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How To Prepare for the Pharmacy Technician National Certification Exam

August 7th, 2025 8 minute read

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How To Prepare for the Pharmacy Technician National Certification Exam ... and Pass It!

Preparing for the national certification examination can be quite challenging. You will be wondering what the things are you need to do to ace your exam. Yes, we all have been in that situation before. But the simple truth is that you are capable, and you also can do it.

In this article, we will be revealing to you how to study, how to prepare, and practical tips you need to pass your next examination.

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Without further ado, let's dive in

What is the pharmacy technician certification examination?

The pharmacy technician examination is an examination conducted by the pharmacy technician certification board. (PTCB).

The Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) was established in January 1995 and is governed by six organizations: the American Pharmacists Association, the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, the Illinois Council of Health-System Pharmacists, the Michigan Pharmacists Association, the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy, and the National Community Pharmacists Association.

PTCB is a national credentialing organization that enables pharmacy technicians to work more effectively with pharmacists.

Passing this exam will make you a certified pharmacy technician CPhT.

Getting certified as a pharmacy technician will open up many opportunities and make you stay ahead of others who are not yet certified.

This is why you need to understand how this exam is being conducted and how to pass it effortlessly.

Get your own PTCB Exam Secrets Study Guide

Now, let's look at some of the requirements for taking this examination.

Requirements

● You must be a US resident or one of its territories

● Must complete education training accredited by the pharmacy technician certification board or equivalent work experience as a pharmacy technician (min. 500 hours). This alternative path will serve experienced pharmacy technicians who were not in a position to attend a PTCB-Recognized Education/Training Program

Check out difference between pharmacy technician and pharmacy assistant

● Must comply with the certification policies

● Disclose any criminal actions you've committed.

Check out pharmacy technician requirements for different countries

How to study for the pharmacy technician examination.

Create a study plan and schedule.

As the saying goes " if you fail to plan, you plan to fail". So, you have to be very intentional and create a study plan and follow it strictly.

Create a study plan depending on your availability and also take into consideration the best time you study well.

Part of your study plan could be to study for 2-3 hours daily. Create a plan and stick to it!

Use the exam syllabus and content outline.

When preparing for the certification exam, it's important to study the exam syllabus and look at the content outline.

Check the courses and topics you're supposed to know.

Check the official content outline from PTCB

Reviewing the syllabus and exam content outline will give you an idea of what you're going to be tested on.

For instance, you will be tested on basic pharmacology, action, and uses of medicine, anatomy and physiology, pharmaceutical calculations, and many more. But it's rare for you to be tested on complex pharmacology like drug interactions and mechanism of action (that's more of a pharmacist's work).

This will help you to prepare well and focus on the important areas.

Explore other resources!

Yes, there are a lot of available materials and resources online you can use in preparation for your exams.

However, always ensure the material or textbooks align with the exam syllabus. Don't waste time on unnecessary materials.

PTCB Test Prepartion Materials

Create your study materials

As you explore materials online, follow the exam content outline and recommended textbooks.

Always create your study materials and find the best method of learning for yourself.

You might want to utilize flashcards in your learning to keep note of important details.

Or are you are the type that’s used to writing short notes while reading?

You need to discover yourself, and know who you are, are you a night reader or a day reader? And also, the learning style that works for you.

After discovering and knowing what works for you, you need to create your study material to suit that.

Take a practice test.

Taking practice tests regularly is a good way to test your learning and readiness.

You can take a practice test from the pharmacy technician certification board site. The practice tests are usually from the past questions of the exam.

Taking these tests will help you know your weaknesses, your strengths, and areas you should improve on.

Pharmacy forum and communities

As a candidate who is preparing for the national certification examination, joining forums and communities of professionals where you can meet new people is recommended.

Join conversations on this forum and interact with other professionals, ask questions and learn from other experienced pharmacy technicians.

TechConnect™ is a community where you can connect with technicians all over the world.

Tips on how to study for your exam

Study regularly

Without determination you wouldn't start, without consistency, you wouldn't finish.

Always make sure you stick to your study plan and read regularly.

Consistency is important.

Study the right materials

It's not just about studying regularly, it's also about what materials you are studying. Are they relevant or recommended by the board?

PTCB Exam Flashcards

PTCB Online Study Course

Have a study group

Having a study group and working with them helps to fasten learning and also makes you more accountable than studying on your own.

Study past questions

Studying past questions will get you familiar with the way questions are being asked. You will understand the pattern of questions they set.

However, questions from past questions are the most repeated, this is why you should get them and carefully study them over and over.

Take the Free PTCB Practice Test

Recommended Study Resources for Your Pharmacy Technician Certificate Examination

Studying the right and relevant material for the technician exam gives you the confidence for success.

We cherish you a lot and we care about your success. For that reason, we have compiled a list of recommended study resources:

Books and textbooks

Books and textbooks are reliable sources of information, providing in-depth coverage of pharmacy technician concepts and principles.

Here are some highly recommended books for your study:

● Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam Review by Lorraine Zentz

● PTCB Exam Simplified by David A. Heckman

● Complete Math Review for the Pharmacy Technician by William A. Hopkins

Check this out to get the recommended books and all other relevant texts as well

Online resources

In addition to your textbooks, it is recommended to explore online resources.

Here are some online courses you might want to look at.

● Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) Online Course: The board offers an official online course covering all the exam topics. It's highly recommended to take this course.

● American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) eLearning Center: you can have access to various courses to enhance your knowledge and skills.

● Pharmacy Technician Study Guide by Study.com: A comprehensive online study guide that covers all exam domains and offers practice quizzes.

How to manage your time during the exam

Time management is very important, you need to be fast and accurate.

Here are ways you can manage your time effectively during the exam.

● Allocate time for each section

● Allocate time for each question; for instance, if a section contains 50 questions for 1 hour (that is 60 min), by calculation you have 1.2 min per question.

● Know the time you have per question and avoid spending too much time on a question, you can always skip the difficult ones and come back to it later.

Final thoughts and well wishes

Dear candidate,

You've got this! You can do it and you're more than enough. We're giving you the assurance that you can do this and ace your exam at once.

All you have to do is take the examination seriously, put in the effort, study, and prepare hard for the exam.

Remember passing this exam is crucial for you to be certified.

Remember to always use the study guides, get recommended books, seek guidance from experienced professionals, and practice previous questions.

You can also reach out to us via our email, and social media sites (Pharm Techs Only!™ on LinkedIn and on Facebook).

We will be glad to always help you out.

We wish you all the best in your examination preparation.

Dream big, put in the work, and make a positive impact in healthcare.

Go forth and excel!

Feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section.