PTCB Certification Practice Test 2023
What is the PTCB?
Healthcare is a significant part of society. Because of this, there needs to be careful consideration for healthcare professionals. There are various professions in this industry. One such would be pharmacy technicians.
The Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) has complete authority over the certification program for pharmacy technicians. It created the Pharmacy Technician Certification Examination (PTCE).
Free PTCB Practice Test Online
What is PTCB certification?
PTCE is a test that determines whether pharmacy technicians have the necessary knowledge and expertise to work in the field. Through the PTCB certification, there would be an assurance as to their credibility.
Once the application requirements are met, and the PTCE is complete, the pharmacy technician will acquire the title, “CPhT” or certified pharmacy technician. As CPhTs, you have the responsibility to report for review any violations regarding drugs or pharmacy to the PTCB.
What is a pharmacy technician?
Pharmacy technicians are people who work under the supervision of pharmacists. They are tasked with a lot of things from prescribing medicines to collecting and organizing medical information. They also work in different places such as hospitals, pharmacies, drug stores, etc.
How to become a pharmacy technician?
There are two ways to become a pharmacy technician; you can either do formal training or on-the-job training. Most states prefer for pharmacy technicians to have high school diplomas or received formal education such as postsecondary education programs. They can apply for pharmacy technician schools or go to vocational schools or colleges that offer the course.
Furthermore, they can do on-the-job training, which doesn’t require formal training or a postsecondary education program. There are approved pharmacies and drugstores that can provide the training for them. Also, some schools even coordinate with retail drugstores for students to have hands-on experiences. They must have the necessary computer, math, and even interpersonal skills. They are evaluated and taught by the pharmacists they work with, and it is complete when they are knowledgeable enough to pass the licensure examination.
What skills are required to be a pharmacy technician?
Obtaining your pharmacy technician certification means that you are officially a CPhT. CPhTs have a lot of jobs to do. Working in the healthcare industry means that you have to be supervised by a licensed or registered pharmacist. You can either work in hospitals, retail pharmacies, third-party insurance providers, healthcare facilities, drug manufacturers, among others. Here is a list of some pharmacy technician jobs:
- Manage inventories of drug supplies
- Prepare, package, and label drugs for prescriptions
- Dispense prescription drugs to patients
- Teach patients how to use their medical devices
- Collect patients’ information
- Over-the-counter duties
- Manage medical records
Those are just some of the pharmacy tech jobs. There are still various things you can do, but there are also some that you are not authorized to do:
- Make decisions that require judgment about drugs, and preparation and interpretation of prescriptions
- Make use of the telephone when taking on new prescriptions or chart orders
- Dispense prescriptions (unless verified by a pharmacist)
PTCB Exam Format
What is the test type for the pharmacy technician test?
The PTCE makes use of the multiple-choice test type. It consists of four possible options for each of the questions. There are 90 questions and 10 of which are unscored. Those unscored items are for surveys and exam tutorials.
How long does it take to answer the exam?
It is a computer-based exam that lasts for two hours or approximately 120 minutes. The actual answering of the 80 scored items must be taken in 110 minutes. The rest of the other 10 minutes would be for those that are not credited.
What is the content of the pharmacy technician exam?
The PTCB has updated the content outline of the PTCE. Before it only tackled three main general areas: Assisting the Pharmacist in Serving Patients (66%), Maintaining Medication and Inventory Control Systems (22%), and Participating in the Administration and Management of Pharmacy Practice (12%). Now, it has an updated content outline that will be effective on January 1, 2022.
| Subject | Description | Percentage of the Content |
| Medications |
| 40% |
| Federal Requirements |
| 12.5% |
| Patient Safety and Quality Assurance |
| 26.25% |
| Order Entry and Processing |
| 21.25% |
In addition to that, the PTCB national certification also focuses on nine knowledge domains:
| Knowledge Domain | % of PTCE |
| Pharmacology for Technicians | 13.75 |
| Pharmacy Law and Regulations | 12.5 |
| Sterile and Non-sterile Compounding | 8.75 |
| Medication Safety | 12.5 |
| Pharmacy Quality Assurance | 7.5 |
| Medication Order Entry and Fill Process | 17.5 |
| Pharmacy Inventory Management | 8.75 |
| Pharmacy Billing and Reimbursement | 8.75 |
| Pharmacy Information Systems Usage and Application | 10 |
In addition to that, the PTCB national certification also focuses on nine knowledge domains
What is the passing score for the PTCB exam?
The scaled passing score for the PTCE is 1400. It has a range of possible scores of 1000 to 1600. A panel of experts also dictates it. They use the modified-Angoff method, which means that they have to discern individual items and determine how many pharmacy technicians would be able to give the correct answers. These are then analyzed and averaged to get the passing score.
PTCB Study Guide PDF
You must have a study strategy in order to prepare effectively for the PTCB exam. We propose taking PTCB practice exam if you are looking for PTCB practice test and answers PDF, PTCB practice exam PDF, or PTCB exam simplified PDF.
You should read more about related materials such as PTCB review PDF and PTCB books PDF to review and test your knowledge. If you’re looking for information on those topics, we propose taking a free PTCB practice test.
PTCB Questions and Answers
A Pharmacy Technician earns an average of $35,250 per year. The lowest-paid 10% earned $24,120, while the highest-paid 10% earned $49,130.
Most states need pharmacy technicians to complete an ASHP-certified curriculum with an employer or at a vocational school in order to be licensed or registered. You must also pass an exam in states that need pharmacy technician certification.
A pharmacy technician is a licensed health care practitioner with a protected title who performs pharmacy-related duties in collaboration with a licensed pharmacist.
Most pharmacist technician training programs last from months to a year. An associate degree in pharmaceutical technology lasts up to two years.
Prescriptions are received over the phone and in person by pharmacy technicians who operate in a drugstore or retail setting. Prescriptions are being entered into a computer database. Medication dispense. Providing assistance to customers at the cash register. Working with insurance firms
In Texas, the average hourly wage for a pharmacy technician is $15.91.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the typical Florida pharmacy technician salary is $16.02 per hour or $33,330 per year (2019).
The career prospects for pharmacy technicians is excellent! Given the expanding number of pharmacies and the short training requirements, this is a vocation that you can get into quickly, even if you don’t have a science or medical background.
National Pharmacy Technician Day is held annually on the third Tuesday of October.
The duration of the program is 120 days.
Each state’s requirements for registration or license are different.
It can take up to two years to become a Pharmacy Technician.
Most careers in the medical industry require post-secondary education, but you don’t have to go to college or trade school to work as a pharmacy technician.
Pharmacy technicians also help pharmacists perform administrative tasks such as performing tils, filing documents, processing insurance claims, and tracking inventory. They are not permitted to provide patients with medical advice.
To work as a pharmacy technician, you only need a high school diploma or its equivalent. Instead of formal training, you can learn your duties as a pharmacy technician through on-the-job training.
The Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) and the National Healthcareer Association are two organizations that offer certification exams for Pharmacy Technicians (NHA).
Yes, as long they have a high school diploma or GED, have no felony convictions, and have no drug-related convictions of any kind.
In some states, you can work as a pharmacy technician with just a high school diploma.
All pharmacy technicians should at least have a secondary school diploma or its equivalent to a GED. A pharmacy technician who does not pursue higher education. Usually, they require on-the-job training in combination with a high school diploma.
According to a Payscale survey, pharmacy technicians in Canada earn between CAN$10.00 and CAN$17.00 per hour.
All pharmacy technicians must renew online through the online licensing system. Renewal requests are only available if your registration is valid for less than 60 days. If your registration has not expired, you will not be able to view your renewal application.
You would work as a pharmacy technician under the supervision of a pharmacist. The position is similar to an assistant.
Writing a great cover letter for a pharmacist technician is an important step in your job hunting. When writing a cover letter, keep in mind the requirements stated in your job description.
Yes, Pharmacist technicians are in high demand.
As a PRN Pharmacy Technician, you will assist a licensed pharmacist in the preparation of prescription drugs.
The Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam (PTCE) is a computer-based exam held at Pearson VUE test centers nationwide.
Pharmacy technicians need to be confident in working with people of all kinds, have good communication skills (including the ability to hear and explain clearly), and be organized.
The Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam (PTCE) is available at Pearson VUE test locations throughout the year.
It depends on whether you have medical knowledge of drugs and generic brand names.
The majority of pharmacy technician certification programs range from $500 to $5,000 in price.
In most circumstances, a high school diploma or GED equivalent is sufficient to work as a pharmacy technician instructor.
A high school diploma or equivalent is required to work as a senior pharmacy technician.
Eligibility to become an inexperienced pharmacy technician depends on the state in which you work. Pharmacy technicians should have knowledge of pharmacy workflows, procedures, HIPAA regulations, and medication.
Other health practitioners’ license lookup tools can be found at Health License Lookup.
Anatomy, chemistry, and other basic medical topics are covered in certification classes.
The substance of a pharmacy technician program differs slightly from one school to the next, although the overall concepts are usually the same.
Some people choose to work as a pharmacy technician because it is a good way to get started on the path to becoming a licensed pharmacist.
Students can expect to complete the program in about 9 months.
Pharmacy technicians often work at least five days each week, for a total of 30 hours per week.
Nuclear Pharmacy Technician Training Programs According to the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP), a certified pharmacy technician must complete an additional six months to two years of additional education and on-the-job training to meet the ASHP’s nuclear pharmacy technician standards.
A beginning salary of $24,120 per year can be expected.
“YES”. When a person is subjected to constant tension or strain, any work can be stressful.
