Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB)
The Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) develops, maintains, promotes, and administers an accredited certification program for pharmacy technicians. The Pharmacy Technician Certification Examination (PTCE) was developed by PTCB to determine whether individuals have mastered the knowledge and skills necessary to work as a pharmacy technician. Through the PTCB certification program, pharmacy technicians are able to work more effectively with pharmacists to offer better patient care and service. The following is only a summary of PTCB’s program policies. For more information, please refer to the Candidate Guidebook.
PTCB Certification
To gain certification with PTCB, pharmacy technicians must meet eligibility requirements, which include a passing score on the Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam (PTCE). Once a pharmacy technician becomes certified, he or she may use the designation “CPhT”. To maintain PTCB certification, CPhTs must recertify every two years. The purpose of recertification is to ensure that pharmacy technicians stay up-to-date in pharmacy practice through the completion of 20 hours of Continuing Education (CE).
Scheduling Information
Authorization to Schedule
Once your application is approved, you will be authorized to schedule an exam appointment. The authorization to schedule period is 90 days. If you are unable to take the exam during this period, you must withdraw your application or forfeit all fees.
Scheduling the PTCE
You may schedule with Pearson VUE online or by phone. Pearson VUE automatically creates a web account, needed to schedule or change appointments online, for authorized candidates. You will receive an email with web account login information. Scheduling your appointment online is the most convenient method, and the only option for making appointment changes outside of business hours.
Special Accommodations
Candidates who requested special accommodations during the application process will not be authorized to schedule until PTCB has approved the accommodations. Candidates with approved special accommodations must call Pearson VUE’s Accommodations Hotline to schedule an appointment, at (800) 466-0450.
Test Preparation
Candidates should become familiar with the content outline of the PTCE. Although PTCB does not provide preparation or training materials, there are many accredited pharmacy technician training providers. Additionally, PTCB has developed a series of optional practice exams for purchase that provide candidates an opportunity to experience question content, formats, and a test structure similar to what candidates experience when sitting for the PTCE. Additionally, Pearson VUE provides a tutorial that gives candidates an opportunity to experience the look, feel, and functionality they will encounter on the exam (please note that this tutorial is not PTCB specific, and some of the features, e.g. essay items, do not apply to the PTCE).
