Dosage Calculation Practice
Practice the calculations that trip up nursing students — IV drip rate, infusion rate, and weight-based dosing. Solve each problem, check your answer, and reveal the worked solution. A study aid for NCLEX prep — not a clinical dose calculator.
Infuse 1,000 mL of normal saline over 8 hours. The tubing is rated 15 gtt/mL. What is the drip rate?
These are practice problems for nursing students — a study aid to learn the method and check your work. This is not a clinical dose calculator and must never be used to prepare or administer real medications. Always follow your institution's protocol and verify with a licensed professional.
FAQ
What is the IV drip rate formula?
Drops per minute (gtt/min) = (total volume in mL × the tubing's drop factor in gtt/mL) ÷ the time in minutes. Drop factor is 10, 15, or 20 for macrodrip tubing and 60 for microdrip.
Why does gtt/min equal mL/hr with microdrip tubing?
Microdrip tubing delivers 60 gtt/mL. Because there are 60 minutes in an hour, the 60s cancel — so the drops per minute come out numerically equal to the mL per hour. It's a handy check.
How do I do weight-based dosing?
Multiply the ordered dose (in mg/kg) by the patient's weight in kg. If the weight is in pounds, divide by 2.2 first to convert to kilograms.
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