How to Play PharmCrush, the Top 300 Drugs Quiz Game

PharmCrush is a pharmacy learning game for the top 300 medications. A drug appears on the card and you answer its NAPLEX-style questions by tapping the correct candy tile. Answer them all to master the drug.

Your first game

1. On the home screen, choose Classic.
2. Under Questions per drug, choose 4 quick.
3. Press Play and answer each question before the timer bar runs out.
4. When the game ends, read the Review these list to learn what you missed.

Playing a drug

• Read the question under the drug card, for example Q2/4 · Mechanism of action.
• Correct: the tile bursts, you earn points and the next question drops in.
• Wrong: the screen shakes, you lose a life and a short note explains what that answer really belongs to. Keep trying until you find the right one.
• Time runs out: you lose a life and the correct answer glows.

Question types: what the drug quiz covers

Each drug can be asked up to ten kinds of questions, in this order:

1. Brand name
2. Drug class
3. Mechanism of action
4. Indication: what the drug is used for
5. Black box warning or contraindication, including FDA boxed warnings
6. Monitoring parameters: labs, drug levels and vital signs
7. Key side effect: the classic medication side effects
8. Drug interaction
9. Patient counseling point
10. Antidote or reversal agent, for drugs that have one

Choose 4 quick, 6 standard or All questions per drug. Question types you missed before come back first.

Game modes

• Classic: endless levels. Every 4 drugs you level up, the timer gets faster and you get a life back.
• Daily Challenge: the same 5 drugs for everyone today. Finish all 5 to grow your day streak.
• Topic: only drugs from one area, such as cardiovascular, infectious diseases or psychiatry. See the top 300 drugs list for every topic.
• Time Attack: 60 seconds on one clock with no lives. A wrong answer costs 5 seconds.

Scoring, combos and power-ups

• 100 points for a first-try answer (50 after a mistake), plus a speed bonus of up to 100.
• Combo multiplier: every 4 first-try answers in a row raise it, up to x5. A mistake resets it.
• Drug Mastered bonus, plus +500 for a perfect drug.
• Power-ups earned by answering in a row: 50/50 removes two wrong tiles, Freeze stops the timer for 8 seconds, and +1 Life gives back a heart.
• Reverse bonus questions in Classic and Topic: the card shows a clue and you pick the drug. Worth +200, and a wrong answer costs no life.

After the game

The game-over screen shows your score, drugs mastered and accuracy, plus a Review these list with the correct answer for every question you missed. Missed drugs come back more often until you answer them right on the first try.

Free play and passes

Your first 30 different drugs are free on each device, in every mode, with no account needed. After that, a one-time Semester Pass ($4.99, 6 months) or Lifetime Pass ($9.99, no expiration) unlocks all 400 drugs. To buy, choose a pass, create a free account or sign in, accept the disclaimer and pay on the secure Stripe page.

Controls

• Tap a tile, or press 1–4 or A–D on a keyboard.
• Power-ups: Q 50/50, W Freeze, E +1 Life. Esc pauses.
• The speaker button turns sound on or off. Themes change colors only, never the questions or scoring.

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