20 Personnel, Hygiene & Garbing Practice Questions & Answers

1. 1. A technician performs hand hygiene, garbs, dons sterile gloves, and immediately presses the pads of the fingers and thumb of each hand onto sampling plates. Several colonies grow. What does this result primarily demonstrate?

   • A.Hand hygiene, garbing, or glove donning contaminated the gloves.✓ Answer
   • B.Aseptic technique inside the primary engineering control was faulty.
   • C.The sterile gloves were already damaged inside their sterile packaging.
   • D.The room's air handling failed to meet its air quality requirement.

   Gloved fingertip and thumb sampling is taken immediately after garbing and before any compounding, so the only process it can judge is the personnel preparation sequence itself. Growth means organisms from the skin, the garb, or the surroundings reached the glove surface during hand hygiene, garbing, or glove donning; aseptic manipulation is evaluated separately by a media-fill test.

   Source: USP General Chapter <797> Pharmaceutical Compounding — Sterile Preparations, gloved fingertip and thumb sampling after garbingReport a problem with this question

2. 2. After the required incubation, one container from a technician's media-fill test shows visible turbidity. What does that finding indicate?

   • A.Only the final container-closure connection was performed poorly.
   • B.The growth medium was too rich in nutrients for a valid simulation.
   • C.The medium passed its labeled expiration date during the incubation.
   • D.The technician's overall aseptic process failed to maintain sterility.✓ Answer

   A media fill reproduces the full sequence of aseptic manipulations the technician normally performs, using a medium that will grow any organism introduced at any point. Visible turbidity therefore indicts the process as a whole rather than one identifiable step, which is why it triggers investigation and retraining instead of a single correction.

   Source: USP General Chapter <797> Pharmaceutical Compounding — Sterile Preparations, media-fill testing within aseptic manipulation competencyReport a problem with this question

3. 3. A technician fails the media-fill portion of an aseptic manipulation competency assessment. Which response best protects patients?

   • A.Let the technician keep compounding while a second observer rechecks the units.
   • B.Remove the technician from compounding until retraining and a passed reassessment.✓ Answer
   • C.Restrict the technician to preparations made entirely from sterile components.
   • D.Record the failure and wait for the next scheduled competency assessment.

   A failed assessment means the technician's aseptic process is unproven, and these preparations are injected into patients, so the person stays out of compounding until the cause is investigated, retraining is completed, and the assessment is repeated successfully. The removal is protective rather than punitive, and the investigation, the corrective action, and the reassessment are all documented.

   Source: USP General Chapter <797> Pharmaceutical Compounding — Sterile Preparations, personnel competency failure, investigation and retrainingReport a problem with this question

4. 4. A newly hired technician has finished the didactic training and is scheduled to compound today under the direct supervision of an experienced compounder. Which statement applies?

   • A.The garbing and hand hygiene competency must be passed before any compounding.✓ Answer
   • B.Direct supervision substitutes for the garbing competency until a media fill is done.
   • C.Only the didactic knowledge assessment is required before handling components.
   • D.Supervised compounding may begin now, with the garbing competency due later.

   Garbing and hand hygiene competency must be demonstrated successfully before the person compounds at all, supervised or not, because garbing is the barrier that keeps human-borne organisms away from the critical site. Supervision watches technique but does not replace documented evidence that this individual can garb and glove without contaminating the gloves.

   Source: USP General Chapter <797> Pharmaceutical Compounding — Sterile Preparations, initial garbing competency before compoundingReport a problem with this question

5. 5. To complete a technician's initial garbing and gloved fingertip qualification, an evaluator watches the technician garb one time and then has them touch several sets of sampling plates in succession. Why does this not satisfy the requirement?

   • A.Each qualifying evaluation needs its own full hand hygiene and garbing sequence.✓ Answer
   • B.Each set of plates must be read and signed by two independent trained observers.
   • C.All qualifying samples must be collected on one day and during a single shift.
   • D.Sampling plates may be touched only once by a given technician in a calendar day.

   The qualification is evidence that the person can repeat the whole personnel preparation sequence reliably, so each successful evaluation must consist of a complete hand hygiene and garbing procedure followed by its own sampling. Garbing once and then touching several sets of plates samples a single garbing event and proves nothing about repeatability.

   Source: USP General Chapter <797> Pharmaceutical Compounding — Sterile Preparations, initial garbing and hand hygiene competency evaluationsReport a problem with this question

6. 6. Gloved fingertip sampling plates are incubated first in the warmer temperature range and only afterward in the cooler range. Why is that order used?

   • A.Condensate would form in the cooler range and drip onto the agar surface.
   • B.Cool-first incubation can compromise recovery of the Gram-positive cocci people shed.✓ Answer
   • C.Bacteria and fungi cannot be recovered together on one general-growth plate.
   • D.Fungal spores germinate only if the warmer exposure comes at the very end.

   The organisms most likely to be recovered from gloved fingertips are the Gram-positive cocci shed from human skin, and beginning incubation in the cooler range can compromise their recovery. Starting warm recovers those bacteria first, and the later cooler interval then allows slower-growing fungi and molds to appear.

   Source: USP General Chapter <797> Pharmaceutical Compounding — Sterile Preparations, incubation of gloved fingertip and surface samplesReport a problem with this question

7. 7. A technician's aseptic manipulation assessment includes observed technique, a media fill, fingertip sampling after the media fill, and surface sampling of the direct compounding area. Technique and media fill pass, but the surface sample exceeds the facility's action level. How is the assessment recorded?

   • A.As inconclusive, with the whole assessment repeated at the next interval.
   • B.As a pass, because the media fill is the element that determines sterility.
   • C.As a failure of the entire aseptic manipulation competency assessment.✓ Answer
   • D.As a pass, with only the surface sampling element repeated at a later date.

   The aseptic manipulation competency is a bundle of elements — observation, media fill, fingertip sampling after the media fill, and surface sampling of the direct compounding area — and each one evidences a different way the process can fail. A deficiency in any single element fails the whole competency and triggers investigation, corrective action, and retraining.

   Source: USP General Chapter <797> Pharmaceutical Compounding — Sterile Preparations, elements of the aseptic manipulation competencyReport a problem with this question

8. 8. A technician arrives for a shift with a weeping skin lesion on one forearm and a productive cough. What does the standard require?

   • A.Leave the facility without notice and return once the lesion has healed.
   • B.Cover the lesion with a bandage, add a second mask, and compound as scheduled.
   • C.Report both conditions to the designated person, who decides on exclusion.✓ Answer
   • D.Limit the technician to non-hazardous preparations until the symptoms resolve.

   Conditions that increase shedding or the risk of transferring organisms — weeping sores, rashes, sunburn, conjunctivitis and active respiratory infections — must be reported to the designated person, who evaluates the risk and decides whether the person is excluded until it resolves. The technician does not make that judgement alone, and covering the problem in order to keep working is not acceptable.

   Source: USP General Chapter <797> Pharmaceutical Compounding — Sterile Preparations, personal health and reporting to the designated personReport a problem with this question

9. 9. A technician asks whether foundation makeup and eyelash extensions are acceptable, since the face is behind a mask anyway. What is the correct answer?

   • A.Both count as cosmetics and neither may be worn while compounding.✓ Answer
   • B.Both are acceptable because the face mask contains anything that sheds.
   • C.Both are acceptable while a full face shield is worn over the mask.
   • D.Makeup must be removed, but eyelash extensions may be left in place.

   Cosmetics, and eyelash extensions are treated as cosmetics, shed particles and microorganisms and are removed before entering the compounding area. A face mask does not stop that shedding from reaching the work surface, the garb, or the preparation itself.

   Source: USP General Chapter <797> Pharmaceutical Compounding — Sterile Preparations, personal hygiene requirements before entering the compounding areaReport a problem with this question

10. 10. A technician wears a wedding ring and has a dermal piercing on the forearm that cannot be removed. What must happen before entering the compounding area?

    • A.The ring must be removed and the piercing covered by a facility-approved method.✓ Answer
    • B.The ring may stay under the gloves, and the piercing must be removed.
    • C.Both may stay in place once the gown sleeve and gloves fully cover them.
    • D.The piercing must be removed, while the ring may remain during work.

    Hand, wrist and other exposed jewelry is removed because it harbors microorganisms, prevents effective hand hygiene, and can tear a glove; a wedding ring is not exempt. Jewelry that genuinely cannot be removed, such as a dermal piercing, is covered by a method the facility has defined so that it is contained.

    Source: USP General Chapter <797> Pharmaceutical Compounding — Sterile Preparations, removal of jewelry and covering of items that cannot be removedReport a problem with this question

11. 11. Which statement about food and confections in classified compounding areas is correct?

    • A.Only beverages are restricted; solid confections are treated separately.
    • B.Confections are allowed when a second mask is worn over the first one.
    • C.Mints and gum are allowed away from the workbench in the buffer room.
    • D.Mints and gum count as food and are excluded from classified areas.✓ Answer

    Food and drink are excluded from classified compounding areas, and mints, gum and candy are food: they are moved around in the mouth, can wet or dislodge the mask, and can fall onto the work surface or the floor. The exclusion applies throughout the area, not only at the workbench.

    Source: USP General Chapter <797> Pharmaceutical Compounding — Sterile Preparations, food and drink restrictions in classified areasReport a problem with this question

12. 12. Which statement about fingernails is correct for personnel who enter the sterile compounding area?

    • A.Clear polish is acceptable because it carries no pigment particles.
    • B.Nails must be clean and short, with no polish or artificial nails.✓ Answer
    • C.Artificial nails are acceptable whenever two pairs of gloves are worn.
    • D.Long natural nails are acceptable if scrubbed with a brush beforehand.

    Polish, extenders and artificial nails chip, harbor microorganisms in the space between the product and the nail, and can perforate a glove, so nails are kept clean and neatly trimmed. Wearing gloves does not make a contaminated or overlong nail surface acceptable, because the glove is what fails first.

    Source: USP General Chapter <797> Pharmaceutical Compounding — Sterile Preparations, nail requirements for compounding personnelReport a problem with this question

13. 13. At the start of hand hygiene, a technician picks up a stiff-bristled scrub brush to clean under the nails. What should be used instead?

    • A.A gauze pad moistened with the alcohol-based hand rub.
    • B.A folded low-lint towel drawn under the edge of each nail.
    • C.A reusable nylon brush stored dry beside the sink between uses.
    • D.A disposable nail cleaner used under warm running water.✓ Answer

    Visible debris under the nails is removed first, with a disposable nail cleaner under warm running water, because that space holds the highest microbial load on the hand. Brushes are not used for hand hygiene: scrubbing abrades the skin, which increases the shedding of microorganisms instead of reducing it.

    Source: USP General Chapter <797> Pharmaceutical Compounding — Sterile Preparations, hand hygiene procedureReport a problem with this question

14. 14. A technician has just washed the hands and forearms with soap and water at the anteroom sink. What is the correct next step?

    • A.Let the hands air dry on the way to the gowning bench nearby.
    • B.Dry the hands and forearms with the warm-air dryer beside the sink.
    • C.Dry the hands only and let the forearms dry inside the sleeves of the gown.
    • D.Dry hands and forearms to the elbows with low-lint disposable towels.✓ Answer

    Hands and forearms are washed up to the elbows and then dried the same way, using low-lint disposable towels or wipes so that fibers and organisms are not left on the skin. Hand dryers are not used in these areas because the moving air recirculates particles and can redeposit organisms on skin that was just cleaned.

    Source: USP General Chapter <797> Pharmaceutical Compounding — Sterile Preparations, hand hygiene and drying requirementsReport a problem with this question

15. 15. Where does an alcohol-based hand rub fit into personnel preparation for sterile compounding?

    • A.It is applied over the sterile gloves once the technician reaches the hood.
    • B.It replaces the soap-and-water wash when the hands are not visibly soiled.
    • C.It goes onto dry skin after gowning, and hands must dry before sterile gloves.✓ Answer
    • D.It is applied to wet hands right after rinsing and before the towels.

    The alcohol-based hand rub is applied after the gown is donned, onto skin that is already dry, and the hands must dry thoroughly before sterile gloves are put on. It supplements the soap-and-water wash rather than replacing it, and it is a different step from the sterile alcohol used to disinfect gloves already being worn.

    Source: USP General Chapter <797> Pharmaceutical Compounding — Sterile Preparations, hand hygiene and antiseptic hand rub before glovingReport a problem with this question

16. 16. A technician with a full beard reports to the anteroom wearing a head cover that leaves the ears exposed. What correction is needed?

    • A.A beard cover may be worn instead of the face mask by bearded staff.
    • B.Facial hair may stay uncovered when it is trimmed close to the skin.
    • C.The head cover must also cover the ears, and a beard cover is added.✓ Answer
    • D.The ears may stay exposed, since the face mask covers the lower face.

    The disposable head cover must contain all hair including the ears, and personnel with facial hair add a dedicated facial hair cover, because hair and the skin around the face shed particles and microorganisms continuously over the work area. The beard cover is worn in addition to the face mask, not as a substitute for it.

    Source: USP General Chapter <797> Pharmaceutical Compounding — Sterile Preparations, required garb including head, ear and facial hair coversReport a problem with this question

17. 17. A new technician asks in what order the garb items must be put on. What is the best answer?

    • A.In one nationally fixed order that starts with the gown and ends with shoe covers.
    • B.In any order the technician prefers, since sequence does not affect contamination.
    • C.In whatever order the facility's procedures set, dirtiest activities first.✓ Answer
    • D.In an order that always ends with the head cover, so hair is covered last.

    No single universal garbing sequence is imposed; the order and the location are set by the facility's written procedures according to its layout, sink placement and garb. What is required is that the sequence reduces contamination risk, moving from the dirtiest activities toward the cleanest, and that sterile gloves are donned in a classified area or a segregated compounding area.

    Source: USP General Chapter <797> Pharmaceutical Compounding — Sterile Preparations, order and location of donning garb established in facility proceduresReport a problem with this question

18. 18. While manipulating a vial inside the primary engineering control, a technician notices a tear in one glove. What is the correct response?

    • A.Pull a second sterile glove over the torn one and finish the preparation.
    • B.Spray the torn glove with sterile alcohol and complete the current unit.
    • C.Finish the unit in progress, then change gloves before the next one starts.
    • D.Stop work, repeat hand hygiene, re-glove, and evaluate the affected unit.✓ Answer

    A torn glove exposes skin and the organisms it sheds directly to the critical site, so the work is interrupted rather than finished. The technician leaves the airflow, repeats hand hygiene, dons fresh sterile gloves, and the preparation that was exposed to the breach is evaluated and generally discarded under facility policy; damaged garb is replaced immediately whenever its integrity is compromised.

    Source: USP General Chapter <797> Pharmaceutical Compounding — Sterile Preparations, replacement of garb when integrity is compromisedReport a problem with this question

19. 19. A technician moves from non-hazardous compounding to preparing a sterile hazardous drug. What does the hazardous workflow add to the garb?

    • A.A single thicker pair of gloves and a cloth laboratory coat over the usual gown.
    • B.A face shield in place of the face mask and a heavier pair of shoe covers.
    • C.Two chemotherapy-tested glove pairs, a back-closing gown, and extra shoe covers.✓ Answer
    • D.A second head cover and a respirator in place of the gown's closed cuffs.

    Hazardous drug compounding adds two pairs of chemotherapy gloves tested against the applicable standard, with the outer pair sterile for sterile preparations, a disposable non-permeable gown that closes in the back with closed cuffs, and a second pair of shoe covers that stays inside the containment area. This garb is doffed and discarded as contaminated waste, and the gown is changed immediately after any spill or tear.

    Source: USP General Chapter <800> Hazardous Drugs — Handling in Healthcare Settings, personal protective equipment for hazardous drug compoundingReport a problem with this question

20. 20. Midway through compounding, a technician reaches out of the direct compounding area to pick up a syringe cap that landed at the edge of the work surface. What must happen before manipulations resume?

    • A.Wipe the gloves with a dry low-lint wipe and continue work immediately.
    • B.Nothing further, since the alcohol applied before entry lasts all session.
    • C.Disinfect the gloves with sterile alcohol and let them dry completely.✓ Answer
    • D.Nothing further, since every surface inside the control is already sterile.

    Gloves are disinfected with sterile alcohol immediately before compounding begins, regularly during compounding, and after touching any non-sterile surface, which includes anything outside the direct compounding area. The alcohol needs time in contact with the glove to work, so the gloves must be allowed to dry before the hands go back to the critical sites.

    Source: USP General Chapter <797> Pharmaceutical Compounding — Sterile Preparations, disinfection of gloves with sterile alcohol during compoundingReport a problem with this question

Practice questions based on the PTCB CSPT Content Outline and the USP General Chapters governing sterile compounding. CSPT and PTCB are marks of the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board; this site is not affiliated with or endorsed by PTCB or USP. Standards for sterile compounding are revised periodically and your state board of pharmacy and your employer's policies also apply — always follow your facility's current procedures and confirm current requirements before testing. About the CSPT exam →