Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT) Practice Exam

The PTCB CPhT Certification stands as the technician credential that pharmacists rely on. By attaining the CPhT credential, technicians demonstrate their expertise and dedication to medication safety and providing effective patient care across various pharmacy settings. Many employers not only prefer but often require their pharmacy technicians to hold PTCB CPhT certification.

Eligibility Requirements:

• Reside in the United States of America or its territories (US).
  
• Completion of a PTCB-Recognized Education/Training Program or equivalent work experience.
• Full disclosure of any criminal history and State Board of Pharmacy registration or licensure actions.
• Adherence to all relevant PTCB Certification policies.
• Achieve a passing score on the Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam® (PTCE®).

To qualify for the PTCE, candidates must fulfill one of the following pathways:

• Pathway 1: Completion of a PTCB-Recognized Education/Training Program (or completion within 60 days).
• Pathway 2: Equivalence in work experience as a pharmacy technician (minimum 500 hours).* This alternate pathway caters to experienced technicians who were unable to attend a PTCB-recognized program.

*500 hours must be completed at the time of application.

Exam Details

• Exam Name: Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT)
• Exam Languages: English
• Exam Questions: 90 Questions
• Time: 120 minutes
• Price: $129

Exam Course Outline 

The Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT) Exam covers the given topics  - 

Domain 1: Overview Medications 40%

1.1 Generic names, brand names, and classifications of medications 

1.2 Therapeutic equivalence

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

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

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

1.6 Indications of medications and dietary supplements

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

1.8 Narrow therapeutic index (NTI) medications

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

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

Domain 2: Understand Federal Requirements 12.5%

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

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

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)

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

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

Domain 3: Learn About Patient Safety and Quality Assurance 26.25%

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

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)

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)

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

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

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

Domain 4: Understand Order Entry and Processing 21.25%

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

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

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

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

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