- Medications 35%
- Federal Requirements 18.75%
- Patient Safety and Quality Assurance 23.75%
- Order Entry and Processing 22.5%
Free · 2026 · 22.5% of the PTCE PTCB Order Entry and Processing practice questions
Order Entry and Processing is 22.5% of the PTCE. Answer 10 questions (6 on Order Entry and Processing) and see your score by domain, with every answer explained. Free, no sign-up.
A patient first punctures an insulin glargine vial on February 20, 2026. The vial's printed expiration is 11/2026, and the labeling allows 28 days of use after opening. Counting 28 days from the day of first puncture (the puncture date is day 0), on what date is the vial due to be discarded?
Tap an answer, or press A to D
Pharmacy calculations, days' supply, sig codes and abbreviations, administration supplies, NDC numbers, lot numbers and returns.
What the PTCE tests in Order Entry and Processing
- Formulas, calculations, ratios, proportions, conversions, sig codes, Roman numerals, abbreviations, medical terminology and symbols for days' supply, quantity, dose, concentration and dilution (calculation-based)
- Equipment and supplies for drug administration: diabetic supplies, spacers, oral and injectable syringes, filters, diluents, immunization supplies, nebulizers (calculation-based)
- Lot numbers, expiration dates and National Drug Code (NDC) numbers (calculation-based)
- Identifying and returning dispensable, non-dispensable and expired drugs and supplies: credit return, return to stock, reverse distribution
High-yield order entry and processing facts
- Days' supply = quantity dispensed ÷ quantity used per day. Round down.
- Tablet example: 1 tab bid, #60 = 30 days. Liquid example: 7.5 mL tid = 22.5 mL/day; 150 mL ÷ 22.5 = 6.7 → 6 days.
- Eye drops (about 20 drops/mL): 5 mL = 100 drops; 1 drop OU bid = 4 drops/day → 25 days.
- Inhaler: 200 puffs; 2 puffs qid = 8/day → 25 days.
- Insulin vial: U-100 10 mL vial = 1,000 units; at 20 units/day the math gives 50 days, but an opened vial is discarded at 28 days, so days' supply = 28.
- Insulin pens: 5 pens × 3 mL × 100 units = 1,500 units. At 28 units/day plus a 2-unit prime for 1 injection = 30/day → 50 days.
| Unit | Equivalent |
|---|---|
| 1 kg | 2.2 lb |
| 1 lb | 454 g |
| 1 oz (weight) | 28.35 g |
| 1 grain | 64.8 mg (often 65 mg) |
| 1 g | 1,000 mg = 1,000,000 mcg |
| 1 tsp / 1 tbsp | 5 mL / 15 mL |
| 1 fl oz | 30 mL (29.57 exact) |
| 1 pint / 1 quart / 1 gallon | 473 mL (480 often used) / 946 mL / 3,785 mL |
The full PTCB High-Yield Cram Sheet comes with full prep.
Common order entry and processing traps
- q8h means exactly 3 times in 24 h; tid means 3 times while awake.
- Always round days' supply down; insulin days' supply is capped by its in-use discard date.
- mcg vs mg is a 1,000-fold difference.
- 1:1,000 epinephrine is 1 mg/mL, not 1 mcg/mL.
- A change in the NDC product segment means a different strength or form; a change in the package segment means only a different size.
- An expiration date with no day means the last day of that month, not the first.
- Never use a spacer with a dry-powder inhaler, or a parenteral syringe for oral liquids.
- A higher gauge number is a thinner needle, not a thicker one.
Free PTCB order entry and processing practice questions
Question 1
An FDA recall notice lists one specific lot of lisinopril 10 mg tablets under a single NDC. The pharmacy has three bottles with that NDC on the shelf, each from a different lot. What should the technician do first?
- AQuarantine any bottle whose expiration date matches the date printed in the recall notice
- BQuarantine only the bottles whose lot number matches the recalled lot and label them as recalled
- CPull the recalled lot but finish dispensing its tablets to patients who are already on therapy
- DPull every product the manufacturer makes, regardless of drug, strength or lot
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B. Recalls are matched by lot number. Affected stock is removed, segregated and labeled so it cannot be dispensed, and the action is documented.
Why not A: Different lots can share the same expiration date. The recall is defined by lot number, not by expiration date.
Why not C: Recalled product must not be dispensed to anyone, including patients who are already taking the drug.
Why not D: This removes unaffected stock without any reason. The notice applies only to the listed lot.
Remember: Recalls are matched by lot number, so check the lot on every bottle and quarantine only the affected lot.
Question 2
A filled, insurance-billed prescription for lisinopril has gone unclaimed past the pharmacy's hold period. The medication is in date and was never released to the patient. Before the medication is returned to stock, what must be done?
- ARecord the medication on a DEA Form 41 before restocking.
- BReverse the claim with the third-party payer.
- CLeave the claim in place, since the drug was already filled.
- DSend the medication to a reverse distributor for credit.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B. Because the patient never picked up the drug, the claim must be reversed so the payer is not charged before the drug goes back into stock.
Why not A: Form 41 documents destruction of controlled substances. Lisinopril is not controlled and is not being destroyed.
Why not C: Keeping payment for a prescription the patient never received is improper billing and can be treated as fraud.
Why not D: Reverse distribution is for expired or otherwise non-dispensable stock. This in-date product can be returned to the pharmacy's own inventory.
Remember: An unclaimed prescription is returned to stock only after its insurance claim is reversed.
Question 3
A medication order calls for a 500 mL bag of D5W (dextrose 5% in water). How many grams of dextrose does the bag contain?
- A25 g
- B2.5 g
- C5 g
- D50 g
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. 5% w/v means 5 g per 100 mL, so 500 mL x 5 g/100 mL = 25 g of dextrose.
Why not B: This is off by a factor of 10. It would be the amount in 50 mL of D5W, not 500 mL.
Why not C: This reads 5% as 5 g in the whole bag. A w/v percent means grams per 100 mL, not per container.
Why not D: 50 g is the amount of dextrose in 1,000 mL of D5W. This bag holds only half that volume.
Remember: A percent weight-in-volume (w/v) strength equals grams of drug per 100 mL of solution.
Question 4
A pharmacy ordered NDC 12345-0101-01, a 25 mg tablet in a 100-count bottle. The wholesaler tote contains a bottle labeled NDC 12345-0110-01. What is the best interpretation and action?
- AOnly the bottle size differs, so place it on the shelf with the ordered item.
- BA different product was sent, so set it aside and request a credit return.
- CA different manufacturer was sent, so ask the pharmacist to approve a substitution.
- DThe item is non-dispensable, so send it to a reverse distributor.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B. A different product code means a different strength, dosage form, or formulation, so the item was mis-shipped and goes back to the wholesaler for credit.
Why not A: Bottle size is set by the package code, and the package codes match (01). It is the product code that differs.
Why not C: The labeler code (12345) is the same, so the manufacturer did not change. The difference is in the product itself.
Why not D: A mis-shipped, in-date product is returned to the wholesaler for credit. Reverse distributors mainly handle expired stock.
Remember: A change in the NDC product code means a different strength or form, and a mis-shipped item goes back to the wholesaler as a credit return.
Question 5
A patient who draws insulin from a U-100 regular insulin vial injects 35 units per dose. Which syringe is the smallest one that can hold the full dose in a single draw?
- A1 mL tuberculin syringe
- B1 mL U-100 insulin syringe
- C0.5 mL U-100 insulin syringe
- D0.3 mL U-100 insulin syringe
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. A 0.5 mL U-100 syringe holds 50 units, the smallest size that fits 35 units, and smaller syringes give finer, more precise markings.
Why not A: A tuberculin syringe is marked in mL rather than units, so using it for insulin invites dosing errors.
Why not B: A 1 mL syringe holds 100 units and would work, but it is not the smallest size that fits the dose.
Why not D: A 0.3 mL U-100 syringe holds only 30 units, so it cannot hold a 35-unit dose.
Remember: U-100 insulin syringes of 0.3, 0.5 and 1 mL hold 30, 50 and 100 units; choose the smallest one that holds the whole dose.
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