PTCB / PTCE guideExam format
PTCB Exam Changes in 2026: What's Different on the PTCE?
The 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.
Short answer
PTCB implemented an updated PTCE Content Outline in January 2026 after a 2024 job analysis. The exam still has four domains and the same test length. Nonsterile compounding content was removed, including former knowledge areas 1.9 and 4.1 and alligations from 4.2. The dedicated Narrow Therapeutic Index knowledge area was removed, though NTI information may still appear if relevant elsewhere. DSCSA was added. Medications and Patient Safety weights decreased. Federal Requirements and Order Entry and Processing weights increased. Study the current PDF, not a pre-2026 blog table.
Same four domains. Different contents and weights.
PTCB’s job-analysis notice is the change log. The Certification Council approved an updated PTCE Content Outline and CPhT Knowledge Reference for January 2026. The outline retains the same four domains and total test length. Rebuild your PTCE plan around that current outline in Passy if your materials still open with compounding.
What changed, in PTCB’s own notable-changes list:
- Nonsterile compounding content is removed (former knowledge areas 1.9 and 4.1, plus alligations from 4.2).
- Knowledge area 1.8, Narrow Therapeutic Index medications, is removed. NTI information may still be covered in other areas if relevant.
- A knowledge area for the Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA) is added.
- Medications and Patient Safety and Quality Assurance percentages are reduced. Federal Requirements and Order Entry and Processing percentages are increased.
Current weights after the shift
The outline effective January 6, 2026 lists:
| Domain | Current weight |
|---|---|
| Medications | 35% |
| Federal Requirements | 18.75% |
| Patient Safety and Quality Assurance | 23.75% |
| Order Entry and Processing | 22.50% |
Passy does not treat unofficial older percentage tables as PTCB’s previous official chart. Directionally, Federal Requirements and Order Entry grew. Medications remains the largest domain even after the reduction.
What's on the PTCB exam? is the full current inventory. This page is the delta.
What to add to a 2025 study pile
DSCSA. Serialization, tracking, tracing, handling, and quarantining now sit in Federal Requirements. PTCB Federal Requirements is where that knowledge area belongs.
Order entry identifiers and remaining calculations. NDC, lot, expiration, Sig codes, days supply, ratios, conversions, and dilutions remain. Alligation-style compounding math does not. Order Entry & Processing and PTCB pharmacy math split that work.
Practice the added federal and order-entry decisions in Passy instead of rerunning an alligation worksheet.
What to stop treating as current PTCE content
Nonsterile compounding as a dedicated outline area, alligations, and a standalone NTI knowledge area are the deletions PTCB named. Compounding may still appear in other PTCB certificate products. That is a different credential. The CPhT Knowledge Reference can still list recommended knowledge that is not on the PTCE outline. Exam prep should follow the outline.
Format did not become adaptive. You still have 90 multiple-choice items and 1 hour 50 minutes of testing time. PTCB / PTCE study guide is how to study the remaining map.
Work mixed current-outline items in Passy after you retire the deleted chapters.
The useful next step is the current PDF, not a recycled 2020 syllabus. If a bank still labels compounding as Domain 1, drop that chapter rather than adding it to the calendar.
Keep PTCE review inside the 2026 domains in Passy whenever leftover compounding drills are still crowding DSCSA and NDC.
Trust the source
Official sources
Exam policies can change. Use these primary sources for the most current details.