CPhT Skills and Competencies 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A patient brings in a prescription for warfarin 5 mg. The pharmacy only has 2.5 mg tablets in stock. How many tablets should be dispensed per dose?
- 0.5 tablet
- 1 tablet
- 2 tablets (Correct answer)
- 4 tablets
Correct answer: 2 tablets
2.5 mg × 2 tablets = 5 mg, so 2 tablets are needed per dose.
Question 2: Which of the following is the BEST action when a pharmacy technician receives a prescription with an unclear sig code?
- Interpret it based on common usage
- Dispense with a warning label
- Ask the pharmacist to clarify before dispensing (Correct answer)
- Call the patient for clarification
Correct answer: Ask the pharmacist to clarify before dispensing
The pharmacist must verify and clarify ambiguous sig codes before the prescription is processed.
Question 3: A pharmacy technician is reconstituting amoxicillin oral suspension 250 mg/5 mL. The bottle says to add 90 mL of water to make 150 mL total. How much water is added?
- 60 mL
- 90 mL (Correct answer)
- 150 mL
- 250 mL
Correct answer: 90 mL
The instructions explicitly state to add 90 mL of water to reconstitute the suspension.
Question 4: Which temperature range is required for refrigerated medication storage according to USP standards?
- 0°C to 4°C
- 2°C to 8°C (Correct answer)
- 8°C to 15°C
- 15°C to 25°C
Correct answer: 2°C to 8°C
USP defines refrigerated storage as 2°C to 8°C (36°F to 46°F).
Question 5: When processing a refill request, a technician notices the original prescription was written for a 30-day supply but the patient is requesting a refill only 15 days after the last fill. What is the MOST appropriate action?
- Fill it immediately since it's a refill
- Check the refill date and alert the pharmacist if it's too early (Correct answer)
- Deny the refill and tell the patient to call back
- Contact the prescriber for a new prescription
Correct answer: Check the refill date and alert the pharmacist if it's too early
Technicians must verify refill eligibility dates and bring early refill requests to the pharmacist's attention.
Question 6: A prescription requires 1 oz of a 2% hydrocortisone cream. How many milligrams of hydrocortisone are needed?
- 200 mg
- 400 mg
- 600 mg (Correct answer)
- 800 mg
Correct answer: 600 mg
1 oz = 30 g; 2% = 2 g/100 g = 0.6 g/30 g = 600 mg.
Question 7: Which of the following actions is within the scope of a pharmacy technician?
- Counseling a patient on drug interactions
- Performing a final drug utilization review
- Entering prescription data into the dispensing system (Correct answer)
- Authorizing prescription transfers
Correct answer: Entering prescription data into the dispensing system
Data entry into the dispensing system is a standard technician duty performed under pharmacist supervision.
CPhT Skills and Competencies 2
A patient brings in a prescription for warfarin 5 mg.
The pharmacy only has 2.5 mg tablets in stock.
How many tablets should be dispensed per dose?