Enrollment open: 2,000 questions, written content-area by content-area to PTCB’s current PTCE content outline (v1.4). Enroll today and start with free sample questions.
The Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) certifies pharmacy technicians through the Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam (PTCE): 90 multiple-choice questions, 80 of them scored, with a scaled score of 1400 required to pass. PassProfessor’s PTCE program gives you 2,000 original practice questions built exactly on the current v1.4 content outline — Medications weighted heaviest, at 35% — with an explanation on every question and full practice exams generated fresh, at the real exam’s weights, every time you sit one. A free sample comes with the program.
What’s included
A bank built on the current outline — not the retired one. PTCB’s PTCE content outline changed on January 6, 2026. The v1.4 outline reweighted all four content areas, added a knowledge area on the Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA), and removed nonsterile compounding and the standalone narrow-therapeutic-index area. Practice material written to the older weights drills topics the exam no longer tests as separate areas and underweights the ones it now emphasizes. Every question in this bank is tagged to a v1.4 content area, and the bank’s mix matches the outline exactly: 700 questions on Medications (35%), 475 on Patient Safety and Quality Assurance (23.75%), 450 on Order Entry and Processing (22.50%), and 375 on Federal Requirements (18.75%).
An explanation on every question. Every one of the 2,000 questions explains why the correct answer is right and why the tempting alternatives are wrong, in plain language. The explanation is the lesson; the question is how you find out you need it.
Practice exams at the real exam’s weights. Each full practice exam is generated fresh for that attempt — 90 questions drawn in the same proportions the v1.4 outline sets, so Medications carries the most questions and Federal Requirements carries its new, larger share. Questions you have not seen come first, and you never sit the same exam twice.
Drills that match how the exam is built. Drill a single content area — Medications alone, or the Federal Requirements block where the new DSCSA material lives — or sit the full 90-question simulation against the clock. Your results break down by content area, so a weak area shows up in your practice data before it shows up on a score report.
Pharmacy math where the outline puts it. Calculation-based knowledge is not a separate PTCE content area. Under v1.4 it sits mainly inside Order Entry and Processing — formulas, ratios, proportions, conversions, and days-supply, quantity, dose, and concentration calculations — and the outline also flags calculation-based statements inside Medications. This bank practices calculations in those places, in the same form the real exam presents them: as part of an order to be processed or a medication to be checked, not as a standalone math quiz.
Questions that stay honest. Every item in the program is monitored from real student responses once the program opens. Questions students find suspiciously easy or suspiciously hard are pulled for review, and anything found wrong is fixed or retired — the bank you practice on is the bank as it should be, not as it shipped.
The real exam at a glance
Current as of October 2026, per the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) — the PTCE Content Outline v1.4 (effective January 6, 2026), the PTCB Candidate Guidebook, and PTCB’s CPhT program pages. Full detail — eligibility pathways, registration, retakes, test day — is in our PTCE exam guide.
| Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam (PTCE) | |
|---|---|
| Certification body | Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) |
| Credential earned | Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT) |
| Delivered at | Pearson VUE test centers, in person |
| Questions you will see | 90 multiple-choice |
| Scored questions | 80 |
| Unscored pretest questions mixed in | 10 (you cannot tell which they are) |
| Exam time | 1 hour 50 minutes (110 minutes) |
| Total appointment | 2 hours (5-minute tutorial + 110-minute exam + 5-minute post-exam survey) |
| Passing standard | Scaled score of 1400, on a scale of 1000–1600 |
| Application and exam fee | $129, paid to PTCB when you apply |
| Eligibility headline | Complete one of two pathways — a PTCB-recognized education/training program, or at least 500 hours of pharmacy technician work experience |
- A scaled score of 1400 is not a percentage. PTCB reports scaled scores instead of raw scores so that different forms of the exam — which mix slightly different questions — all demand the same level of knowledge. There is no fixed “percent correct” that passes; plan to practice comfortably above the line, not on it.
- The PTCE is taken in person. PTCB offers online testing for its other credential exams, but its Help Center states that online testing is available for all credential exams except the PTCE. You sit this exam on a computer at a Pearson VUE test center — PTCB lists more than 1,400 test centers nationwide, including more than 100 military bases.
- You apply to PTCB first, then schedule. Once PTCB approves your application, you receive a 90-day authorization period to schedule and take the exam.
- Passing earns the CPhT credential, which certificants then maintain by recertifying every two years with 20 hours of continuing education per cycle.
How the practice maps to the real exam
Every question in the PTCE bank is tagged to one of the four content areas of PTCB’s v1.4 content outline — the same outline the real exam is built from — and the bank’s proportions match the outline’s weights exactly. Counts below are the bank itself, counted question by question.
| PTCE v1.4 content area (official weight; expected scored questions of 80) | Practice questions |
|---|---|
| Medications (35%; about 28 scored) | 700 |
| Patient Safety and Quality Assurance (23.75%; about 19 scored) | 475 |
| Order Entry and Processing (22.50%; about 18 scored) | 450 |
| Federal Requirements (18.75%; about 15 scored) | 375 |
| Total | 2,000 |
Two mapping notes that matter for your study time. First, Federal Requirements grew under v1.4 and now includes the DSCSA knowledge area — serialization, tracking, tracing, handling, and quarantining requirements — which older practice material does not cover at all. Second, what v1.4 removed is removed here too: there is no standalone nonsterile-compounding drill set and no standalone narrow-therapeutic-index section, because the current outline tests neither as its own area.
How to use it
- Start with free sample questions — a fixed set of PTCE questions across all four content areas, with full explanations — enough to see how the program teaches and where you stand.
- Drill Medications first. At 35% of the exam — roughly 28 of the 80 scored questions — Medications is where the most points live: generic and brand names, classifications, interactions and contraindications, strengths and dosage forms, side effects, stability, and storage. It is the largest block in this bank for the same reason.
- Drill by content area, with Federal Requirements early. The v1.4 outline raised Federal Requirements to 18.75% and added DSCSA. Candidates studying from pre-2026 materials are most exposed exactly here; the drills close that gap directly.
- Sit full generated exams against the clock. 90 questions in 110 minutes is about 73 seconds per question, with the 10 unscored pretest items mixed invisibly into the count. Practice the pace, not just the material.
- Apply through PTCB and schedule at Pearson VUE when your practice scores sit comfortably above passing on full simulations — then keep your 90-day authorization window in mind as you pick your test date.
Pricing
The PTCE program is $49. The full program — all 2,000 questions, an explanation on every question, unlimited fresh practice exams and content-area drills — carries the site’s standard refund terms: 14 days, provided you have attempted less than 20% of the program (see the site Terms for the full policy).
Verified questions
Every question in this program is original — written for PassProfessor from the official exam blueprint, never copied from a test bank or another provider’s materials. Before enrollment opened, each answer key was independently verified: reviewers re-answered sampled questions blind, disagreements were settled against the primary sources, and every numeric answer was recomputed from first principles. Questions whose facts could not be confirmed were removed, and the bank passed a text-overlap screen. Practice exams draw a fresh, blueprint-weighted set from the full bank on every attempt, so no two practice exams are the same.
Frequently asked questions
How do I enroll in the PTCE program? Enrollment is open. Enroll on this page for $49 and you get immediate access to the full program — all 2,000 questions, the content-area drills, and the generated practice exams — starting with free sample questions if you want to look around first.
How many questions are on the PTCE? Per the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board, the PTCE has 90 multiple-choice questions. Eighty are scored and ten are unscored pretest questions PTCB uses to evaluate items for future exams. The pretest questions are placed randomly and are not identified, so treat every question as if it counts.
What score do I need to pass the PTCE? A scaled score of 1400, per PTCB. PTCE scores run from 1000 to 1600, and PTCB reports scaled scores rather than raw scores so that every form of the exam demands the same standard despite slight differences in difficulty. A scaled 1400 is therefore not the same as any fixed percentage of correct answers.
Is this program built on the current PTCE outline? Yes. PTCB’s PTCE Content Outline v1.4 took effect on January 6, 2026, and this bank is built content-area by content-area on it: Medications 35%, Patient Safety and Quality Assurance 23.75%, Order Entry and Processing 22.50%, Federal Requirements 18.75%. Material built on the pre-2026 weights — or on the retired standalone compounding and narrow-therapeutic-index areas — does not match the exam you will sit.
Who is eligible to take the PTCE? Per PTCB, you complete one of two pathways: a PTCB-recognized education/training program (you may apply when you are within 60 days of completing it; a pharmacy degree is also acceptable in place of a recognized program), or equivalent work experience as a pharmacy technician of at least 500 hours, complete at the time you apply. Every applicant must also reside in the United States or its territories, fully disclose any criminal and State Board of Pharmacy registration or licensure actions, comply with PTCB’s certification policies, and pass the PTCE.
How much does the PTCE itself cost? PTCB charges $129 to apply for CPhT certification and take the PTCE. That fee is paid to PTCB with your application — it is the exam fee, separate from the price of any preparation program, including this one (which costs $49).
Can I take the PTCE online? No. Per PTCB’s Help Center, online testing is available for all PTCB credential exams except the Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam. The PTCE is administered in person, on a computer, at Pearson VUE test centers — more than 1,400 nationwide, including more than 100 military bases.
What happens if I fail the PTCE? Per PTCB’s retake policy, you apply and pay the exam fee for each attempt, and you must wait for your official score report before reapplying. There is no waiting period for a second or third attempt; a fourth attempt requires a six-month wait. After four attempts, PTCB must review and approve evidence of acceptable preparation completed since your most recent attempt before you may apply again.
Does this program satisfy the PTCE eligibility requirement? No. PassProfessor is exam preparation only. It is not a PTCB-recognized education/training program, completing it does not meet Pathway 1, and it provides no education credit of any kind. Eligibility comes from a recognized program or from 500 hours of pharmacy technician work experience, as PTCB defines them — this program prepares you for the exam itself.
Are these actual PTCE questions? No. Every PassProfessor question is written by us, from scratch, to PTCB’s published PTCE content outline. We never use real exam questions, recalled questions, or another provider’s bank — and PTCB states that it does not endorse, recommend, or sponsor any review course or preparation material for its exams.
How long does CPhT certification last after I pass? Per PTCB, the CPhT credential runs on a two-year recertification cycle. To stay certified, CPhTs complete a minimum of 20 hours of continuing education in each cycle — including one hour in pharmacy law and one hour in patient safety — and apply to recertify before their certification expires.
Disclaimer
PassProfessor is an independent exam-preparation provider. This program is exam preparation only: it is not a PTCB-recognized education/training program, provides no education credit, does not satisfy any PTCE eligibility pathway, and is not affiliated with the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) or Pearson VUE. All practice questions are original, written to the published exam outline; they are not actual exam questions.