Pharmacy technician (PTCE, ExCPT)
Pharmacy tech practice test for either exam
Choose the ExCPT or the PTCE in the exam menu, then a domain. Ten questions a set, each corrected at once with the reason.
ExCPT · practice
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| Study target: 8 of 10 (80%), not the official passing score |
Practice questions written by Radif Partners from the public outline; not questions from the real exam. Progress stays in this browser.
Pharmacy technicians in the United States certify through one of two national exams: the PTCE of the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board, 90 questions in 1 hour 50 minutes, or the ExCPT of the National Healthcareer Association, 120 questions in 2 hours 10 minutes. Both cover the same job, drugs and their classes, federal pharmacy law, patient safety and the dispensing of prescriptions, but they weight it differently and name their domains differently. This practice test works for both: every question in our pool of 171 pharmacy questions is tagged with its PTCE domain and its ExCPT domain, and the exam menu switches the quiz between the two outlines. Three kinds of questions make up both exams: recall items on names, classes and rules; scenarios that follow a prescription through the pharmacy; and calculations, from days supply to dilutions. The days supply calculator under the quiz checks the most frequent calculation of all, the one pharmacies make on every claim.
Days supply of tablets or capsules
Days supply
45 days
- Units a day
- 2.00
- For 30 days
- 60 units
- For 90 days
- 180 units
Quantity divided by units a day, rounded down to whole days.
Questions, formats and fees by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method and sources
The three kinds of questions
Recall
Short questions on facts: the brand name of a generic, the class of a drug, the schedule of a controlled substance (DEA schedules), the meaning of a sig code. They are fast to answer if you know them and impossible to reason out if you do not. Flash cards and daily repetition work best; the top 200 drugs page has both.
Scenarios
A situation at the counter or the computer, and the next step. The answer depends on the step of the dispensing process being tested and on scope: technicians gather information, enter, fill and label; pharmacists verify, counsel and decide. When two options seem right, the one that refers a clinical question to the pharmacist is usually the answer.
Calculations
Numbers with units. Two quick examples: a dose of 2 teaspoons is 10 mL, using the 5 mL teaspoon of federal labeling rules (21 CFR 101.9); 60 tablets at 2 a day last 30 days. Write each step with its unit, and check that the answer has the unit the question asks for.
How the two outlines name the same topics
| Topic | PTCE domain | ExCPT domain |
|---|---|---|
| Drug names, classes, uses | Medications | Drugs and drug therapy |
| Controlled substances, DEA forms | Federal requirements | Laws |
| Error prevention, high-alert drugs | Patient safety and QA | Medication and patient safety and QA |
| Prescription entry, calculations, labels | Order entry and processing | Dispensing process |
| Billing, inventory, customer service | Order entry and processing | Role, responsibilities and general duties |
When you switch the exam menu, the domain menu changes to that exam's names and the same question may appear under a different heading.
A balanced practice week
Alternate the three kinds: recall sets on drugs on most days, scenario sets on law and safety twice a week, a calculation session every other day. At the end of the week, take a full mock for the exam you chose: the PTCE mock or the ExCPT format described on the ExCPT page. The exam comparison lays out both formats.
The questions are ours, written from the public outlines; they are not questions from either real exam.