PTCB Practice Test

StudySim's free PTCB practice test has 24 sample questions with answer explanations. These original items review medications, federal requirements, patient safety, and order entry from the Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam. They are not PTCB’s Practice Bank or Pre-PTCE. Confirm the current content outline and eligibility rules on ptcb.org before you schedule.

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If nursing-assistant skills are your other track, use the CNA practice test for written nurse-aide items that also stress safety and reporting.

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Sample PTCB questions

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PTCB Sample Questions

Practice quiz

1. A prescription is written for “amoxicillin.” Amoxicillin is the:

2. Which storage statement is appropriate for a product labeled “refrigerate at 2 to 8 °C”?

3. A patient reports a rash after penicillin. Which action is within the technician’s role?

4. Why are some insulin products kept refrigerated until first use?

5. Therapeutic duplication means:

6. A reconstituted oral antibiotic says “discard after 14 days refrigerated.” On day 15 the remaining suspension should be:

7. Which DEA schedule includes drugs with accepted medical use and the highest abuse potential among scheduled prescription drugs commonly stocked (Schedule II)?

8. A customer wants to buy a restricted pseudoephedrine product. The technician should:

9. When a manufacturer recall arrives, the technician’s first duty is to:

10. DSCSA tracking is mainly about:

11. A Schedule II prescription generally:

12. Tall Man lettering is used to:

13. Which abbreviation is safer on a label?

14. A prescription is written for the wrong patient name that still appears in the profile. The technician should:

15. When should a technician wear gloves while counting?

16. A near miss that was caught before the patient received the drug should be:

17. A prescription reads “1 tab b.i.d. #60.” What days’ supply is that if one tablet is taken twice daily?

18. The sig “t.i.d.” means:

19. An NDC is typically printed as three segments. Those segments identify:

20. A bottle’s lot number is used primarily to:

21. How many milliliters are in 2 teaspoons if 1 teaspoon = 5 mL?

22. A 10 mL vial contains 100 mg. What is the concentration?

23. Expired unit-dose packages that cannot be dispensed should be:

24. Which situation requires pharmacist intervention before the technician continues?

0 of 24 answered

Original practice questions. Make your own practice tests from your notes in StudySim.

Exam at a glance

The Pharmacy Technician Certification Board’s PTCE is the exam for the CPhT credential. It is a computer-based multiple-choice test given at Pearson VUE. Unscored questions are mixed in and are not marked.

Detail	Information
Questions	90 multiple-choice questions: 80 scored and 10 unscored
Time	Plan about 2 hours: a 5-minute tutorial, 1 hour 50 minutes for the exam, and a 5-minute post-exam survey
Passing score	Scaled passing score 1,400. Reported scores range from 1,000 to 1,600.
Content outline (effective January 6, 2026)	Medications 35%; Federal Requirements 18.75%; Patient Safety and Quality Assurance 23.75%; Order Entry and Processing 22.50%.

Sources: PTCB: Become a Certified Pharmacy Technician, PTCB: PTCE Content Outline (effective January 2026) · Last reviewed Oct 27, 2026

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PTCB content areas

Medications

Names, classes, indications, interactions, storage, and stability. Official items can include calculation-based knowledge about strength, route, and duration.

Federal requirements and safety

Controlled-substance rules, recalls, DSCSA tracking, high-alert and LASA drugs, error prevention, and when to involve the pharmacist.

Order entry and processing

Sig codes, days’ supply, NDC and lot numbers, equipment, and returns. Several outline statements in this domain are calculation-based.

Study tips for PTCB

Memorize high-alert and LASA pairs from your training list

The 2026 outline still tests look-alike names and high-alert drugs. Practice saying both names out loud and the reason they are separated on the shelf.

Drill days’ supply and mL conversions every day

Several order-entry statements are calculation-based. Work 1 teaspoon = 5 mL and b.i.d./t.i.d. days-supply items until the arithmetic is automatic.

Know when to stop and call the pharmacist

Allergy, interaction, therapeutic substitution, and misuse alerts are not technician overrides. A safe habit is to pause the fill and document the handoff.

A few useful details

PTCB FAQ

How many questions are on the PTCE?

PTCB lists 90 multiple-choice questions: 80 scored and 10 unscored. Source: PTCB, Become a Certified Pharmacy Technician (https://ptcb.org/credentials/certification/certified-pharmacy-technician/).

How long is the PTCE?

PTCB tells candidates to plan about 2 hours, including a 5-minute tutorial, 1 hour 50 minutes of exam time, and a 5-minute survey. Source: PTCB, Become a Certified Pharmacy Technician (https://ptcb.org/credentials/certification/certified-pharmacy-technician/).

What score do I need to pass the PTCE?

The passing scaled score is 1,400 on a 1,000 to 1,600 scale. Source: PTCB, Become a Certified Pharmacy Technician (https://ptcb.org/credentials/certification/certified-pharmacy-technician/).

Is this an official PTCE?

No. StudySim writes original practice questions. This bank is not PTCB’s Practice Bank or Pre-PTCE and does not predict a scaled score.

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