Exam
Free PTCB Practice Test & Study Guide
Updated for 2026–2027
Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam (PTCE) is the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board's certification exam for pharmacy technicians.
The PTCE is the exam you pass to earn the Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT) credential from PTCB.
Topics
Free139 of the 508 questions on this page are open to everyone — no account, no card, no deadline.
- Medications, Classes, and IndicationsGeneric and brand names, drug classes, and what each medication is used for (outline KAs 1.1, 1.6).8 of the exam's 90 questions
- Drug Interactions and Side EffectsTherapeutic duplication, common and life-threatening interactions, and side effects, adverse effects, and allergies (KAs 1.2, 1.3, 1.5).12 of the exam's 90 questions
- Dosage Forms, Doses, and StorageStrengths, dosage forms, routes, administration instructions, duration, drug stability, and proper storage (KAs 1.4, 1.7, 1.8).12 of the exam's 90 questions
- Controlled SubstancesDEA schedules and the federal requirements for controlled-substance prescriptions — new, refill, and transfer (KA 2.2).6 of the exam's 90 questions
- Federal Programs, Waste, Recalls, and DSCSAStorage, handling, and disposal; restricted drug programs (pseudoephedrine, REMS); FDA recalls; and DSCSA serialization and tracing (KAs 2.1, 2.4, 2.5, 2.6).11 of the exam's 90 questions
- High-Alert Medications and Error PreventionHigh-alert and LASA medications, tall-man lettering, and the error-prevention strategies and prescription-error types (KAs 3.1, 3.2, 3.5).11 of the exam's 90 questions
- Intervention, Reporting, and Infection ControlWhen a technician must involve the pharmacist, event-reporting procedures, and infection-prevention standards (KAs 3.3, 3.4, 3.6).10 of the exam's 90 questions
- Pharmacy CalculationsFormulas, calculations, ratios, proportions, conversions, and the symbols for days supply, quantity, dose, concentration, and dilutions (KA 4.1).7 of the exam's 90 questions
- Order Interpretation and SigReading prescriptions and medication orders: Sig codes and abbreviations, Roman numerals, and military time (KA 4.1).4 of the exam's 90 questions
- Administration Equipment and SuppliesThe equipment and supplies required for drug administration — syringes, needles, devices, and diabetic and immunization supplies (KA 4.2).3 of the exam's 90 questions
- NDC, Lot, Expiration, and ReturnsLot numbers, expiration and beyond-use dates, NDC numbers, and identifying and returning medications and supplies (KAs 4.3, 4.4).6 of the exam's 90 questions
Weight is each topic's share of the exam. PTCB publishes domain percentages, not per-topic weights, so each topic's figure is our split of its domain's published percentage over our 90-question form — the weight is PTCB's, the split is ours.
It's free. 139 of the 508 questions on this page are open right now — no account, no card, nothing to sign up for.
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Take the free diagnostic: a short mixed sitting, a couple of questions from every topic in the PTCB — no account and no timer. You get your count topic by topic, and the one to work on first.
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Everything in the pass
Bonus
Your personal study plan
It ranks your topics weakest-first and tells you what to do next.
Bonus
The Weak Spot Finder
The skills costing you the most points, ranked.
Your progress
Accuracy, weak spots, and what to fix first
- Answered
- 214
- Accuracy
- 71%
- Day streak
- 8
- Bank seen
- 33%
- Medications, Classes, and Indications69%
- Order Interpretation and Sig66%
- Pharmacy Calculations61%
- Controlled Substances54%
Do this next — Controlled Substances, your lowest Domain 2 area at 54%. Start with the CSA schedules.
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Sources: PTCB — Certified Pharmacy Technician (the $129 fee (read 2026-10-16), the 90 questions and the 110-minute sitting) and PTCB — exam retake policy (the waits between attempts, the requirement to apply and pay for every attempt, and the preparation evidence PTCB requires after four) and PTCB — PTCE Content Outline (effective 2026-01-06) (the domain weights the study plan ranks by).
About the PTCB
The PTCE is the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board's certification exam for pharmacy technicians in the United States. Elk Ridge Academy is an independent study resource and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB).
Free for everyone, no pass needed: the free diagnostic · the Top 200 drug list.
Edition 2026 · Reviewed 3 Oct 2026 · Source: PTCE Content Outline v1.4 (effective 2026-01-06) and PTCB help center (accessed 2026-10-03) · Administered by Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB).
Elk Ridge Academy is an independent study resource. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by PTCB. Exam names are used descriptively only.