The Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam (PTCE) is the exam for PTCB's Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT) credential. It tests what a technician needs on the job: medications, federal law, patient safety, and order entry and calculations.
Exam format at a glance
| Format | 90 multiple-choice questions (80 scored, 10 unscored and unidentified) in 1 hour 50 minutes, computer-based. |
| Cost | PTCB's published fee is $129 to apply for CPhT certification and take the PTCE — check PTCB for current pricing. |
| Scoring | Scaled score from 1,000 to 1,600; 1,400 is passing. PTCB does not publish a percent-correct equivalent, so practice scores here are an estimate, not a prediction of your scaled score. |
| Validity | CPhT certification is renewed every two years with continuing education, per PTCB's recertification requirements. |
Who this exam is for
- Pharmacy technician students finishing a training program
- Working technicians earning the CPhT credential for a new job or a state requirement
- Anyone retaking the PTCE who wants to target the domains they missed
How to actually study for it
- Study by the 2026 weights: Medications 35%, Patient Safety and Quality Assurance 23.75%, Order Entry and Processing 22.5%, Federal Requirements 18.75%.
- Drill calculations until they're automatic — days' supply, quantity, dose by weight, and concentration questions are worth more on the 2026 outline.
- Learn the top brand/generic pairs and drug classes together; class suffixes (-pril, -sartan, -olol, -statin) answer many questions.
- Know the controlled substance rules cold: schedules, refill limits, DEA forms, and pseudoephedrine limits.
Where to go next
Start with the free 10-question diagnostic to see where you actually stand, or go straight to the one-page PTCE cheat sheet. The full PTCE practice exam covers every domain at the real exam's weighting, with every answer explained.