Pharmacology for NORCET: Antidotes, Dosage Formulas | NPrep

Pharmacology for NORCET covers emergency drugs, antidotes, insulin, anticoagulants, cardiac drugs and drug dosage calculation. In NORCET 10 Prelims it gave about 6 of 100 direct questions by candidates' recall, but drug questions also appear inside Medical-Surgical, OBG and Mental Health scenarios. Dosage calculations are quick marks if you practise the formulas.

Updated 5 November 2026. The exam pattern is from AIIMS Notice 103/2026. Question counts are NPrep's analysis of the NORCET 10 Prelims paper as recalled by candidates; AIIMS publishes no subject weightage. Drug facts follow standard pharmacology textbooks; always follow current institutional protocols in practice.

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Pharmacology in NORCET at a glance

Item	Detail	Source
Stages where it appears	Stage I and Stage II	Notice 103/2026
Direct pharmacology questions, NORCET 10 Prelims	About 6 of 100	NPrep analysis, candidates' recall
Integrated drug questions	Inside Medical-Surgical, OBG, Child Health and Mental Health scenarios	NPrep analysis
Focus	Nursing responsibilities, side effects, monitoring, antidotes, calculations	NPrep analysis
Negative marking	Minus 1/3 per wrong answer	Notice 103/2026

How many pharmacology questions come in NORCET?

AIIMS publishes no weightage. In NORCET 10 Prelims, candidates recalled about 6 direct pharmacology questions out of 100. The real count is higher, because questions on magnesium sulphate in OBG, lithium in psychiatry or insulin in Medical-Surgical are drug questions too. AIIMS asks about the nurse's role (what to check before giving a drug, what to monitor, what to do in toxicity) more than about mechanisms.

What are the high-yield pharmacology topics for NORCET?

Area	Topics to know
Emergency drugs	Adrenaline, atropine, amiodarone, adenosine, sodium bicarbonate, calcium gluconate
Antidotes	Common poisons and drug overdoses with their antidotes
Insulin	Types by onset and duration, mixing order, hypoglycaemia
Anticoagulants	Heparin and warfarin: monitoring tests and reversal
Cardiac drugs	Digoxin, nitrates, beta-blockers, diuretics and potassium
Antibiotics	Aminoglycoside toxicity, penicillin allergy, test dose
Calculations	Tablet and liquid doses, weight-based doses, IV drip and flow rates, percentage solutions

Which antidotes should I memorise for NORCET?

Poison or drug	Antidote
Paracetamol	N-acetylcysteine
Opioids (morphine)	Naloxone
Benzodiazepines	Flumazenil
Heparin	Protamine sulphate
Warfarin	Vitamin K
Organophosphate poisoning	Atropine, with pralidoxime
Magnesium sulphate	Calcium gluconate
Digoxin	Digoxin-specific antibody fragments
Iron	Desferrioxamine

Which dosage calculation formulas come in NORCET?

Calculation	Formula
Dose to give	Desired dose ÷ dose on hand × quantity
Weight-based dose	Dose per kg × body weight in kg
IV drip rate (drops per minute)	Volume (mL) × drop factor ÷ time (minutes)
IV flow rate (mL per hour)	Volume (mL) ÷ time (hours)
Percentage solution	5% means 5 g in 100 mL
Unit conversion	1 g = 1,000 mg; 1 mg = 1,000 mcg

What does a NORCET pharmacology question look like?

A doctor orders 500 mg of a drug. It is available as a syrup of 250 mg in 5 mL. How much should the nurse give?

A. 2.5 mL B. 5 mL C. 10 mL D. 20 mL

Answer: C. Desired dose ÷ dose on hand × quantity = 500 ÷ 250 × 5 = 10 mL. Write the formula every time; most wrong answers come from flipping the fraction.

A nursing-role question looks like this: before giving digoxin, the nurse counts the apical pulse for a full minute and withholds the dose if it is below 60 a minute in an adult, then informs the doctor.

How should I prepare pharmacology for NORCET?

1. Make one sheet each for antidotes, emergency drugs and insulin types, and revise them weekly.
2. Solve five calculation problems a day until you can do each in under a minute.
3. Learn drugs inside their subjects: magnesium sulphate with OBG, lithium with psychiatry, insulin with diabetes.
4. Focus on the nurse's action: what to check before, what to monitor after, and when to hold the drug.

For the core formulas and procedures, see Fundamentals of Nursing for NORCET.

FAQs

How many pharmacology questions come in NORCET?

AIIMS publishes no subject weightage. In NORCET 10 Prelims, candidates recalled about 6 direct pharmacology questions out of 100, with more drug questions inside other subjects' scenarios.

Which pharmacology topics are most important for NORCET?

Emergency drugs, antidotes, insulin, heparin and warfarin, digoxin and dosage calculations, asked mostly as nursing responsibilities.

What is the antidote for heparin?

Protamine sulphate. The antidote for warfarin is vitamin K.

How do I calculate a drug dose for NORCET?

Use desired dose ÷ dose on hand × quantity. For 500 mg ordered from a 250 mg in 5 mL syrup, the dose is 500 ÷ 250 × 5 = 10 mL.

What to read next

• Up: NORCET syllabus and exam pattern
• Across: Mental Health Nursing for NORCET and OBG nursing for NORCET
• Practice: free NORCET mock test