Federal Requirements is 18.75% of the scored PTCE (the PTCB exam). Answer 10 exam style questions on controlled substance schedules and see exactly which concepts would cost you points on test day.
Start the 10 questions →A patient brings in a prescription for hydrocodone/acetaminophen 5 mg/325 mg tablets for post-surgical pain. In which federal schedule is this product?
These questions cover schedules: opioid combinations, schedules: Schedule I, schedules: sedative-hypnotics, schedules: Schedule V and schedules: anabolic steroids. Each one shows the correct answer and why every other option is wrong, so a miss tells you exactly what to review before the PTCE.
Prefer to read first? Every question from the practice set above, with the correct answer and why each wrong option is wrong.
Answer: A. Since October 2014 all hydrocodone combination products, including hydrocodone/acetaminophen, are federally Schedule II. They follow C-II rules: no refills and ordering on DEA Form 222 or CSOS.
Why not B: Hydrocodone combinations were Schedule III before the 2014 rescheduling. That rule no longer applies.
Why not C: Schedule IV holds drugs such as benzodiazepines and tramadol, not hydrocodone.
Why not D: Schedule V holds low-abuse products such as pregabalin and some codeine cough syrups.
Exam tactic: Every hydrocodone product = C-II. Do not fall for the old C-III answer.
Answer: C. Heroin is a Schedule I substance: high abuse potential and no currently accepted medical use in US treatment. Schedule I drugs cannot be prescribed or dispensed by a pharmacy.
Why not A: Cocaine is Schedule II because it has an accepted medical use as a topical anesthetic.
Why not B: Methadone is Schedule II. It is used for pain and, in opioid treatment programs, for opioid use disorder.
Why not D: Fentanyl is Schedule II. It is used medically in patches, injections and other forms.
Exam tactic: C-I = no accepted medical use. Any drug a pharmacy can legally fill is C-II or lower.
Answer: B. Zolpidem is a federal Schedule IV controlled substance, like the benzodiazepines. Up to 5 refills within 6 months are allowed under federal law.
Why not A: Schedule II holds drugs such as oxycodone and amphetamine. Zolpidem has a lower abuse potential.
Why not C: Schedule III holds drugs such as buprenorphine, testosterone and codeine combination tablets.
Why not D: Schedule V holds drugs such as pregabalin. Zolpidem sits one schedule higher.
Exam tactic: Benzos and the Z-drugs (zolpidem, eszopiclone) = C-IV.
Answer: D. Pregabalin (Lyrica) is federally Schedule V, the schedule with the lowest abuse potential among controlled substances.
Why not A: Lorazepam is a benzodiazepine in Schedule IV.
Why not B: Testosterone is an anabolic steroid in Schedule III.
Why not C: Methylphenidate is a stimulant in Schedule II.
Exam tactic: Common C-V: pregabalin, lacosamide, diphenoxylate/atropine, low-dose codeine cough syrups.
Answer: D. Testosterone is an anabolic steroid. The Anabolic Steroid Control Act of 1990 placed anabolic steroids in Schedule III.
Why not A: Schedule II is for high-abuse drugs such as opioids and amphetamines, not anabolic steroids.
Why not B: Schedule IV holds benzodiazepines and similar drugs. Anabolic steroids are one schedule higher.
Why not C: Schedule V is the lowest schedule. Anabolic steroids are not placed there.
Exam tactic: Anabolic steroids (testosterone) = C-III.
Answer: B. Codeine combined with a non-narcotic ingredient such as acetaminophen, at not more than 90 mg codeine per dosage unit, is Schedule III. Plain codeine as a single ingredient is Schedule II.
Why not A: Single-ingredient codeine is Schedule II, but the combination tablet with acetaminophen is Schedule III.
Why not C: No codeine product is in Schedule IV.
Why not D: Schedule V covers low-concentration codeine liquids, such as cough syrups, not 30 mg codeine tablets.
Exam tactic: Codeine: alone = C-II, tablets with acetaminophen = C-III, cough syrups = C-V.
Answer: C. Lisdexamfetamine is a Schedule II stimulant, like amphetamine salts and methylphenidate. Federal law prohibits refills of Schedule II prescriptions; a new prescription is needed for each fill.
Why not A: Lisdexamfetamine is not Schedule III. The 5-refill rule applies to C-III to C-V only.
Why not B: Schedule IV holds drugs such as benzodiazepines. ADHD stimulants are Schedule II.
Why not D: Lisdexamfetamine is a prodrug of dextroamphetamine and is federally controlled in Schedule II.
Exam tactic: ADHD stimulants (amphetamines, methylphenidate, lisdexamfetamine) = C-II, no refills.
Answer: B. Tramadol has been federally Schedule IV since August 2014. It follows C-IV rules, including the limit of 5 refills within 6 months.
Why not A: Schedule II holds opioids such as oxycodone and morphine. Tramadol was placed in Schedule IV.
Why not C: Schedule III holds buprenorphine and codeine combination tablets, not tramadol.
Why not D: Schedule V is lower than tramadol's actual federal schedule.
Exam tactic: Tramadol = C-IV, the opioid exception to remember.
Answer: D. Buprenorphine products, including buprenorphine/naloxone, are federally Schedule III. Refills are allowed under C-III rules (up to 5 within 6 months).
Why not A: Many opioids are Schedule II, but buprenorphine is a partial agonist placed in Schedule III.
Why not B: Schedule IV holds tramadol and benzodiazepines, not buprenorphine.
Why not C: Schedule V is reserved for lower-abuse products such as pregabalin.
Exam tactic: Buprenorphine = C-III. Methadone = C-II.
Answer: A. Phentermine, an anorectic stimulant, is federally Schedule IV. Unlike the ADHD amphetamines, it is not Schedule II.
Why not B: Amphetamine-type ADHD drugs are Schedule II, but phentermine has a lower abuse potential and is Schedule IV.
Why not C: Schedule III holds drugs such as anabolic steroids and buprenorphine.
Why not D: Schedule V is for drugs such as pregabalin, not anorectic stimulants.
Exam tactic: Phentermine = C-IV, even though it is a stimulant.
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