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Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam (PTCE)

PTCB® Practice Test (PTCE®)

This PTCB practice test follows the PTCE content outline that took effect on January 6, 2026. The exam is 90 multiple-choice questions, 80 of them scored, in 110 minutes, and you need a scaled score of 1,400 on a scale of 1,000 to 1,600 to pass. Medications is the largest of its four domains at 35%. The free 25-question diagnostic needs no account.

The free PTCB (PTCE) diagnostic is being prepared and is not open yet. The exam facts and the content outline on this page are current.

The exam is called the PTCE, the Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam; PTCB is the board that runs it, which is why most people search for it by the board's name. The 2026 outline has four domains: Medications (35%), Patient Safety and Quality Assurance (23.75%), Order Entry and Processing (22.5%) and Federal Requirements (18.75%).

The exam asks for two kinds of preparation. One is drug knowledge: generic and brand names, drug classes, what each is used for, interactions, and look-alike/sound-alike pairs. The other is calculation: formulas, ratios, proportions and conversions, which the outline marks on tasks in all four domains and most heavily in Order Entry and Processing. The first is memory and the second is method, and they need different practice.

The PTCB (PTCE) exam at a glance

What you are preparing for, in the exam owner's own numbers.

Questions90 (80 scored, 10 unscored)
Time limit110 minutes
Exam fee$129
DeliveryComputer-based multiple-choice exam taken in person at Pearson VUE test centers with a live proctor. The 2-hour appointment is a 5-minute tutorial, 1 hour 50 minutes of testing, and a 5-minute survey. A calculator is built into the exam; personal calculators are not allowed.
EligibilityComplete a PTCB-Recognized Education/Training Program (or be within 60 days of completing one), or have at least 500 hours of equivalent pharmacy technician work experience. Applicants must also disclose criminal and State Board of Pharmacy actions and comply with PTCB certification policies.
Passing standardScaled score of 1,400 on a scale of 1,000 to 1,600, set by a modified-Angoff standard-setting panel. Scoring is based on the 80 scored questions only.
RetakesA new application and fee are required for every attempt. There is no waiting period before the second and third attempts; candidates must wait six months before a fourth attempt. After four attempts, candidates must submit evidence of acceptable preparation activities for PTCB approval before applying again.
Outline in forcePTCE Content Outline v1.4 (August 2024), effective January 6, 2026

Exam facts are taken from PTCB’s own published material, last checked October 2, 2026. Source. Confirm fees, dates and rules with the organization you register with before you book.

Who takes it

People seeking the CPhT credential. To be eligible you must have completed a PTCB-Recognized Education/Training Program, or be within 60 days of completing one, or have at least 500 hours of equivalent work experience as a pharmacy technician. Applicants must also disclose any criminal or State Board of Pharmacy actions.

What the PTCB (PTCE) exam covers

The four domains and their weights are from PTCB's content outline. The bank is tagged to the same outline, so your results come back by domain.

DomainWeightWhat it covers
1Medications8 tasks35%
  • Recognize medications by generic name, brand name, and drug class.
  • Spot therapeutic duplication, where two drugs in a regimen do the same job.
  • Recognize common or dangerous interactions and contraindications involving other drugs, supplements, lab tests, nutrients, and disease states.
  • and 5 more tasks
2Federal Requirements6 tasks18.8%
  • Apply federal rules for storing, handling, and disposing of non-hazardous, hazardous (such as P-listed), and pharmaceutical substances and waste.
  • Apply federal rules for new, refilled, and transferred controlled-substance prescriptions, and know the DEA schedules (includes calculations).
  • Apply federal rules for ordering, receiving, storing, labeling, dispensing, returning, taking back, reporting loss or theft of, and destroying controlled substances.
  • and 3 more tasks
3Patient Safety and Quality Assurance6 tasks23.8%
  • Identify high-alert medications and look-alike/sound-alike drug pairs.
  • Use error-prevention strategies: matching the order to the right patient, tall man lettering, separating stock, leading and trailing zero rules, barcode scanning, and avoiding error-prone abbreviations.
  • Recognize situations that must go to the pharmacist, such as DUR alerts, adverse drug events, OTC advice, therapeutic substitution, misuse, adherence problems, post-immunization care, allergies, and interactions (includes calculations).
  • and 3 more tasks
4Order Entry and Processing4 tasks22.5%
  • Use formulas, ratios, proportions, conversions, sig codes, abbreviations, medical terms, and symbols to work out days' supply, quantity, dose, concentration, and dilutions (calculations).
  • Select the equipment and supplies needed to give a drug, such as diabetic supplies, spacers, oral and injectable syringes, filters, diluents, immunization supplies, and nebulizers (includes calculations).
  • Read and use lot numbers, expiration dates, and National Drug Code (NDC) numbers (includes calculations).
  • and 1 more task

How to use the bank for the PTCB (PTCE) exam

  1. 1

    Take the diagnostic and split the result in two

    Look at the 25-question result by domain, then ask a simpler question: were your misses mostly drug knowledge or mostly calculations?

  2. 2

    Build drug knowledge in small sets

    Medications is over a third of the exam. Work it in short daily sets in tutor mode, and for each drug you miss, note its class and what it treats: the outline asks for drugs by generic name, brand name and class.

  3. 3

    Set up every calculation on paper first

    A calculator is built into the exam, and you may not bring your own, so the skill being tested is setting the problem up. Write the setup with its units before you touch the calculator.

  4. 4

    Sit a timed mock

    90 questions in 110 minutes, about 73 seconds each. Every attempt at the real exam needs a new application and fee, so use a mock to check you are ready.

What is in the paid PTCB (PTCE) bank

  • The question bank

    The PTCB (PTCE) bank is still being written. The live count appears here when questions are published.

  • Every option explained

    A written reason for every option, right and wrong, plus a one-line takeaway, a cited reference and the outline task the question tests.

  • Tutor mode and timed mode

    Tutor mode shows the explanation after each question. Timed mode holds everything back until the end, at exam pace.

  • A readiness band, by domain

    Your first-attempt results weighted the way the exam weights its domains, shown as a band rather than a pass probability: nobody outside the exam owner knows the cut score.

  • A study plan

    Set your exam date and the plan divides the questions you have not seen across the days you have left, weakest domains first, with the mock exams placed in the back half.

PTCB (PTCE) passes

A pass is access for a fixed number of days. You pay once; nothing renews.

30-day pass

$29one-off

  • The full PTCB (PTCE) bank for 30 days
  • Every mock exam, tutor and timed modes
  • Charged once. It does not renew.
Get the 30-day pass

90-day pass

$49one-off

  • The full PTCB (PTCE) bank for 90 days
  • Every mock exam, tutor and timed modes
  • Charged once. It does not renew.
Get the 90-day pass

Refund within 7 days if you have answered fewer than 50 questions. Pass guarantee: complete 100% of the bank with an average of 80% or better, and if you still do not pass the exam your pass is extended by 90 days at no charge.

How the questions are written and checked

  1. Step 1

    Written to the public outline

    Each question is written by AI against one task in PTCB's published content outline. Nothing is taken from the exam itself.

  2. Step 2

    Solved blind by a second model

    A different model answers the question without seeing the key. If it does not reach the same answer, the question is not published.

  3. Step 3

    Audited for flaws and duplicates

    A separate pass looks for item-writing flaws: two defensible answers, a giveaway in the wording, a rationale that contradicts the key. Near-duplicates are removed.

  4. Step 4

    Corrected in public

    Learners can report any question. Reports and answer statistics flag questions for withdrawal or correction, and every correction is logged.

There is no human subject-matter-expert review in that process, and we do not claim one. What you get instead is a cited reference on every question, so you can check it yourself. Read the full methodology or see the corrections log.

PTCB (PTCE) practice questions: common questions

How many questions are on the PTCB exam?

90 multiple-choice questions. 80 are scored, and scoring is based on those alone; the other 10 are unscored.

How long is the PTCB exam?

The appointment is two hours: a 5-minute tutorial, 1 hour 50 minutes of testing and a 5-minute survey.

What is the passing score for the PTCB exam?

A scaled score of 1,400, on a scale that runs from 1,000 to 1,600. It is set by a standard-setting panel, so it does not translate directly into a number of questions correct.

How much does the PTCB exam cost?

$129. A new application and fee are required for every attempt.

Is there math on the PTCB exam?

Yes. Calculations run through all four domains of the outline, not one: formulas, ratios, proportions and conversions. A calculator is built into the exam.

Where do I take the PTCB exam?

PTCB's CPhT page describes the PTCE as administered in person at Pearson VUE test centers, with a live proctor.

How many times can I retake the PTCB exam?

There is no waiting period before a second or third attempt. You must wait six months before a fourth, and after four attempts PTCB asks for evidence of preparation before it will approve another application.

Is this PTCB practice test free?

The 25-question diagnostic is free and needs no account. The full bank and the mock exams are on a paid pass that is charged once and does not renew.

PTCB® and PTCE® are registered trademarks, and CPhT is a certification mark, of the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board. This site is an independent study resource and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board.