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Considering a career in pharmacy tech? Here’s what you need to know about the pharmacy tech exam, including how hard it is and what topics are covered.
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Introduction
The pharmacy technician Certification Exam (PTCE) is a computer-based exam administered by Pearson VUE.
The PTCE is comprised of 90 multiple-choice questions, with 80 of those being scored and 10 used as pre-test questions that are not scored. Of the 80 scored questions, 10 are designated as trial questions. These questions do not affect your score, but are used to determine the difficulty level of future versions of the exam. You will not know which questions are trial questions. The PTCE is given in English only.
The passing score for the PTCE is 70%. This means that you must answer at least 56 of the 80 scored questions correctly to pass the exam. The PTCE is a scaled exam, meaning that your raw score (the number of questions you answer correctly) is converted to a scaled score ranging from 200 to 800.
The pharmacy technician certification exam (PTCE)
The pharmacy technician Certification Exam (PTCE) is a computer-based exam administered by Pearson VUE. It is a timed exam that consists of 90 multiple-choice questions. The passing score for the PTCE is 700 points out of a possible 1,000. The PTCE is used to certify that candidates have the knowledge and skills necessary to perform the duties of a pharmacy technician
What is on the PTCE?
The PTCE is a computer-based exam that consists of 90 scored items and 10 pretest items. The 90 scored items will count towards your final score. The 10 pretest items are not scored, but are used to gather data for future versions of the exam. The PTCE covers 9 knowledge domains:
1. Pharmacy Law and Regulations (20%)
2. Sterile and Non-Sterile Compounding (17%)
3. Medication Safety (15%)
4. Pharmacy Quality Assurance (12%)
5. Pharmacokinetics, Pharmacodynamics, and Pharmacotherapeutics (23%)
6. Patient Assessment (9%)
7. Medication Order Entry and Fill Process (10%)
8.Medication Order Review (4%)
9.Initiation and Maintenance of Therapy (10%)
How is the PTCE scored?
The PTCE is scored on a scale of 0-100, with 70 being the passing score. The raw score is determined by the number of questions answered correctly. There is no penalty for guessing, so it is important to answer every question even if you are unsure of the answer. The number of questions you will see on the exam depends on the difficulty level of the questions. Typically, there are between 80 and 100 questions on the exam, with 20-30 being unscored (used for test purposes only).
Preparing for the PTCE
The pharmacy technician certification exam (PTCE) is a computer-based exam that is administered by the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB). The PTCE is used to certify that candidates have the knowledge and skills necessary to perform the duties of a pharmacy technician. The exam consists of 90 questions, and candidates have 2 hours to complete the exam.
Study resources
There are many different study resources available to help you prepare for the PTCE. A few of the most popular include:
-The Official PTCE Study Guide: This guide is published by the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) and is considered to be the most comprehensive and accurate study resource available.
-Kaplan PTCE Review Course: This course is offered both in person and online, and provides comprehensive review and practice tests to help you prepare for the exam.
-PharmPrep PTCE Review Course: This course is offered both in person and online, and provides comprehensive review and practice tests to help you prepare for the exam.
Practice questions
1. A pharmacy technician is filling a prescription for amoxicillin suspension for a 5-year-old child. The directions on the prescription say to give the patient 5 mL of the suspension. The label on the bottle says that 1 teaspoon (tsp) equals 5 mL. How many teaspoons of amoxicillin should the pharmacy technician give the child?
A. 1 tsp
B. 2 tsp
C. 3 tsp
D. 4 tsp
2. A pharmacy technician is asked to retrieve a package from the stockroom that contains 10 vials of digoxin 0.25 mg/mL. The box is labeled “Digoxin 0.5 mg/10 mL” and has a warnings section that reads “Contains lead” and “For external use only” What should the pharmacy technician do with this medication?
A. Return it to the stockroom and ask for the correct package
B. Dispense it as is because it is within the acceptable range
C. Contact the prescribing physician for clarification
D. Refuse to dispense it because it is not within the acceptable range
3. Which of the following is an example of primary packaging?
A. A one-time use, unit-dose container that holds 4 tablets of acetaminophen 500 mg
B
Conclusion
The pharmacy tech exam is not an easy exam, but it is certainly possible to pass if you study hard and focus on the areas that will be covered. There is a lot of material to know, but if you take your time and prepare properly, you should do fine.
