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PTCB · PTCE · Cheat sheet

Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam (PTCE) cheat sheet

A one-page summary of the four PTCE knowledge domains (outline effective January 6, 2026).

Medications (35%)

  • Brand/generic names and classes; therapeutic duplications
  • Drug interactions and contraindications (drug-drug, -nutrient, -disease)
  • Doses, dosage forms, routes; stability and beyond-use dating
  • Side effects, indications, and proper storage (temperature, light)

Federal Requirements (18.75%)

  • DEA schedules; refill rules (C-II none; C-III/IV up to 5 in 6 months)
  • DEA forms: 222 ordering C-II, 106 theft/loss, 41 destruction
  • Restricted programs: pseudoephedrine limits, REMS
  • FDA recalls (Class I–III) and DSCSA tracking and tracing

Patient Safety and Quality Assurance (23.75%)

  • High-alert and look-alike/sound-alike drugs; Tall Man lettering
  • Error prevention: leading zero yes, trailing zero no; avoid "U"
  • When to refer to the pharmacist (DUR, OTC advice, interactions)
  • Reporting: MedWatch (drugs/devices), VAERS (vaccines); infection control

Order Entry and Processing (22.5%)

  • Sig codes and abbreviations (bid, tid, gtt, OU/OD/OS, AU)
  • Days' supply, quantity, weight-based dose, concentration math
  • NDC segments: labeler, product, package; lot numbers and expiration
  • Returns: return to stock, credit returns, reverse distribution

Test yourself on PTCE

Reading a summary is the easy part. Take the free 10-question diagnostic to see which of these domains you actually have, then drill the rest.