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.
Q- A 28-year-old woman visits her physician for evaluation of bilateral proximal muscle weakness and muscle pain. Her symptoms started last week, and her pain is getting worse. Her records indicate alcohol abuse and cocaine addiction. She is HIV positive and she takes zidovudine. She also takes simvastatin for hypercholesterolemia. A muscle biopsy shows significant … Read more
Q- A 43-year-old man presents to the ER with an excruciating chest pain radiating to his jaw and left shoulder. The patient is in moderate distress. Examination reveals a small nodule in his right Achilles tendon. Family history indicates that his father died of a heart attack in the age of 45. His laboratory tests … Read more
Q- A 58-year-old woman with hyperlipidemia has been taking simvastatin for the past 6 months. She recently started drinking a large glass of grapefruit juice every morning. Two weeks later, she presents with diffuse muscle pain and weakness. Laboratory studies reveal a markedly elevated creatine kinase (CK) level. Which of the following best explains the … Read more