How Many Questions Are on the PTCB Exam?

90 items. 80 scored. 10 you cannot spot.

The current PTCB CPhT page states the PTCE is a computer-based exam with 90 multiple-choice questions: 80 scored and 10 unscored. Unscored questions are randomly placed and are not identified. Practice exam-style PTCE questions in the Passy PTCB prep app → as if each item counts, because you will not be told which ones do not.

The published length is a fixed set of 90 multiple-choice questions. The CPhT page does not describe the exam as stopping early.

Why the unscored ten exist

PTCB uses unidentified items to evaluate future questions. They do not contribute to the score PTCB reports from the 80 scored items. You cannot skip “the experimental ones.” There is no highlighter for them.

That is also why a 20-question Passy preview is not a miniature of the 90-item exam. It is a skill check. How long is the PTCB exam? covers the 110-minute testing clock that those 90 items share.

What 80 scored items are not

Eighty scored questions are not a promise that you need a published raw number correct. PTCB reports a scaled passing score of 1,400 on a 1,000–1,600 range. PTCB passing score explains that scale. Do not convert 1,400 into “you need 56/80” unless PTCB publishes that conversion.

The four domains describe content, not four separately timed mini-tests of 90 items. What's on the PTCB exam? covers the outline.

How to use the number while you study

Pace against 90, not against 80: you answer all 90 on test day, and the unidentified ten still consume minutes. Do not try to guess which items might be unscored; shape study time around the domains instead. A small original set cannot certify that you are ready for 90 items, but it can show whether a classification, a federal rule, or a days-supply setup is breaking down. The count itself is not a study plan.