PTCB Certification
Pharmacy Technician Practice Test and Certification Tips

Get a PTCB Certification and increase your income and job opportunities as a Certified Pharmacy Technician. Below are practice exams, tips and more. The Pharmacy Technician Certification Board administers this program and offers a Guidebook to Certification (link below).

Obtaining Certification as a Pharmacy Technician is a proven way to increase your income and employment opportunities. Many industry magazines and reports detail the statistics revealing that Certified Pharmacy Techs earn more and are preferred by employers.

To register for the Pharmacy Technician Certification Examination (PTCE) online, visit ptcb.org

The Exam covers three broad function areas:

  1. Assisting the Pharmacist in Serving Patients
  2. Maintaining Medication and Inventory Control Systems
  3. Participating in the Administration and Management of Pharmacy Practice

Assisting the Pharmacist in Serving Patients

This was 66% of the exam in 2007 and covers such items as:
  • Knowledge of pharmaceutical and medical abbreviations and terminology
  • Knowledge of anatomy and physiology
  • Knowledge of drug interactions (such as drug-disease, drug-drug, drug-laboratory, drug-nutrient)
  • Knowledge of effects of patient’s age (for example, neonates, geriatrics) on drug and non-drug therapy

Maintaining Medication and Inventory Control Systems

This was 22% of the exam in 2007 and covers such items as:
  • Knowledge of inventory receiving process
  • Knowledge of regulatory requirements regarding record-keeping for repackaged products, recalled products, and refunded products
  • Knowledge of policies, procedures, and practices regarding storage and handling of hazardous materials and wastes (for example, Materials Safety Data Sheet [MSDS])
  • Knowledge of pharmaceutical industry procedures for obtaining pharmaceuticals

Participating in the Administration and Management of Pharmacy Practice

This was 12% of the exam in 2007 and covers such items as:
  • Knowledge of lines of communication throughout the organization
  • Knowledge of sanitation requirements (for example, handwashing, cleaning counting trays, countertop, and equipment)
  • Knowledge of procedures to document occurrences such as medication errors, adverse effects, and product integrity (for example, FDA Med Watch Program)


Guidebook to Pharmacy Technician Certification


Here is a Guidebook to Pharmacy Technician Certification



Pharmacy Technician Practice Exam




Pharmacy Tech Salary

See Pharmacy Tech Salary info



See Pharmacy Technician Schools

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