔-Most pharmaceutical companies provide company cars to their
representatives. The company car is essentially a portable office, well-stocked with
product samples, educational brochures, promotional items, etc. In recent years, many
companies have reverted to car allowances for liability reasons, where the company
pays the rep a monthly payment to utilize towards the expenses of a car.
General Benefits - ANS✔✔-Once hired, reps can expect to receive general, medical,
life, disability, and other more specialized benefits.
Autonomy - ANS✔✔-One of the best benefits of being a pharmaceutical sales rep is
being able to work from home. The primary responsibility is to call on physicians during
office hours, but other duties are required. The rep must set aside time to complete
several reports, and must frequently attend regional and national meetings.
