PTCE study guide
PTCE · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT) credential from PTCB is the entry-level certification most U.S. pharmacy employers recognize when hiring technicians. PTCB's CPhT Program is nationally accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA), and PTCB states that employers prefer - and many require - the credential. CPhTs support pharmacists in community pharmacies, hospitals, and other settings; the legal scope of practice is set by each State Board of Pharmacy, not by the certifying body. Topics on this exam: Medications, Federal Requirements, Patient Safety and Quality Assurance, and Order Entry and Processing. The PTCE study guide has 4 sections and about 1,056 words.
01Medications
Candidates must distinguish generic name , brand name , active ingredient , dosage form , route , and release mechanism . Learn common therapeutic classes and stems (e.g., -olol beta blockers, -pril ACE inhibitors, -statin HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors, -sartan ARBs) and match them to monitored risks: blood pressure, heart rate, renal function, bleeding, hypoglycemia.
249 words, about 1 min02Federal Requirements
Know the Controlled Substances Act schedules I–V, DEA registration, and federal recordkeeping. Schedule II has no refills; schedules III–IV allow up to five refills within six months of the issue date; schedule V refills follow state law.
278 words, about 1 min03Patient Safety and Quality Assurance
Patient safety focuses on systems that prevent harm: accurate patient identification, complete allergy and medication reconciliation, barcode scanning, independent double checks, and clean, organized workflow. Know high-alert medications (insulin, heparin, opioids, concentrated electrolytes, neuromuscular blockers, chemotherapy), LASA names, tall-man lettering, and error-reporting systems.
260 words, about 1 min04Order Entry and Processing
Order entry requires accurate interpretation of the prescription: patient identifiers, drug, strength, dosage form, quantity, directions (sig), refills, prescriber, and date. Master sig abbreviations (po, prn, qd, bid, tid, qid, q4h, ac, pc, hs), metric conversions, ratio/proportion and dimensional analysis, and days-supply calculations.
269 words, about 1 min