United States · Certification examPut in your exam date and the planner spreads 22 short lessons over the days you have: drug names and classes, federal law, patient safety, pharmacy math, order entry and compounding. Pharmacy math has lessons of its own, and the PTCE outline marks calculation items in all four of its areas, so expect it all through the exam. The last two days are for our 20 practice questions and a redo of the ones you missed.
Pick the date of your test and how long you can study each day. You’ll get a plan that takes you right up to the test.
What should PTCB exam preparation include?
PTCB's own advice is short:
- Study from the PTCE Content Outline, effective January 6, 2026. It lists every knowledge area and its share of the exam.
- Use the PTCE Reference List to find books on the topics you're weak in. PTCB says it doesn't endorse or recommend any review course, manual or book.
- Ask your supervising pharmacist to help you plan, if you work in a pharmacy.
- If you buy PTCB's tools, PTCB recommends studying with the Practice Bank first and taking the Pre-PTCE as a final check before the real exam.
Preparing for the ExCPT instead?
Plan from NHA's ExCPT Test Plan. Its biggest domain is the dispensing process, with 43 of the 100 scored questions, so give the most days to prescription intake, filling, calculations and compounding. NHA's score report breaks your result down by content area, which helps if you need a second plan for a retake.