Pass the PTCE / ExCPT Exam.

What is the PTCE exam?

The PTCE (Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam) is administered by the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) and is one of two nationally recognized pharmacy tech certification exams. The PTCE has 90 multiple-choice questions (80 scored + 10 unscored), runs 1 hour 50 minutes (about a 2-hour appointment), and requires a passing scaled score of 1400 on a 1000–1600 scale. Effective January 6, 2026, it covers four domains: Medications, Patient Safety & Quality Assurance, Order Entry & Processing, and Federal Requirements.

What is the difference between PTCE and ExCPT?

Both exams certify pharmacy technicians, but they are administered by different organizations. The PTCE is from PTCB (Pharmacy Technician Certification Board); the ExCPT is from the National Healthcareer Association (NHA). Both are accepted by most states and employers. The PTCE has 90 questions (80 scored) in 1 hour 50 minutes; the ExCPT has 100 scored questions (plus 20 pretest) in 2 hours 10 minutes with a passing scaled score of 390 (of a possible 500). The PTCE is slightly more common and requires a high school diploma or equivalent.

What changed on the PTCE in 2026?

PTCB updated the PTCE Content Outline effective January 6, 2026. The four knowledge domains are now weighted: Medications 35%, Patient Safety & Quality Assurance 23.75%, Order Entry & Processing 22.50%, and Federal Requirements 18.75%. Non-sterile compounding knowledge areas (and alligation calculations) were removed, and a new area covering the Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA) was added under Federal Requirements. Calculation-based knowledge now appears across several domains rather than in a standalone math section.

How hard is the pharmacy tech exam?

PTCB does not publish a public first-attempt pass rate for the PTCE — pass-rate data is released only to recognized education programs under a data license — so be cautious of specific pass-rate figures quoted online. What the official 2026 Content Outline does tell you is where to focus: Medications is the heaviest domain at 35%, and calculation-based knowledge is spread across multiple domains. Practicing dosage and IV-rate math and learning the top medication classes are the highest-yield ways to prepare.