PTCB Blueprint

The Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam (PTCE), administered by the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB), is a comprehensive test designed to assess the knowledge and skills required for entry-level pharmacy technicians. Here’s a breakdown of PTCB exam:

PTCB Exam Format

Total Questions: 90 questions (80 scored + 10 unscored pilot questions).
Time Limit: 1 hour and 50 minutes (110 minutes).
Question Type: Multiple-choice questions (MCQs) with four answer options.
Passing Score: Scaled score of 1,400 (on a scale of 1,000 to 1,600).

PTCB Exam Content

The PTCE is divided into four knowledge domains, each with a specific weighting:

Medications (40%):
- Focuses on drug names (generic and brand), classifications, therapeutic uses, side effects, and interactions.
- Includes high-alert medications and look-alike/sound-alike (LASA) drugs.
Federal Requirements (12.5%):
- Covers federal laws and regulations, such as the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), HIPAA, and FDA regulations.
- Tests knowledge of DEA requirements and drug scheduling.
Patient Safety and Quality Assurance (26.25%):
- Emphasizes medication safety, error prevention, and quality assurance.
- Includes pharmacy calculations, compounding, and hazardous drug handling.
Order Entry and Processing (21.25%):
- Focuses on prescription processing, insurance billing, inventory management, and pharmacy technology.
- Tests communication skills and customer service.

Key Points

Computer-Based Testing: The exam is administered at Pearson VUE testing centers.
Unscored Questions: 10 pilot questions are included for future exam development and do not affect your score.
Immediate Results: Candidates receive a preliminary pass/fail result at the testing center.
Official Score Report: A detailed score report is available online within 2-3 weeks.

PTCB Preparation Tips

Study the PTCB Blueprint: Focus on the four domains and their weightings.
Practice Calculations: Pharmacy math is a significant part of the exam.
Memorize Drug Names: Learn generic and brand names, especially the Top 200 drugs.
Understand Laws and Regulations: Review federal requirements and patient safety guidelines.

PTCB Blueprint

Medications
(40% of PTCE Exam Content)

S. No.

Knowledge Domains and Areas

Flashcards

Questions

1.1 Generic names, brand names, and classifications
of medications

Yes

1.2 Therapeutic equivalence

Yes

1.3 Common and life-threatening drug interactions and contraindications (e.g., drug-disease, drug-drug, drug-dietary supplement, drug-laboratory, drug-nutrient)

Yes

1.4 Strengths/dose, dosage forms, routes of administration, special handling and
administration instructions, and duration of
drug therapy

Yes

1.5 Common and severe medication side effects, adverse effects, and allergies

Yes

1.6 Indications of medications and
dietary supplements

Yes

1.7 Drug stability (e.g., oral suspensions, insulin, reconstitutables, injectables, vaccinations)

Yes

1.8 Narrow therapeutic index (NTI) medications

Yes

1.9 Physical and chemical incompatibilities
related to non-sterile compounding and reconstitution

Yes

1.10 Proper storage of medications
(e.g., temperature ranges, light sensitivity, restricted access)

Yes

Federal Requirements
(12.5% of PTCE Exam Content)

S. No.

Knowledge Domains and Areas

Flashcards

Questions

2.1 Federal requirements for handling and
disposal of non-hazardous, hazardous,
and pharmaceutical substances and waste

Yes

2.2 Federal requirements for controlled substance prescriptions (i.e., new, refill, transfer) and
DEA controlled substance schedules

Yes

2.3 Federal requirements (e.g., DEA, FDA) for controlled substances (i.e., receiving, storing, ordering, labeling, dispensing, reverse
distribution, take-back programs, and loss
or theft of)

Yes

2.4 Federal requirements for restricted drug
programs and related medication processing
(e.g., pseudoephedrine, Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies [REMS])

Yes

2.5 FDA recall requirements (e.g., medications,
devices, supplies, supplements, classifications)

Yes

Patient Safety and Quality Assurance
(26.25% of PTCE Exam Content)

S. No.

Knowledge Domains and Areas

Flashcards

Questions

3.1 High-alert/risk medications and
look-alike/sound-alike [LASA] medications

Yes

3.2 Error prevention strategies (e.g., prescription
or medication order to correct patient,
Tall Man lettering, separating inventory, leading and trailing zeros, bar code usage, limit use of
error-prone abbreviations)

Yes

3.3 Issues that require pharmacist intervention
(e.g., drug utilization review [DUR], adverse
drug event [ADE], OTC recommendation, therapeutic substitution, misuse, adherence,
post-immunization follow-up, allergies, drug interactions)

Yes

3.4 Event reporting procedures (e.g., medication errors, adverse effects, and product integrity, MedWatch, near miss, root-cause analysis
[RCA])

Yes

3.5 Types of prescription errors (e.g., abnormal
doses, early refill, incorrect quantity, incorrect patient, incorrect drug)

Yes

3.6 Hygiene and cleaning standards (e.g., handwashing, personal protective equipment [PPE], cleaning counting trays, countertop, and equipment)

Yes

Order Entry and Processing
(21.25% of PTCE Exam Content)

S. No.

Knowledge Domains and Areas

Flashcards

Questions

4.1 Procedures to compound non-sterile products
(e.g., ointments, mixtures, liquids, emulsions, suppositories, enemas)

Yes

4.2 Formulas, calculations, ratios, proportions, alligations, conversions, Sig codes
(e.g., b.i.d., t.i.d., Roman numerals),
abbreviations, medical terminology, and
symbols for days supply, quantity, dose, concentration, dilutions

Yes

4.3 Equipment/supplies required for drug administration (e.g., package size, unit dose, diabetic supplies, spacers, oral and injectable syringes)

Yes

4.4 Lot numbers, expiration dates, and
National Drug Code (NDC) numbers

Yes

4.5 Procedures for identifying and returning dispensable, non-dispensable, and expired medications and supplies (e.g., credit return,
return to stock, reverse distribution)

Yes

Art Direction

Tp Course Title

Course Type

Course Credits

PTCB Practice Questions

PTCB Flashcards

PTCB Calculations

PTCB Quiz

Top 200 Brand Generics

Bonus Compounding Questions / Flashcards

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PTCB Blueprint

PTCB Exam Format

PTCB Exam Content

Medications (40%):

Federal Requirements (12.5%):

Patient Safety and Quality Assurance (26.25%):

Order Entry and Processing (21.25%):

Key Points

PTCB Preparation Tips

PTCB Blueprint

Medications (40% of PTCE​ Exam Content)

S. No.

Knowledge Domains and Areas

Flashcards

Questions

1.1

Generic names, brand names, and classifications of medications

Yes

Yes

1.2

Therapeutic equivalence

Yes

Yes

1.3

Common and life-threatening drug interactions and contraindications (e.g., drug-disease, drug-drug, drug-dietary supplement, drug-laboratory, drug-nutrient)

Yes

Yes

1.4

Strengths/dose, dosage forms, routes of administration, special handling and administration instructions, and duration of drug therapy

Yes

Yes

1.5

Common and severe medication side effects, adverse effects, and allergies

Yes

Yes

1.6

Indications of medications and dietary supplements

Yes

Yes

1.7

Drug stability (e.g., oral suspensions, insulin, reconstitutables, injectables, vaccinations)

Yes

Yes

1.8

Narrow therapeutic index (NTI) medications

Yes

Yes

1.9

Physical and chemical incompatibilities related to non-sterile compounding and reconstitution

Yes

Yes

1.10

Proper storage of medications (e.g., temperature ranges, light sensitivity, restricted access)

Yes

Yes

Federal Requirements (12.5% of PTCE​ Exam Content)

S. No.

Knowledge Domains and Areas

Flashcards

Questions

2.1

Federal requirements for handling and disposal of non-hazardous, hazardous, and pharmaceutical substances and waste

Yes

Yes

2.2

Federal requirements for controlled substance prescriptions (i.e., new, refill, transfer) and DEA controlled substance schedules

Yes

Yes

2.3

Federal requirements (e.g., DEA, FDA) for controlled substances (i.e., receiving, storing, ordering, labeling, dispensing, reverse distribution, take-back programs, and loss or theft of)

Yes

Yes

2.4

Federal requirements for restricted drug programs and related medication processing (e.g., pseudoephedrine, Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies [REMS])

Yes

Yes

2.5

FDA recall requirements (e.g., medications, devices, supplies, supplements, classifications)

Yes

Yes

Medications
(40% of PTCE Exam Content)

Generic names, brand names, and classifications
of medications

Strengths/dose, dosage forms, routes of administration, special handling and
administration instructions, and duration of
drug therapy

Indications of medications and
dietary supplements

Physical and chemical incompatibilities
related to non-sterile compounding and reconstitution

Proper storage of medications
(e.g., temperature ranges, light sensitivity, restricted access)

Federal Requirements
(12.5% of PTCE Exam Content)

Federal requirements for handling and
disposal of non-hazardous, hazardous,
and pharmaceutical substances and waste

Federal requirements for controlled substance prescriptions (i.e., new, refill, transfer) and
DEA controlled substance schedules

Federal requirements (e.g., DEA, FDA) for controlled substances (i.e., receiving, storing, ordering, labeling, dispensing, reverse
distribution, take-back programs, and loss
or theft of)

Federal requirements for restricted drug
programs and related medication processing
(e.g., pseudoephedrine, Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies [REMS])

FDA recall requirements (e.g., medications,
devices, supplies, supplements, classifications)

Patient Safety and Quality Assurance
(26.25% of PTCE Exam Content)

High-alert/risk medications and
look-alike/sound-alike [LASA] medications

Error prevention strategies (e.g., prescription
or medication order to correct patient,
Tall Man lettering, separating inventory, leading and trailing zeros, bar code usage, limit use of
error-prone abbreviations)

Issues that require pharmacist intervention
(e.g., drug utilization review [DUR], adverse
drug event [ADE], OTC recommendation, therapeutic substitution, misuse, adherence,
post-immunization follow-up, allergies, drug interactions)

Event reporting procedures (e.g., medication errors, adverse effects, and product integrity, MedWatch, near miss, root-cause analysis
[RCA])

Types of prescription errors (e.g., abnormal
doses, early refill, incorrect quantity, incorrect patient, incorrect drug)

Order Entry and Processing
(21.25% of PTCE Exam Content)

Procedures to compound non-sterile products
(e.g., ointments, mixtures, liquids, emulsions, suppositories, enemas)

Formulas, calculations, ratios, proportions, alligations, conversions, Sig codes
(e.g., b.i.d., t.i.d., Roman numerals),
abbreviations, medical terminology, and
symbols for days supply, quantity, dose, concentration, dilutions

Lot numbers, expiration dates, and
National Drug Code (NDC) numbers

Procedures for identifying and returning dispensable, non-dispensable, and expired medications and supplies (e.g., credit return,
return to stock, reverse distribution)