NHA Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam 2026/2027 |
Practice Questions And Answers 2026/2027 | Complete
Questions And Answers (Verified Answers) | Exam Prep |
Comprehensive Exam Guide 2026&2027
1. A pharmacy technician receives a prescription for amoxicillin suspension. Before
preparing the medication, which information should the technician verify most carefully to
prevent a dispensing error?
A. The manufacturer's logo
B. The patient's favorite pharmacy
C. The patient's identity, medication, strength, dosage, and directions
D. The color of the prescription label
Answer: C
The technician should verify patient identifiers and all prescription elements before
preparation. This prevents errors involving the wrong patient, drug, strength, dose, or
directions.
2. Which federal agency is primarily responsible for enforcing the Controlled Substances
Act?
A. Drug Enforcement Administration
B. Food and Drug Administration
C. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
D. Occupational Safety and Health Administration
Answer: A
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) enforces federal controlled-substance laws,
including registration and requirements related to controlled medications.
3. A prescription label instructs a patient to take 1 tablet by mouth twice daily. How many
tablets are required for a 30-day supply?
A. 30
B. 45
C. 60
D. 90
Answer: C
Twice-daily dosing requires 2 tablets per day. Multiplying 2 tablets by 30 days gives a total of
60 tablets.
,4. A technician notices that the NDC on a stock bottle does not match the NDC associated
with the medication selected in the dispensing system. What should the technician do?
A. Dispense the medication because the drug name matches
B. Stop the process and investigate the discrepancy
C. Change the NDC manually without verification
D. Ask the patient whether the medication looks correct
Answer: B
An NDC discrepancy can indicate a product or inventory mismatch. The technician should stop
and resolve the discrepancy before dispensing.
5. Which auxiliary label is most appropriate for a medication that may cause drowsiness?
A. Take with food
B. For external use only
C. May cause drowsiness; use caution when driving
D. Shake well before using
Answer: C
A drowsiness warning alerts the patient to a potential safety risk involving driving or
operating machinery.
6. A patient asks a pharmacy technician whether a newly prescribed medication will
interact with another prescription. What is the technician's most appropriate response?
A. Provide a definitive clinical opinion
B. Recommend doubling the dose of the other medication
C. Tell the patient that interactions are impossible
D. Refer the question to the pharmacist
Answer: D
Drug-interaction assessment is a pharmacist-level clinical responsibility. The technician should
promptly refer the patient to the pharmacist.
7. Which dosage form is designed to dissolve slowly in the mouth for local or systemic
effect?
A. Troche
B. Enteric-coated tablet
C. Suppository
D. Transdermal patch
Answer: A
A troche is designed to dissolve slowly in the mouth and may provide local or systemic
medication effects.
,8. A pharmacy receives a bottle labeled “insulin glargine.” Which route is generally
associated with this medication?
A. Intravenous
B. Subcutaneous
C. Intramuscular
D. Oral
Answer: B
Insulin glargine is administered subcutaneously. It is not administered orally because
digestive enzymes would destroy the protein.
9. Which measurement is equivalent to 1,000 milligrams?
A. 0.001 gram
B. 0.01 gram
C. 0.1 gram
D. 1 gram
Answer: D
There are 1,000 milligrams in 1 gram. Accurate metric conversions are essential for pharmacy
calculations.
10. A technician is preparing a prescription and notices that the patient's date of birth
differs between the prescription profile and the patient's identification. What is the best
action?
A. Ignore the discrepancy if the name matches
B. Resolve the discrepancy before continuing
C. Delete the patient's profile
D. Ask another patient to verify the information
Answer: B
Patient-identification discrepancies must be resolved before dispensing to prevent a wrong-
patient error.
11. Which medication storage practice is appropriate for most refrigerated
pharmaceuticals?
A. Store at room temperature
B. Store in direct sunlight
C. Maintain the refrigerator within the manufacturer's specified temperature range
D. Freeze the medication unless otherwise instructed
Answer: C
, Refrigerated medications must be maintained within the temperature range specified by the
manufacturer to preserve stability and potency.
12. A prescription calls for 5 mL of a liquid medication per dose, given three times daily for
10 days. How much medication is needed?
A. 50 mL
B. 100 mL
C. 150 mL
D. 300 mL
Answer: C
The patient needs 5 mL × 3 doses per day × 10 days, which equals 150 mL.
13. Which organization regulates the approval and safety of prescription and
nonprescription drugs in the United States?
A. FDA
B. DEA
C. OSHA
D. USP
Answer: A
The Food and Drug Administration regulates drugs and evaluates their safety, effectiveness,
labeling, and manufacturing standards.
14. A technician accidentally spills a small amount of a hazardous drug while preparing a
prescription. What should the technician do first?
A. Continue working and clean it later
B. Follow the pharmacy's hazardous-drug spill procedure
C. Dispose of the medication in regular trash
D. Wipe the spill with bare hands
Answer: B
Hazardous-drug spills require immediate use of the facility's established spill-control
procedure and appropriate protective equipment.
15. Which prescription abbreviation means “by mouth”?
A. IM
B. IV
C. PO
D. PR
Answer: C
Practice Questions And Answers 2026/2027 | Complete
Questions And Answers (Verified Answers) | Exam Prep |
Comprehensive Exam Guide 2026&2027
1. A pharmacy technician receives a prescription for amoxicillin suspension. Before
preparing the medication, which information should the technician verify most carefully to
prevent a dispensing error?
A. The manufacturer's logo
B. The patient's favorite pharmacy
C. The patient's identity, medication, strength, dosage, and directions
D. The color of the prescription label
Answer: C
The technician should verify patient identifiers and all prescription elements before
preparation. This prevents errors involving the wrong patient, drug, strength, dose, or
directions.
2. Which federal agency is primarily responsible for enforcing the Controlled Substances
Act?
A. Drug Enforcement Administration
B. Food and Drug Administration
C. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
D. Occupational Safety and Health Administration
Answer: A
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) enforces federal controlled-substance laws,
including registration and requirements related to controlled medications.
3. A prescription label instructs a patient to take 1 tablet by mouth twice daily. How many
tablets are required for a 30-day supply?
A. 30
B. 45
C. 60
D. 90
Answer: C
Twice-daily dosing requires 2 tablets per day. Multiplying 2 tablets by 30 days gives a total of
60 tablets.
,4. A technician notices that the NDC on a stock bottle does not match the NDC associated
with the medication selected in the dispensing system. What should the technician do?
A. Dispense the medication because the drug name matches
B. Stop the process and investigate the discrepancy
C. Change the NDC manually without verification
D. Ask the patient whether the medication looks correct
Answer: B
An NDC discrepancy can indicate a product or inventory mismatch. The technician should stop
and resolve the discrepancy before dispensing.
5. Which auxiliary label is most appropriate for a medication that may cause drowsiness?
A. Take with food
B. For external use only
C. May cause drowsiness; use caution when driving
D. Shake well before using
Answer: C
A drowsiness warning alerts the patient to a potential safety risk involving driving or
operating machinery.
6. A patient asks a pharmacy technician whether a newly prescribed medication will
interact with another prescription. What is the technician's most appropriate response?
A. Provide a definitive clinical opinion
B. Recommend doubling the dose of the other medication
C. Tell the patient that interactions are impossible
D. Refer the question to the pharmacist
Answer: D
Drug-interaction assessment is a pharmacist-level clinical responsibility. The technician should
promptly refer the patient to the pharmacist.
7. Which dosage form is designed to dissolve slowly in the mouth for local or systemic
effect?
A. Troche
B. Enteric-coated tablet
C. Suppository
D. Transdermal patch
Answer: A
A troche is designed to dissolve slowly in the mouth and may provide local or systemic
medication effects.
,8. A pharmacy receives a bottle labeled “insulin glargine.” Which route is generally
associated with this medication?
A. Intravenous
B. Subcutaneous
C. Intramuscular
D. Oral
Answer: B
Insulin glargine is administered subcutaneously. It is not administered orally because
digestive enzymes would destroy the protein.
9. Which measurement is equivalent to 1,000 milligrams?
A. 0.001 gram
B. 0.01 gram
C. 0.1 gram
D. 1 gram
Answer: D
There are 1,000 milligrams in 1 gram. Accurate metric conversions are essential for pharmacy
calculations.
10. A technician is preparing a prescription and notices that the patient's date of birth
differs between the prescription profile and the patient's identification. What is the best
action?
A. Ignore the discrepancy if the name matches
B. Resolve the discrepancy before continuing
C. Delete the patient's profile
D. Ask another patient to verify the information
Answer: B
Patient-identification discrepancies must be resolved before dispensing to prevent a wrong-
patient error.
11. Which medication storage practice is appropriate for most refrigerated
pharmaceuticals?
A. Store at room temperature
B. Store in direct sunlight
C. Maintain the refrigerator within the manufacturer's specified temperature range
D. Freeze the medication unless otherwise instructed
Answer: C
, Refrigerated medications must be maintained within the temperature range specified by the
manufacturer to preserve stability and potency.
12. A prescription calls for 5 mL of a liquid medication per dose, given three times daily for
10 days. How much medication is needed?
A. 50 mL
B. 100 mL
C. 150 mL
D. 300 mL
Answer: C
The patient needs 5 mL × 3 doses per day × 10 days, which equals 150 mL.
13. Which organization regulates the approval and safety of prescription and
nonprescription drugs in the United States?
A. FDA
B. DEA
C. OSHA
D. USP
Answer: A
The Food and Drug Administration regulates drugs and evaluates their safety, effectiveness,
labeling, and manufacturing standards.
14. A technician accidentally spills a small amount of a hazardous drug while preparing a
prescription. What should the technician do first?
A. Continue working and clean it later
B. Follow the pharmacy's hazardous-drug spill procedure
C. Dispose of the medication in regular trash
D. Wipe the spill with bare hands
Answer: B
Hazardous-drug spills require immediate use of the facility's established spill-control
procedure and appropriate protective equipment.
15. Which prescription abbreviation means “by mouth”?
A. IM
B. IV
C. PO
D. PR
Answer: C
