PTCB Exam Study Tips | How to Pass with Confidence

There are currently more than 402,000 pharmacy technicians working throughout the United States. Are you interested in becoming one of them?

It doesn’t matter if you’re finishing up your pharmacy technician training course or if you’re considering jumping into the field. Either way, you’re probably wondering how challenging the certification exam is and what it takes to pass it.

The exam isn’t exactly easy. If you do your part and study hard for it, though, you’ll have a much easier time passing.

Read on for seven great tips that will help you ace the pharmacy technician certification exam.

What’s Included in the Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam?

Before we get into specific study tips, it’s a good idea to know what to expect from the pharmacy technician certification exam.

The exam is comprised of 90 multiple choice questions. You have two hours to answer the questions.

All of the questions included in the exam will apply to one of the following domains:

Pharmacology
Pharmacy law and regulations
Medication safety
Quality assurance
Sterile and non-sterile medication compounding
Order entry and fill process
Inventory management
Information system usage and application
Billing and reimbursement

More information about these sections here

In order to become a pharmacy technician, you’ll need to pass the test with a score of at least 1400. The lowest possibles core you can receive on the test is 1000, and the highest is 1600.

Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam Study Tips

As you can see, the pharmacy technician certification exam is pretty comprehensive. There’s not a lot of room for error, either. There’s no need to panic, though!

These seven study tips will help you make sure you’re prepared for whatever comes your way on test day:

1. Use Flashcards

Just about any pharmacy technician out there will tell you that flashcards are a must.

Flashcards make it easy for you to condense information down into manageable pieces and learn basic principles and concepts. They’re especially helpful when it comes to learning drug names and their effects.

Flashcards also allow you to study on the go and review information no matter where you are.

When you’re studying with flashcards, it’s helpful to break them down into different stacks and work through those stacks one at a time.

That way, you won’t have to worry about juggling a giant pile and will have an easier time figuring out which concepts you know and which ones are more of a challenge for you.

Smart tips: check out UGO Prep’s PTCB flashcards

2. Schedule Time to Study

The pharmacy technician certification exam isn’t the kind of test that you can cram for the night before taking it. It covers a lot of information and you’ll need to plan ahead and do a lot of studying beforehand.

It’s best to schedule some time for studying every day.

Most people find that they retain more and manage their stress better when they’re studying a little each day instead of trying to study for several hours at once a few times per week.

Try to schedule your study time so that it takes place at the same time each day, too. This will help you to establish a routine and make sure you always have time for it.

3. Take Practice Tests

Practice tests are another great tool that will help you figure out what you know and what you need to spend more time studying.

Here at UGO Prep, we have a quick and free PTCB practice test to find out how prepared you are for your exam. If you would like more practice questions, head over to our products page to learn more about our award winning PTCB practice questions.

4. Organize Your Study Space

It’s great to study on the go, but you should also have a home base where you can return and do the bulk of your studying.

To make sure you can focus when you’re in your designated study space (it could be a separate room in your house, a specific seat at the kitchen table, even a corner of the living room), it ought to be well organized.

Don’t let other, non-test-related items take over your space. Try to keep your cell phone out of the area, too, so you won’t be tempted to reach for it.

5. Take Breaks

It’s best not to try and study for hours on end without taking a break.

Eventually, you’ll stop retaining information and will end up having to go back and review what you’re reading.

When you’re creating your study schedule, be sure to schedule breaks for yourself so you can give your brain a rest and regroup.

6. Know Your Learning Style

Know yourself and the way you learn, too.

Do you do better listening to audio lectures and podcasts? Do you need to read and memorize information? Do you retain more when you’re up and moving around?

There are lots of different learning styles. Figure out what yours is and play to your strengths so you can get the most out of your study sessions.

7. Get in the Zone

Make sure you’re in a good state of mind before you start studying. If you’re stressed out or distracted, you’re going to have a hard time remembering concepts and retaining information.

You might want to schedule your study time for first thing in the morning before other people are awake and distracting you with texts, questions, or demands.

If you can’t study first thing in the morning, at least work on getting in the zone before you pull out your flashcards.

Try meditating for a few minutes or taking a few deep breaths to calm down and get focused. This is a good practice to try before you take your test, too.

Get More Study Tips Today

Now that you know more about what to expect from the pharmacy technician certification exam and how to study for it, are you feeling a little more prepared?

If you keep these tips in mind, you’ll have a much easier time handling the test and getting your license.

Do you want to learn more about studying for your certification exam? Are you looking for practice tests and test-taking advice? If so, we’ve got you covered.

Head to the PTCB Prep section of our site today to find out how we can help make your journey to becoming a pharmacy technician easier.