PTCB guides
Direct answers for PTCB format, studying, exam day, scores, and what to do next.
20 source-backed guides
Start here
Open these first if you are still getting oriented, then browse by topic below.
Study the PTCE with the current 2026 four-domain outline. PTCB is the board, PTCE is the exam, and CPhT is the credential. Build a plan around medications, federal requirements, safety, and order entry.
Read the guideThe current PTCE has four domains: Medications 35%, Federal Requirements 18.75%, Patient Safety and Quality Assurance 23.75%, and Order Entry and Processing 22.50%. This is the January 2026 outline, not a pre-2026 compounding blueprint.
Read the guideThe PTCE passing scaled score is 1,400. Possible scores range from 1,000 to 1,600. PTCB has not published a universal raw number correct out of 80 that equals 1,400.
Read the guideCurrent PTCE math lives mainly in Order Entry: days supply, ratios, conversions, concentrations, and dilutions. Alligations were removed in 2026. Original worked examples only. Not a raw-score predictor.
Read the guideBrowse the library
Understand what the PTCE is and choose a useful first step.
Confirm question count, timing, and the current four domains.
PTCE testing time is 1 hour 50 minutes. PTCB also asks you to commit about two hours including a 5-minute tutorial and a 5-minute survey. Arrive 30 minutes early at Pearson.
Read the guideThe PTCE has 90 multiple-choice questions: 80 scored and 10 unscored. Unscored items are not identified. Your scaled score uses the 80 scored items.
Read the guideThe PTCE outline effective January 6, 2026 removes nonsterile compounding and a dedicated NTI knowledge area, adds DSCSA, and shifts domain weights. Test length and four-domain structure stay the same.
Read the guideInterpret the 1,400 scaled cut and preliminary versus official results.
Use current PTCB attempt rules, then change what you practice next.
Apply, schedule at Pearson, and prepare for an in-person appointment.
The current PTCE is taken in person at Pearson test centers. Pearson’s PTCB page points OnVUE information to all exams except the PTCE. Other PTCB credentials may still offer online testing. Recheck live product pages.
Read the guideCreate a PTCB Account, apply for CPhT certification, wait for authorization, then schedule the PTCE at a Pearson test center. Pearson currently describes a 90-day window to schedule after approval.
Read the guidePTCE eligibility currently requires U.S. residence plus Pathway 1 (PTCB-recognized education/training) or Pathway 2 (at least 500 hours of pharmacy technician work experience complete at application), disclosures, policy compliance, and a passing PTCE.
Read the guidePTCB currently lists $129 to apply for CPhT Certification and take the PTCE. Each exam attempt is a paid application. Recertification is a separate later fee. Recheck the live CPhT page before you pay.
Read the guideArrive 30 minutes early at Pearson. Bring identification that matches your PTCB Account. The PTCE uses an on-screen calculator. Unofficial results appear after the survey. Official scores follow in the PTCB Account.
Read the guideStudy each current PTCE domain without pre-2026 compounding leftovers.
Domain 2 is 18.75% of the 2026 PTCE. Study federal controlled-substance rules, restricted programs, recalls, and DSCSA. Do not treat a state Board of Pharmacy rule as a universal PTCE fact.
Read the guideDomain 1 is 35% of the current PTCE. Study names, classes, indications, interactions, contraindications, doses and forms, adverse effects, and storage. PTCB does not publish a fixed official Top 200 list.
Read the guideDomain 4 is 22.50% of the 2026 PTCE. Study Sig codes, days supply, NDC numbers, lot and expiration, administration supplies, and returns. Calculations in this domain exclude alligations.
Read the guideDomain 3 is 23.75% of the 2026 PTCE. Study high-alert and LASA drugs, error prevention, pharmacist intervention, event reporting, prescription errors, and infection prevention.
Read the guideWork current calculation setups and a responsible medication-study framework.
Looking for exam basics? Visit the PTCB / PTCE exam hub.
Free PTCB resources
Choose the next step that fits what you need right now.
Answer one at a time and learn from every rationale.
Start practice →Practical planning aidShape the time you have into a clear, realistic rhythm.
Build my outline →Exam overviewSee format, official sources, and the rest of this exam path.
Open exam hub →