The Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam (PTCE) from the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) earns you the CPhT credential, which many states and employers require or prefer. This guide covers eligibility, the exam, scoring and how to prepare.

Who can take it

You need to complete a PTCB-recognized education or training program, or have at least 500 hours of equivalent work experience as a technician.

The format

The PTCE has 90 multiple-choice questions (80 scored and 10 unscored) and a time limit of 1 hour 50 minutes. Under the content outline in effect since January 6, 2026, questions come from four domains:

Domain	Share
Medications	35%
Patient Safety and Quality Assurance	23.75%
Order Entry and Processing	22.5%
Federal Requirements	18.75%

Passing score

PTCB reports a scaled score from 1000 to 1600, and 1400 or higher passes. PTCB doesn’t publish a raw-score cutoff.

Where to test and renewal

You take the PTCE at a Pearson VUE test center or online with a proctor. CPhT certification is renewed every 2 years with 20 hours of continuing education, including 1 hour of pharmacy law and 1 hour of patient safety.

How hard is the PTCE?

Medications is over a third of the exam, so knowing common drugs, their classes and their uses matters most. Many candidates also find the math demanding: conversions, dosage calculations, days supply and alligation. Federal Requirements tests specifics, such as controlled substance schedules and the forms used to order and report them.

How to study

If you have two weeks: drill the top drugs by class (see top drugs: brand and generic names) and pharmacy math (see pharmacy math practice), then take a full practice exam.

If you have four to six weeks: add a week on federal law (controlled substance schedules, DEA forms and recordkeeping) and a week on patient safety (look-alike, sound-alike drugs, error prevention), then take timed full practice exams.

Start with free practice on the home page.