Free Questions and Answers for All Medical Students all over the World
Start here: practice all 87 questions on one page in our USMLE Pharmacology Question Bank, organized by system.
Pharmacology is one of the highest-yield subjects on USMLE Step 1, and it appears in almost every system block. This page collects all of our pharmacology practice questions in one place.
High-yield pharmacology topics to master
• Mechanisms of action – know the target (receptor, enzyme or channel) for every major drug class.
• Classic side effects – ACE inhibitor cough, hydralazine lupus, amiodarone pulmonary fibrosis, aminoglycoside nephro- and ototoxicity.
• Drug interactions – CYP450 inducers (rifampin, carbamazepine) and inhibitors, warfarin interactions, digoxin and hypokalemia.
• Antidotes and toxicity – N-acetylcysteine, dantrolene, vitamin K and heparin-induced thrombocytopenia.
• Autonomic pharmacology – alpha and beta agonists and blockers, cholinergic and anticholinergic drugs.
Try each question before opening the answer, then read the explanation even when you get it right. Each post has 3–8 exam-style questions with answers and short explanations written by Dr. Ray Makar.
Want hundreds more? See the Repeated USMLE Questions eBook series on Amazon.
A 30-year-old man with a history of recurrent generalized tonic-clonic seizures visits his psychiatrist to refill his prescriptions. He complains of recent diplopia and ataxia. His doctor thinks that these new symptoms are related to one of his medications. Which of these drugs is most likely responsible for these new symptoms? A-Acetazolamide B-Carbamazepine C-Clonazepam D-Ethosuximide … Read more
A 64-year-old man arrives to the emergency room after recurrent vomiting of blood for the last 2 hours. He recently underwent right hip replacement and had taken heparin to prevent thromboembolic complications. Internal bleeding is suspected and treatment with protamine has begun. What kind of antagonism is related to this treatment? A- Chemical B- Competitive … Read more
Q- A group of drugs that bind to a receptor but do not produce any pharmacological effect is called Which one of the following? A- Agonist B- Antagonist C- Partial agonist Q- Which one of the following amines is permanently charged? A- Primary amines B- Secondary amines C- Tertiary amines D- Quaternary amines Q- Administration … Read more
A 26-year-old man complains of cough, night fever, loss of weight, anorexia and night sweats for six weeks presents to his physician. Physical examination reveals vital signs within normal limits except for slight fever. Chest x-ray shows a small cavity in the right middle lobe and enlarged bronchopulmonary lymph nodes. Blood analysis reveals lymphocytosis and … Read more
A 45-year-old man who was diagnosed with malaria and received anti-malarial medication presents to the office with progressive fatigue and loss of appetite. He also mentions that he noticed that his urine has become dark lately. Urinalysis is positive for both bilirubin and urobilinogen. Blood studies show serum total bilirubin of 4.3 mg/dL, hemoglobin concentration … Read more
A 21-year-old medical student with a history of asthma presents to the clinic for medication refill. He discussed with his physician the pros and cons of treatment with theophylline. One of the disadvantages of using theophylline is low toxic threshold. Which of these drugs is used to treat theophylline toxicity? A-Albuterol B-Atenolol C- Digoxin D-Epinephrine … Read more