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Certified Medical Assistant — Practice Exam

Pharmacology: practice questions

Our Medical Assistant bank has 34 questions on this topic. Here are 5 of them with answers; the full mock exam draws from every topic, like the real one.

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Question 1

What is the main use of a statin such as atorvastatin?

  1. Treating anxiety
  2. Lowering LDL cholesterol
  3. Relieving joint pain and stiffness
  4. Lowering blood sugar
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B. Lowering LDL cholesterol — Report unexplained muscle pain.

Question 2

What should a medical assistant do if a patient reports an allergy to penicillin?

  1. Note it only if the patient had a reaction in the last year
  2. Document it prominently and tell the provider before any drug is given
  3. Give the drug anyway if the provider has already ordered it
  4. Tell the patient that most penicillin allergies are not real and give the drug
Show the answer

B. Document it prominently and tell the provider before any drug is given — Allergies must be verified at every visit.

Question 3

Which drug schedule has the highest potential for abuse with no accepted medical use?

  1. Schedule V
  2. Schedule II
  3. Schedule I
  4. Schedule III
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C. Schedule I — Schedule II drugs (e.g. oxycodone) have high abuse potential but accepted medical uses.

Question 4

Who may legally prescribe medication?

  1. Any medical assistant who has worked in the same practice for at least one year
  2. Licensed providers such as physicians, NPs and PAs, within state law
  3. Any staff member who completes a pharmacology course
  4. The office manager with the physician's verbal permission
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B. Licensed providers such as physicians, NPs and PAs, within state law — Medical assistants may not prescribe.

Question 5

A provider orders 500 mg of a drug. Tablets contain 250 mg each. How many tablets should be given?

  1. 4 tablets
  2. 1 tablet
  3. ½ tablet
  4. 2 tablets
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D. 2 tablets — 500 ÷ 250 = 2.

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