Antibiotics: ABFM practice questions

39 board-style questions on antibiotics in the PulseMD family medicine question bank — physician-reviewed, written against current guidelines with the reference cited on each question. Two free samples below; the full set with answers, explanations, and spaced review is free to start.

Sample question 1

A 3-year-old boy is brought to the clinic with 2 days of right ear pain, fever of 39.1C (102.4F), and irritability. Otoscopic examination reveals a bulging, erythematous tympanic membrane with decreased mobility on pneumatic otoscopy. He has no drug allergies and has not received antibiotics in the past 30 days. What is the most appropriate treatment?

1. Amoxicillin-clavulanate 90 mg/kg/day for 10 days
2. Azithromycin for 5 days
3. Amoxicillin 90 mg/kg/day for 10 days
4. Observation with analgesics and follow-up in 48-72 hours

Sample question 2

A 16-year-old boy presents with moderate inflammatory acne including 15-20 papules and pustules on the face and 5-10 on the back. He has been using benzoyl peroxide wash and adapalene gel for 3 months with minimal improvement. He is adherent to his regimen. What is the most appropriate next step?

1. Add oral doxycycline 100 mg once daily
2. Switch to topical clindamycin monotherapy
3. Start isotretinoin (Accutane)
4. Increase adapalene to tazarotene 0.1% cream

Create a free PulseMD account to answer these, see the explanations, and practice five minutes a day.

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