CAOP Cheat Sheet 2026

The 30 highest-yield CAOP facts, distilled from real exam questions. Print it, save it as a PDF, or study it here — free, no sign-up.

1. A meta-analysis combines data from multiple studies primarily to: → Increase statistical power to detect treatment effects
2. Which USP chapter governs the compounding of sterile preparations in the United States? → USP
3. Which solution is the preferred disinfectant for wiping down surfaces inside a laminar airflow workbench? → 70% isopropyl alcohol (sterile IPA)
4. Amiodarone is added to a patient's regimen that includes digoxin. What is the expected pharmacokinetic outcome? → Amiodarone inhibits P-glycoprotein and CYP, increasing digoxin plasma levels
5. Which secondary drug information source indexes biomedical literature and helps locate primary studies? → MEDLINE (PubMed)
6. Which of the following is a key criterion for a drug to be considered suitable for Therapeutic Drug Monitoring (TDM)? → A clear relationship exists between plasma concentration and clinical effect.
7. According to the National Competency Standards Framework for Pharmacists in Australia, monitoring medication outcomes is a core component of which domain? → Review and Manage Medication Management Plans
8. Prescription error may involve writing a prescription for a patient who has a known allergy → TRUE
9. Detoxification is the mechanism of allowing the body to relieve itself of medications through the use of cognitive behavioral therapy → TRUE
10. A patient is to receive 1 litre of 0.9% Sodium Chloride intravenously over a period of 10 hours. What is the required infusion rate in mL/hour? → 100 mL/hour
11. Is it possible to abuse methadone and cortisone, which are synthetic forms of opium? → FALSE
12. A pharmacist is compounding an epidural solution. Which ingredient must be AVOIDED? → Preservative-containing formulations
13. Beta-blockers are contraindicated in patients with which of the following respiratory conditions? → Reactive airway disease / bronchial asthma
14. Which study design provides the highest level of evidence for evaluating drug efficacy? → Randomized controlled trial
15. Concomitant use of a statin and gemfibrozil significantly increases the risk of: → Rhabdomyolysis due to increased statin plasma concentrations
16. A pharmacist receives a question about a drug not available in the US. Which resource would be MOST useful? → Martindale: The Complete Drug Reference
17. Which hand hygiene step is CRITICAL before gowning for sterile compounding? → Performing a surgical hand scrub with an antimicrobial agent for at least 30 seconds
18. What type of study design is most appropriate for studying rare adverse drug reactions? → Case-control study
19. When evaluating a drug information request, which step should be performed FIRST? → Clarify background information from the requestor
20. A pharmacist reviews a study reporting an odds ratio of 1.0 for a drug-induced event. How should this be interpreted? → There is no association between the drug and the event
21. Which route of administration requires the MOST stringent sterility requirements? → Intrathecal
22. Which PubMed filter is most useful for a pharmacist seeking the best available evidence on a clinical question? → Clinical Queries — Therapy
23. Which combination of antihypertensive agents poses the greatest risk of dangerous hyperkalaemia? → ACE inhibitor + potassium-sparing diuretic
24. St John's Wort (Hypericum perforatum) is contraindicated with numerous prescription medications because it: → Induces CYP3A4 and P-glycoprotein, reducing plasma levels of many drugs
25. According to the Pharmacy Board of Australia's guidelines, which of the following is a key labelling requirement for an extemporaneously compounded medicine? → A statement identifying the product as a compounded medicine.
26. Which statistical measure describes the spread of data around the mean in a normal distribution? → Standard deviation
27. Is it deemed an administration error if a patient's received a dosage that was calculated erroneously? → TRUE
28. Ciprofloxacin co-administered with theophylline is likely to cause which outcome? → Theophylline toxicity due to CYP1A2 inhibition by ciprofloxacin
29. What is the significance of endotoxin testing (LAL test) for parenteral products? → It detects bacterial endotoxins (pyrogens) that can cause fever and septic shock
30. Metformin should be withheld before and after administration of iodinated contrast media primarily because of the risk of: → Contrast-induced nephropathy leading to metformin accumulation and lactic acidosis