APC Pharmaceutical Calculations 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A patient requires 250 mg of amoxicillin. The oral suspension is labeled 125 mg/5 mL. How many mL should be given per dose?
- 5 mL
- 10 mL (Correct answer)
- 15 mL
- 20 mL
Correct answer: 10 mL
Using ratio-proportion: (250 mg ÷ 125 mg) × 5 mL = 10 mL per dose.
Question 2: A prescription calls for 2.5% w/w hydrocortisone cream. How many grams of hydrocortisone are contained in a 100 g tube?
- 0.25 g
- 2.5 g (Correct answer)
- 25 g
- 0.025 g
Correct answer: 2.5 g
A 2.5% w/w preparation contains 2.5 g of solute per 100 g of product.
Question 3: A 60 kg patient requires 5 mg/kg/day of tobramycin. What is the total daily dose?
- 150 mg
- 200 mg
- 300 mg (Correct answer)
- 250 mg
Correct answer: 300 mg
Total dose = 60 kg × 5 mg/kg = 300 mg/day.
Question 4: A 1 in 1000 solution of epinephrine contains how many milligrams per milliliter?
- 0.1 mg/mL
- 1 mg/mL (Correct answer)
- 10 mg/mL
- 0.01 mg/mL
Correct answer: 1 mg/mL
1 in 1000 means 1 g per 1000 mL, which equals 1 mg per mL.
Question 5: You need to prepare 200 mL of a 2% solution from a 10% stock solution. How many mL of the stock solution are required?
- 20 mL
- 40 mL (Correct answer)
- 60 mL
- 80 mL
Correct answer: 40 mL
Using C1V1 = C2V2: 10% × V1 = 2% × 200 mL, so V1 = 40 mL.
Question 6: A tablet contains 0.5 mg of colchicine. A prescription requires 1.5 mg per dose. How many tablets should be given per dose?
- 1 tablet
- 2 tablets
- 3 tablets (Correct answer)
- 4 tablets
Correct answer: 3 tablets
1.5 mg ÷ 0.5 mg per tablet = 3 tablets per dose.
Question 7: A pediatric suspension is labeled 250 mg/5 mL. What is its concentration expressed in mg/mL?
- 25 mg/mL
- 50 mg/mL (Correct answer)
- 100 mg/mL
- 5 mg/mL
Correct answer: 50 mg/mL
250 mg ÷ 5 mL = 50 mg/mL.
APC Pharmaceutical Calculations 1
A patient requires 250 mg of amoxicillin.
The oral suspension is labeled 125 mg/5 mL.
How many mL should be given per dose?