About this test
Medications is Domain 1 of the PTCE and the single largest slice of the exam: 35% of the 2026 content outline. It covers generic names, brand names and classifications, therapeutic duplications, drug interactions and contraindications, dosage forms and routes of administration, side effects, indications, drug stability, and proper storage.
This 30-question practice test samples every one of those knowledge areas. If you can score consistently above 80% here, you've secured the biggest scoring opportunity on the whole exam.
New to the material? Work through our 2026 PTCB study guide first, then reinforce it with the top 200 drugs list by class.
What's in the question bank
| Topic | Questions in bank |
|---|---|
| Drug Class | 19 |
| Brand Generic | 13 |
| Storage | 10 |
| Interactions | 10 |
| Side Effects | 7 |
| Expiration | 7 |
| Contraindications | 7 |
| Indication | 6 |
Key concepts to know
Brand ↔ generic fluency
The exam expects instant recognition in both directions (atorvastatin is Lipitor, Lipitor is atorvastatin) plus the drug's class and primary indication. Drill the highest-dispensed drugs first; they appear most often in practice.
Interactions and contraindications
Focus on the common, high-stakes pairs: warfarin with NSAIDs, MAOIs with SSRIs, nitrates with PDE-5 inhibitors, and interactions involving supplements like St. John's wort. The 2026 outline explicitly includes drug-supplement, drug-laboratory and drug-disease interactions.
Storage and stability
Know refrigeration ranges (2-8°C for most vaccines and insulins), which products must be protected from light, reconstitution beyond-use dates, and which insulins are stable at room temperature after first use.
Medications Practice Test: FAQ
How much of the PTCE is about medications?
Under the content outline effective January 6, 2026, the Medications domain is 35% of the exam: roughly 32 of the 90 questions. It was 40% under the previous outline, so older study guides overstate it slightly.
Do I need to memorize the top 200 drugs?
You don't need all 200, but strong brand/generic/class recall for the most-dispensed drugs is expected. Pair this test with our dedicated Top 200 Drugs quiz for focused drilling.
Official sources checked
This quiz's content and explanations are built from and cross-checked against primary sources. Verify current exam facts directly with PTCB.