Federal Requirements is 18.75% of the scored PTCE (the PTCB exam). Answer 10 exam style questions on DEA forms and controlled substance inventory and see exactly which concepts would cost you points on test day.
Start the 10 questions →A pharmacy wants to stop using paper forms and order its Schedule II drugs electronically. Which system is the DEA-approved electronic equivalent of DEA Form 222?
These questions cover DEA ordering: CSOS, DEA Form 222: authorized signers, ordering Schedule III to V, record retention: federal and theft or loss: notification timing. 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: C. CSOS lets DEA registrants order controlled substances electronically using a DEA-issued digital certificate. It can be used for any schedule and is the only electronic method allowed for Schedule I and II orders, with the same legal standing as a paper DEA Form 222.
Why not A: A PDMP is a state database of dispensed controlled substance prescriptions. It is not an ordering system.
Why not B: EPCS lets prescribers send controlled substance prescriptions electronically. It is not used to order stock.
Why not D: ARCOS is a DEA reporting system used by manufacturers and distributors to report transactions. Pharmacies do not order through it.
Exam tactic: Order C-II on paper = Form 222. Order C-II electronically = CSOS.
Answer: B. Only the person who signed the most recent registration application (the registrant) or an individual granted power of attorney by the registrant may sign DEA Form 222. A technician without a power of attorney cannot sign it.
Why not A: Being on staff gives no authority to sign. A specific power of attorney from the registrant is required.
Why not C: Certification or training does not authorize signing. Only the registrant or a power-of-attorney holder may sign.
Why not D: A wholesaler's confirmation does not grant authority. Even a pharmacist needs to be the registrant or hold a power of attorney.
Exam tactic: Form 222 signer = registrant or power of attorney. Nobody else.
Answer: D. Schedule III to V drugs do not need DEA Form 222 or CSOS. The supplier's invoice or packing slip, with the date of receipt recorded, serves as the receiving record and must be kept for at least 2 years.
Why not A: Form 222 is required only for Schedule I and II substances.
Why not B: Form 106 reports theft or significant loss, not routine purchases.
Why not C: Form 41 documents destruction of controlled substances, not receipt.
Exam tactic: C-III to C-V purchases = invoice. C-I/C-II purchases = Form 222 or CSOS.
Answer: B. Federal rules require controlled substance records, including executed Form 222 copies, inventories and dispensing records, to be kept for at least 2 years and be available for DEA inspection. States may require longer.
Why not A: 1 year is shorter than the federal minimum of 2 years.
Why not C: 5 years is longer than the federal requirement, though some state or payer rules may ask for it.
Why not D: 7 years is not the federal controlled substance record rule.
Exam tactic: Federal DEA records = 2 years. If a state says longer, follow the stricter rule.
Answer: A. 21 CFR 1301.76(b) requires written notice of theft or significant loss to the local DEA Field Division Office within one business day of discovery. DEA Form 106 is then completed and submitted.
Why not B: 7 days is the deadline for a prescriber to deliver the written prescription after an emergency oral C-II order, not a theft notice.
Why not C: 72 hours applies to completing a C-II partial fill when the pharmacy is short of stock, not to theft reporting.
Why not D: Waiting for the biennial inventory is far too late. Theft must be reported within one business day.
Exam tactic: Theft or significant loss: notify DEA in writing within 1 business day, then Form 106.
Answer: C. DEA Form 41 records the controlled substances destroyed by a registrant, including drug name, strength, quantity and method of destruction, and is signed by witnesses.
Why not A: Form 106 reports theft or significant loss, not intentional destruction.
Why not B: Form 222 is used to order or transfer Schedule I and II drugs.
Why not D: Form 224 is the registration application for pharmacies and practitioners.
Exam tactic: 41 = destroyed. 106 = stolen or lost.
Answer: A. The DEA requires a biennial inventory: a complete inventory of all controlled substances at least every 2 years after the initial inventory. It may be taken on any date within 2 years of the previous one.
Why not B: Annual counts are common company or state policy, but the federal rule is every 2 years.
Why not C: 3 years is the DEA registration period for pharmacies, not the inventory interval.
Why not D: An inventory is needed at a change of ownership, but the biennial inventory is required regardless.
Exam tactic: Biennial = every 2 years.
Answer: A. Schedule I and II controlled substances must be counted exactly during an inventory, whether the container is opened or sealed.
Why not B: Estimates are allowed only for Schedule III to V, and never for Schedule II.
Why not C: Every Schedule II tablet must be counted. Recording 'opened' is not an inventory.
Why not D: Weighing does not give an exact count. Schedule II requires a physical exact count.
Exam tactic: C-II = exact count. Always.
Answer: C. For Schedule III to V, an opened container may be estimated, unless the container holds more than 1,000 tablets or capsules, in which case an exact count is required. A 500-count bottle can be estimated.
Why not A: Exact counts are required for Schedule I and II, not for every schedule.
Why not B: Opened C-III to C-V containers may be estimated unless they hold more than 1,000 units.
Why not D: All schedules must be inventoried. Only the counting method differs.
Exam tactic: C-III to C-V open bottle: estimate, unless the container holds more than 1,000 units.
Answer: B. Federal rules require the inventory to state the date and whether it was taken at the beginning or close of business, so the count matches the day's transactions.
Why not A: Invoices are separate receiving records. They are not part of the inventory record.
Why not C: Stock on the shelf is not linked to patients. Patient names belong in dispensing records.
Why not D: No DEA approval of the inventory date is needed. The registrant chooses the date.
Exam tactic: Inventory = date + opening or close of business + counts.
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