NSG 552 Psychopharmacology Exam 1
Practice Questions & Verified Answers
Wilkes University | Updated 2025/2026
PHARMACOKINETICS & PHARMACODYNAMICS
Question 1
A nursing student asks the preceptor to explain the primary difference
between pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics. Which response is
most accurate?
A) "Pharmacokinetics is the effect of the drug on the body;
pharmacodynamics is what the body does to the drug."
B) "Pharmacokinetics is what the body does to the drug;
pharmacodynamics is the effect of the drug on the body."
C) "Pharmacokinetics involves receptor binding; pharmacodynamics
involves drug absorption."
D) "There is no significant difference between the two terms."
Answer: B
Rationale: Pharmacokinetics describes what the body does to the
drug—Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism, and Excretion (ADME).
,Pharmacodynamics describes what the drug does to the body—
receptor binding, mechanism of action, and clinical effect .
Question 2
What does pharmacokinetics describe?
A) The drug's effect on the body
B) How the body processes the drug
C) The drug's chemical composition
D) The therapeutic outcome
Answer: B
Rationale: Pharmacokinetics involves the processes of absorption,
distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME) that determine how
the body handles a medication .
Question 3
The study of what the drug does to the body is known as:
A) Pharmacokinetics
B) Pharmacodynamics
C) Pharmacotherapeutics
D) Pharmacogenomics
,Answer: B
Rationale: Pharmacodynamics examines the biochemical,
physiological, and molecular effects of drugs on the body,
investigating how medications interact with receptors and alter
neurotransmitter systems .
Question 4
The term "half-life" (t½) of a medication refers to:
A) The time it takes for the drug to reach peak serum concentration
B) The time it takes for the drug concentration to decrease by 50%
C) The total time the drug remains detectable in urine
D) The time required for the drug to bind to its receptor
Answer: B
Rationale: Half-life is the time required for the serum concentration
of a drug to fall by 50%. It determines dosing frequency (typically 4-
5 half-lives to reach steady state) and the time to elimination .
Question 5
A patient who has been taking a psychotropic medication for 6 months
reports that it "stopped working." The nurse suspects pharmacokinetic
tolerance. Which explanation is most accurate?
, A) The patient's receptors have downregulated
B) The patient's body has increased the rate of drug metabolism
C) The patient has developed a psychological dependence
D) The medication has lost its affinity for the target receptor
Answer: B
Rationale: Pharmacokinetic tolerance (metabolic tolerance) occurs
when the body becomes more efficient at metabolizing or
eliminating a drug over time, leading to lower serum levels and
reduced efficacy .
Question 6
A patient is started on a new medication that is 95% protein-bound.
Which statement by the patient indicates understanding?
A) "Most of my medication is active and available to work right away."
B) "Only a small amount of my medication is free and active; the rest is
stored."
C) "I should take this medication on an empty stomach for best
absorption."
D) "This medication will leave my body very quickly."
Answer: B
Rationale: Highly protein-bound drugs are largely bound to plasma
proteins (primarily albumin). Only the unbound (free) fraction is
Practice Questions & Verified Answers
Wilkes University | Updated 2025/2026
PHARMACOKINETICS & PHARMACODYNAMICS
Question 1
A nursing student asks the preceptor to explain the primary difference
between pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics. Which response is
most accurate?
A) "Pharmacokinetics is the effect of the drug on the body;
pharmacodynamics is what the body does to the drug."
B) "Pharmacokinetics is what the body does to the drug;
pharmacodynamics is the effect of the drug on the body."
C) "Pharmacokinetics involves receptor binding; pharmacodynamics
involves drug absorption."
D) "There is no significant difference between the two terms."
Answer: B
Rationale: Pharmacokinetics describes what the body does to the
drug—Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism, and Excretion (ADME).
,Pharmacodynamics describes what the drug does to the body—
receptor binding, mechanism of action, and clinical effect .
Question 2
What does pharmacokinetics describe?
A) The drug's effect on the body
B) How the body processes the drug
C) The drug's chemical composition
D) The therapeutic outcome
Answer: B
Rationale: Pharmacokinetics involves the processes of absorption,
distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME) that determine how
the body handles a medication .
Question 3
The study of what the drug does to the body is known as:
A) Pharmacokinetics
B) Pharmacodynamics
C) Pharmacotherapeutics
D) Pharmacogenomics
,Answer: B
Rationale: Pharmacodynamics examines the biochemical,
physiological, and molecular effects of drugs on the body,
investigating how medications interact with receptors and alter
neurotransmitter systems .
Question 4
The term "half-life" (t½) of a medication refers to:
A) The time it takes for the drug to reach peak serum concentration
B) The time it takes for the drug concentration to decrease by 50%
C) The total time the drug remains detectable in urine
D) The time required for the drug to bind to its receptor
Answer: B
Rationale: Half-life is the time required for the serum concentration
of a drug to fall by 50%. It determines dosing frequency (typically 4-
5 half-lives to reach steady state) and the time to elimination .
Question 5
A patient who has been taking a psychotropic medication for 6 months
reports that it "stopped working." The nurse suspects pharmacokinetic
tolerance. Which explanation is most accurate?
, A) The patient's receptors have downregulated
B) The patient's body has increased the rate of drug metabolism
C) The patient has developed a psychological dependence
D) The medication has lost its affinity for the target receptor
Answer: B
Rationale: Pharmacokinetic tolerance (metabolic tolerance) occurs
when the body becomes more efficient at metabolizing or
eliminating a drug over time, leading to lower serum levels and
reduced efficacy .
Question 6
A patient is started on a new medication that is 95% protein-bound.
Which statement by the patient indicates understanding?
A) "Most of my medication is active and available to work right away."
B) "Only a small amount of my medication is free and active; the rest is
stored."
C) "I should take this medication on an empty stomach for best
absorption."
D) "This medication will leave my body very quickly."
Answer: B
Rationale: Highly protein-bound drugs are largely bound to plasma
proteins (primarily albumin). Only the unbound (free) fraction is
