Pharmacy technicians are essential members of the healthcare team. They handle the technical aspects of running a pharmacy, such as processing prescriptions, preparing medications, and managing inventory. By handling these tasks, technicians enable pharmacists to concentrate on clinical duties, such as providing patient counseling and reviewing drug interactions.
For those looking to enter or advance in this rewarding field, earning a Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) certification is a key milestone. This credential demonstrates your understanding of pharmacy practice and opens doors to better job opportunities and higher pay.
In this guide, we’ll explore everything you need to know about the PTCB certification process, including eligibility requirements, exam content, and tips to help you succeed. Whether you’re just starting your career or taking it to the next level, this information will prepare you to approach PTCB certification with confidence.
The Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) is the top national organization that certifies pharmacy technicians. It was established in 1995 by a collaboration between leading pharmacy associations to set the standards for pharmacy technicians.
PTCB-certified pharmacy technicians have a strong understanding of pharmacy operations and the skills needed for the role. While some states require certification to work as a pharmacy technician, others only recommend it. To learn about the specific requirements in your state, consult our
state requirements guide. Regardless of local regulations, earning PTCB certification can greatly enhance your career opportunities and boost your earning potential.
To earn your certification, you must pass the Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam (PTCE). This exam assesses your knowledge of various aspects of pharmacy practice, including medications and pharmacy laws. Successfully passing it demonstrates your understanding of pharmacy operations and allows you to use the designation “CPhT” after your name.
Before taking the exam, you must meet the education and eligibility requirements set by the PTCB. There are two pathways to satisfy these requirements:
In addition to fulfilling the education or experience requirements, the PTCB requires each candidate to:
- Be a resident of the United States or its territories.
- Disclose any criminal history or actions taken by a State Board of Pharmacy.
- Adhere to all PTCB policies and guidelines.
After meeting the eligibility requirements, you can apply for the exam through the PTCB website. Once your application is reviewed and approved, you’ll receive a notification allowing you to schedule your exam. You can choose to take the exam either in person at an authorized testing center or online through a proctored testing option.
The PTCE consists of 90 multiple-choice questions. Eighty questions count toward your final score. Ten questions are not scored and are only used for future test validation. Unscored questions are interspersed throughout the test, and you will now know which ones are unscored, so it’s important to answer every question carefully.
The exam questions are divided into four main knowledge areas: medications, federal requirements, patient safety and quality assurance, and order entry/prescription processing. Each category includes a specific number of questions on the test, distributed as follows:
This is the largest section of the PTCE, accounting for 32 of the 80 scored questions. It covers key topics such as:
- Generic names, brand names, and classifications of medications
- Therapeutic equivalence
- Common and life-threatening drug interactions and contraindications (e.g., drug-disease, drug-drug, drug-dietary supplement, drug-laboratory, drug-nutrient)
- Strengths/dose, dosage forms, routes of administration, special handling and administration instructions, and duration of drug therapy
- Common and severe medication side effects, adverse effects, and allergies
- Indications of medications and dietary supplements
- Drug stability (e.g., oral suspensions, insulin, reconstitutables, injectables, vaccinations)
- Narrow therapeutic index (NTI) medications
- Physical and chemical incompatibilities related to non-sterile compounding and reconstitution
- Proper storage of medications (e.g., temperature ranges, light sensitivity, restricted access)
Federal Requirements - 12.5%
This section covers federal laws and regulations related to pharmacy practice, comprising 10 of the 80 scored questions. Topics include:
- Federal requirements for handling and disposal of non-hazardous, hazardous, and pharmaceutical substances and waste
- Federal requirements for controlled substance prescriptions (i.e., new, refill, transfer) and DEA controlled substance schedules
- Federal requirements (e.g., DEA, FDA) for controlled substances (i.e., receiving, storing, ordering, labeling, dispensing, reverse distribution, take-back programs, and loss or theft of)
- Federal requirements for restricted drug programs and related medication processing (e.g., pseudoephedrine, Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies [REMS])
- FDA recall requirements (e.g., medications, devices, supplies, supplements, classifications)
Patient Safety and Quality Assurance - 26.25%
This category covers safe pharmacy practices and procedures for handling errors. It includes 21 of the scored questions on the exam. Topics include:
- High-alert/risk medications and look-alike/sound-alike [LASA] medications
- Error prevention strategies (e.g., prescription or medication order to correct patient, Tall Man lettering, separating inventory, leading and trailing zeros, bar code usage, limit use of error-prone abbreviations)
- Issues that require pharmacist intervention (e.g., drug utilization review [DUR], adverse drug event [ADE], OTC recommendation, therapeutic substitution, misuse, adherence, post-immunization follow-up, allergies, drug interactions)
- Event reporting procedures (e.g., medication errors, adverse effects, and product integrity, MedWatch, near miss, root-cause analysis [RCA])
- Types of prescription errors (e.g., abnormal doses, early refill, incorrect quantity, incorrect patient, incorrect drug)
- Hygiene and cleaning standards (e.g., handwashing, personal protective equipment [PPE], cleaning counting trays, countertop, and equipment)
Order Entry and Processing - 21.25%
This section addresses the correct methods for processing and filling prescriptions, with 17 of the 80 scored questions dedicated to this area. Topics include:
- Procedures to compound non-sterile products (e.g., ointments, mixtures, liquids, emulsions, suppositories, enemas)
- Formulas, calculations, ratios, proportions, alligations, conversions, Sig codes (e.g., b.i.d., t.i.d., Roman numerals), abbreviations, medical terminology, and symbols for days supply, quantity, dose, concentration, dilutions
- Equipment/supplies required for drug administration (e.g., package size, unit dose, diabetic supplies, spacers, oral and injectable syringes)
- Lot numbers, expiration dates, and National Drug Code (NDC) numbers
- Procedures for identifying and returning dispensable, non-dispensable, and expired medications and supplies (e.g., credit return, return to stock, reverse distribution)
The PTCB certification exam lasts a total of 2 hours and is divided into three sections:
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Tutorial: 5 minutes at the beginning to become familiar with the test interface.
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Exam: 1 hour and 50 minutes to answer all questions.
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Post-Exam Survey: A brief 5-minute survey at the end, allowing candidates to provide feedback.
The passing score for the PTCE is 1,400 on a scaled scoring system that ranges from 1,000 to 1,600. The PTCB uses scaled scores to ensure fairness and consistency, regardless of minor variations in exam difficulty between test versions.
A scaled exam adjusts raw scores (the number of correct answers) to a standardized scale, making it easier to compare results across different test forms. This process ensures that all candidates are evaluated equally, even if one version of the test contains slightly more challenging questions than another.
You’ll receive your unofficial results immediately after completing the PTCE. However, your official results will be issued by the PTCB within two to three weeks. The official results confirm your certification status and can be shared with your employer or submitted to your State Board of Pharmacy if required by your state.
Becoming certified is an essential step in most pharmacy careers. Beyond meeting licensing requirements in some states, a PTCB certification demonstrates a solid foundational understanding of pharmacy practice that employers value and reward. It can pave the way for better job opportunities, higher pay, and greater job satisfaction. By gaining a clear understanding of the application process and exam format, you can confidently prepare for and succeed on the PTCE.
