RRB Pharmacist Cheat Sheet

Reference

CEN 05/2026; check official updates

Questions

100 objective CBT questions

Duration

90 minutes; eligible PwBD 120

Indicative section questions

70 professional; 10/10/10 common

Wrong answer

One-third allotted mark deducted

UR/EWS minimum

40%

OBC(NCL)/SC and ST minimum

30% and 25% respectively

PwBD relaxation

Conditional 2 marks; not selection guarantee

Age

20–35 as of 1 January 2027

Medical

C2 standard; official assessment required

Fee

₹500 general; ₹250 specified concessions

Recruitment status

Check unified official RRB notices

Coverage

50 cards are selected, partial revision

Dragendorff orange; Mayer cream; Wagner brown; Hager yellow

Formulation determines heat/sterilization suitability

1. Paracetamol overdose, even late→Assess NAC indication promptly(No automatic 8-hour exclusion)
2. Organophosphate respiratory secretions→Atropine with ventilation/decontamination(Pupils alone are not endpoint)
3. INH patient at neuropathy risk→Use preventive pyridoxine guidance(Population and regimen still matter)
4. Troponin above reference limit→Identify myocardial injury(MI also requires ischemic evidence)
5. Possible medicine-related harm→Document and report suspected ADR(Proof of causation not prerequisite)

Paracetamol overdose

NAC supports glutathione; early treatment matters

Late overdose presentation

Assess treatment; no 8-hour exclusion

Organophosphate bronchorrhea

Atropine; ventilation; safe decontamination

Pralidoxime

Enzyme reactivation before agent-dependent aging

ACE-inhibitor cough

Bradykinin accumulation; assess alternatives

Isoniazid neuropathy prevention

Risk-based pyridoxine; not universal dosing

Phenytoin

Capacity-limited metabolism; nonlinear dose–concentration relationship

Vinca alkaloids

Inhibit tubulin assembly

Taxanes

Stabilize microtubules against disassembly

Experimental pharmacology

Controls and ethical approval constrain inference

III VII IX X plus S2–S4

Statutory lists; other laws may overlap

1. Schedule H1 retail supply→Separate register; 3 years
2. Schedule X prescription→Retain duplicate copy 2 years
3. Ordinary retail/wholesale sale→Forms 20/20B(Excludes C, C(1) and X)
4. C/C(1) retail/wholesale sale→Forms 21/21B(Excludes Schedule X)
5. Pharmacist annual retention→Follow council process before 1 April(Where directed; fee is council-specific)
6. Historical 1955 excise question→Distinguish historical scheme from repeal(CGST section 174; savings apply)

Powder fineness

Edition-specific sieve apertures and passing fractions

Low HLB

More lipophilic; W/O tendency

Higher HLB

More hydrophilic; O/W tendency

Capping

Tablet crown separates

Lamination

Tablet separates into layers

Type I glass

Borosilicate; high hydrolytic resistance

Glass suitability

Formulation compatibility; not route alone

Lyophilization

Freezing; sublimation; desorption

Dissolution versus disintegration

Drug entering solution versus tablet breakup

Suspension sedimentation

Particle size, viscosity and density matter

Engineering heat transfer

Conduction, convection and radiation differ

Industrial scale-up

Validate process; preserve critical quality attributes

Niacin: dermatitis diarrhea dementia; B12: anemia plus neurologic risk

Historical levy; current repeal and savings

1. Positive Benedict urine test→Consider reducing substances(Not specific for glucose)
2. Negative urine nitroprusside result→Do not exclude DKA(Beta-hydroxybutyrate detection is inadequate)
3. Colored alkaloid precipitate→Treat as preliminary screening(Not a specific identity assay)
4. Batch passes finished testing→Still assess QA/GMP compliance(Testing alone cannot assure every attribute)
5. Analytical result outside specification→Investigate through approved procedure(Do not discard inconvenient results)

Limit test

Compare with specified reference preparation

Iron thioglycolic method

Colored ferrous complex; monograph-specific conditions

Procaine

Ester; PABA-related metabolites possible

Lidocaine

Amide; mainly hepatic metabolism

Articaine

Amide with additional ester group

Sterilization suitability

Licensed formulation; not class label

Phenothiazine SAR

Series-dependent trends; not universal exclusions

Aluminum antacids

Constipation tendency; renal accumulation risk

Magnesium antacids

Diarrhea tendency; renal accumulation risk

Chromatography

Separates through differential phase interactions

Calibration

Relates signal to reference concentrations

Analytical validation

Specificity, accuracy, precision and range

Cost priority and clinical priority differ

Dragendorff reagent

Orange-red alkaloid precipitate; screening only

Mayer reagent

Creamy-white alkaloid precipitate; screening only

Wagner reagent

Reddish-brown alkaloid precipitate; screening only

Hager reagent

Yellow alkaloid precipitate; screening only

Borntrager principle

Anthraquinone-associated colored alkaline phase

Modified Borntrager

Some resistant C-glycosides need modification

Digitalis lanata

Digoxin association; Plantaginaceae

Digitalis purpurea

Digitoxin association; older family names differ

Herbal standardization

Identity, content, contaminants and consistency

Adulteration

Substitution or contamination compromises quality

Nutraceutical claim

Not automatic drug approval or efficacy

Dietary supplements

Interactions and dose-related harms remain possible

Schedule H1

Separate supply register; retain 3 years

Schedule X

Duplicate prescription; retain copy 2 years

Schedule G

Specified medical-supervision caution

Schedule M

Current pharmaceutical GMP requirements

Schedule P

Listed shelf life and storage

Schedule T

Ayurvedic, Siddha and Unani GMP

Forms 20 and 20B

Ordinary retail and wholesale respectively

Forms 21 and 21B

C/C(1); X excluded21 retail; 21B wholesale; X excluded

Pharmacy Act section 34

Retention fee before 1 AprilWhere state annual-renewal direction applies

1955 excise Act

Repealed by CGST section 174Historical syllabus terminology; statutory savings

Clinical trials/new drugs

NDCT Rules 2019 defined scope

Marketing authorization

Product-specific permission; not promotional proof

Benedict test

Reducing substances; not glucose-specific

Nitroprusside ketones

Does not adequately detect beta-hydroxybutyrate

Pernicious anemia

Autoimmune intrinsic-factor-related B12 malabsorption

Other B12 deficiency

Dietary, intestinal, surgical and medicine causes

Troponin elevation

Myocardial injury; not automatically infarction

Acute MI diagnosis

Acute injury plus evidence of ischemia

Proximal tubule

Major reabsorption; glucose transport saturates

GFR

Varies with age, size and disease

SA node

Normally fastest spontaneous pacemaker

Parasympathetic outflow

III, VII, IX, X; S2–S4

Biopharmaceutics

Dosage form affects drug availability

Half-life interpretation

Model and elimination conditions matter

Unit-dose system

Patient-specific packaged doses; interval varies

P&T committee

Formulary and safe medication-use governance

Automatic stop orders

Approved policy; clinical review and notification

ABC analysis

Annual consumption value; bands are illustrative

VED analysis

Vital, essential, desirable clinical criticality

EOQ assumptions

Stable demand/costs; consistent time units

EOQ formula

Square root of 2DS/H

Current ratio

Current assets / current liabilities

Quick ratio

Liquid current assets / current liabilities

Ratios limitation

Benchmarks do not guarantee solvency

Reduced-osmolarity ORS

245 mOsm/L when correctly prepared

ORS sachet dilution

Use the specified water volume

Sterilization versus disinfection

All viable microbes versus reduction targets

Asepsis

Prevents contamination; not a sterilization guarantee

Gram classification

Cell-wall staining distinction; not susceptibility proof

Antimicrobial stewardship

Appropriate agent, indication, dose and duration

Culture result

Interpret with clinical sampling context

Vaccine mechanism

Induces active immune response

Antibody administration

Provides passive immunity

Biologic quality

Identity, purity, potency and consistency

Biotechnology product

Manufacturing changes can affect attributes

Environmental pharmacy

Prevent unsafe medicine and waste disposal

Quality assurance

System preventing quality failures

Quality control

Sampling/testing against specifications

GMP documentation

Traceable, contemporaneous and controlled records

Deviation investigation

Assess cause, impact and corrective action

Change control

Evaluate and approve changes prospectively

Pharmacovigilance

Detect, assess and prevent medicine harms

ADR signal

Possible association; not causation proof

Random allocation

Reduces systematic allocation differences

Blinding

Reduces selected observation/performance biases

P value

Not probability hypothesis is true

Confidence interval

Method-dependent estimate uncertainty range

Informed consent

Voluntary, informed participation; ethics oversight

Bioavailability

Rate/extent reaching systemic circulation

First-pass effect

Presystemic metabolism can reduce availability

Controlled release

Designed release; do not crush automatically

Targeted delivery

Intended selectivity; not guaranteed exclusivity

Liposome

Lipid-bilayer vesicle carrier

DNA versus RNA

Deoxyribose versus ribose nucleic acids

Transcription

DNA information copied into RNA

Translation

mRNA information guides protein synthesis

Computer-aided drug design

Models support hypotheses; require validation

Cosmetic versus medicine

Intended claims/function affect regulatory classification

Pharma marketing ethics

Accurate claims; avoid unsupported superiority

Computer applications

Validate calculations and protect patient data

1. 1.CBT: 100 questions, 90 minutes
2. 2.Indicative Professional Ability: 70 marks
3. 3.Indicative common sections: 10 marks each
4. 4.Wrong answer deducts one-third mark
5. 5.Eligible PwBD time: 120 minutes
6. 6.UR/EWS minimum: 40%
7. 7.OBC(NCL)/SC minimum: 30%
8. 8.ST minimum: 25%
9. 9.Conditional PwBD relaxation: 2 marks
10. 10.H1 register: retain 3 years
11. 11.X prescription copy: retain 2 years
12. 12.Troponin injury does not prove MI
13. 13.NAC has no 8-hour exclusion
14. 14.ORS osmolarity: 245 mOsm/L
15. 15.Series resistances add
16. 16.Parallel conductances add
17. 17.25% markup/20% discount: break-even
18. 18.Annual CI compounds interest on interest
19. 19.Simple interest excludes interest on interest
20. 20.Equal-speed trains have zero relative speed