Pediatric Pharmacy Sample Examination Items

These sample examination items are made available by BPS for the purposes of familiarizing certification candidates and other stakeholders with the structure and format of BPS certification examinations. This is not meant for use as a self-assessment. Performance on any of these items does not correlate with performance on the actual examination.

The content of these examples is meant to be illustrative of actual examination items, but these items do not appear on the certification examination and are not meant to identify the scope of the examination. For a more comprehensive indication of the scope of each certification examination, please refer to the Exam Content Outline for each specialty area.

Examination items are in multiple-choice format. The great majority of examination items are multiple-choice with a single response from among four options. Some examinations may include a small percentage of items that require selection of multiple (three or four) responses from among a larger set of available (up to eight) options. Examinations items may also be supplemented by an image.

Using the Mosteller equation, what is the estimated body surface area of a 6-year-old patient who is 122 cm tall and weighs 24 kg?

0.7 m²

0.8 m²

0.9 m²

1.0 m²

Correct!

Incorrect!

A 10-month-old infant who weighs 8 kg is admitted to the pediatric ICU after a cardiac surgical procedure. The physician orders the fluids to run at 50% maintenance. At which rate should the infant's intravenous fluids be infused?

8 mL/hr

17 mL/hr

24 mL/hr

33 mL/hr

Correct!

Incorrect!

A 3-year-old child presents to a pediatrician with a 4-day history of an upper respiratory tract infection. During the past 24 hours, the child has a worsening cough and increased nasal discharge. The child has a fever of 39.5°C and a respiratory rate of 38 bpm. The child is healthy otherwise and has no known drug allergies. Which treatment is most appropriate for this child?

Amoxicillin

Azithromycin

Cefdinir

Oseltamivir

Correct!

Incorrect!

A patient with asthma in the emergency department is still in distress after receiving three treatments of albuterol/ipratropium and methylprednisolone 1 mg/kg. Which adjunctive therapy would be most appropriate?

Aminophylline 1 mg/kg/hr continuous intravenous infusion

Dornase alfa 2.5 mg nebulized

Magnesium sulfate 50 mg/kg intravenously over 20 minutes

Terbutaline 0.1 mcg/kg/min continuous intravenous infusion

Correct!

Incorrect!

A 4-year-old child presents to the emergency department with altered mental status, a 2-week history of weight loss, and abdominal pain with vomiting. Initial laboratory results include:

Na	150 mEq/L
K	4.1 mEq/L
Cl	100 mEq/L
HCO₃^-	4 mEq/L
BUN	25 mg/dL
SCr	1.2 mg/dL
Glucose	459 mg/dL
Venous pH	6.9

Which treatment should be initiated first to treat this child's underlying illness?

0.9% sodium chloride bolus of 20 mL/kg over one hour

Insulin lispro subcutaneously at 0.2 units/kg

Regular insulin intravenously at 0.1 units/kg/hr

Sodium bicarbonate bolus 2 mEq/kg

Correct!

Incorrect!

An 8-year-old child reports leg swelling and decreased urine output. Urinalysis is significant for 500 ng/dL protein and positive for nitrite. A renal biopsy shows focal segmental glomerulosclerosis. Which initial treatment is most appropriate for this child?

Cyclophosphamide

Plasmapheresis

Prednisone

Tacrolimus

Correct!

Incorrect!

Which is the most appropriate first-line treatment for functional constipation in a 1-year-old child?

Magnesium hydroxide

Mineral oil

Polyethylene glycol (PEG)

Sodium phosphate enema

Correct!

Incorrect!

A 16-day-old full-term neonate presents to the emergency department with seizures. Sepsis and meningitis are suspected, and cultures are obtained. Which antibiotic regimen is most appropriate for this neonate?

Cefotaxime and ampicillin

Cefotaxime and gentamicin

Ceftriaxone and ampicillin

Clindamycin and gentamicin

Correct!

Incorrect!

Which alternative therapy has shown effectiveness in treating irritable bowel syndrome in pediatric patients?

Oral tea tree oil

Sucrose and lactose restriction

Dietary avoidance of dyes, preservatives, and gluten

Fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols (FODMAP) diet

Correct!

Incorrect!

Which category is described as "Error, Death" by the National Coordinating Council for Medication Error Reporting and Prevention (NCC MERP)?

Category D

Category E

Category F

Category I

Correct!

Incorrect!

Which is an accurate statement regarding permission for patient participation in a study?

A patient can give assent only if he or she is at least 16 years old.

A patient could be enrolled in the study if at least one parent gives assent.

Consent is required from both parents if the patient does not give assent and the study is considered to have minimal risk.

Consent from one or both parents is required depending on the risk involved in the study, and assent is required from patients old enough to understand the study.

Correct!

Incorrect!

A new diagnostic test to be used in children has been developed. The clinical testing reveals the following:

True positive	145
False positive	30
True negative	50
False negative	5

What is the positive predictive value for this test?

33%

83%

91%

97%

Correct!

Incorrect!

Share the quiz to show your results !

Subscribe to see your results

Pediatric Pharmacy Sample Questions

I got %%score%% of %%total%% right

%%description%%