Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) Exam

To become a Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT), an individual must first pass the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) examination. The exam is designed by PTCB to promote the objective of equipping pharmacy technicians with the knowledge to effectively aid pharmacists in providing superior patient services and care. After passing the exam, a pharmacy technician may use the title of CPhT and retain certification by undergoing 20 hours of continuing education training within two years of gaining initial certification or any previous recertification. At least one hour of this continuing education must pertain to pharmacy law.

To be eligible to sit for the Pharmacy Technician Certification Examination (PTCE), the candidate must have obtained a high school diploma or a recognized equivalent. The person must not have a prior felony conviction, and any information concerning convictions related to pharmacy must be disclosed to PTCB. This also includes any misdemeanor convictions. The candidate must have no recorded hindrances or restrictions regarding licenses or registrations from a State Board of Pharmacy. The person also cannot have on record any admission of improper behavior or infractions of regulation from a state board.

The PTCE tests the knowledge and skills base for activities performed during work as a pharmacy technician. The PTCE lasts for two hours and is comprised of 80 multiple-choice questions plus an additional 10 pre-test questions that do not affect the final score. The pre-test questions are placed at random throughout the exam and are used for statistical purposes in designing future examinations. Candidates are encouraged to answer all the questions even if they just guess at some of them. The official results of the exam appear onscreen immediately following the completion of the PTCE.

Three functional areas form the exam. The first area, Assisting the Pharmacist in Serving Patients, accounts for about 66 percent of the exam. The second area, Maintaining Medication and Inventory Control Systems, constitutes about 22 percent of the exam. The final area, Participating in the Administration and Management of Pharmacy Practice, comprises about 12 percent of the exam. The exam’s content outline, a practice test, and the statements of knowledge needed to perform exercises connected with each function are available for use on the PTCB website (www.ptcb.org ).

The current fee to apply and sit for the PTCE is $129. The PTCE is offered by request for the entire year in all 50 states, internationally, and in Guam and Puerto Rico. Applications are accepted daily, and candidates have 90 days after approval of an application to schedule an appointment online and take the PTCE.

Candidates who fail the PTCE may retake the PTCE up to three times. The first two attempts require a 60-day waiting period before retaking the exam, and the third requires a wait of six months. Further examination requests must be appealed to PTCB. Such requests are examined and approved on a case-by-case basis.