PTCB Exam Information and Outline
The Pharmacy Technician Certification Board
PTCB Exam Syllabus & Study Guide
Before you start practicing with our exam simulator, it is essential to understand the official PTCB exam objectives. This course outline serves as your roadmap, breaking down exactly which technical domains and skills will be tested. By reviewing the syllabus, you can identify your strengths and focus your study time on the areas where you need the most improvement.
The information below reflects the latest 2026 course contents as defined by PTCB. We provide this detailed breakdown to help you align your preparation with the actual exam format, ensuring there are no surprises on test day. Use this outline as a checklist to track your progress as you move through our practice question banks.
Below are complete topics detail with latest syllabus and course outline, that will help you good knowledge about exam objectives and topics that you have to prepare. These contents are covered in questions and answers pool of exam.
Medications (40%)
- Generic names- brand names- and classifications of medications
- Therapeutic equivalence
- Common and life-threatening drug interactions and contraindications (e.g.- drug-disease- drug-drug- drug-dietary supplement- drug-laboratory- drug-nutrient)
- Strengths/dose- dosage forms- routes of administration- special handling and administration instructions- and duration of drug therapy
- Common and severe medication side effects- adverse effects- and allergies
- Indications of medications and dietary supplements
- Drug stability (e.g.- oral suspensions- insulin- reconstitutables- injectables- vaccinations)
- Narrow therapeutic index (NTI) medications
- Physical and chemical incompatibilities related to non-sterile compounding and reconstitution
- Proper storage of medications (e.g.- temperature ranges- light sensitivity- restricted access)
Federal Requirements (12.5%)
- Federal requirements for handling and disposal of non-hazardous- hazardous- and pharmaceutical substances and waste
- Federal requirements for controlled substance prescriptions (i.e.- new- refill- transfer) and DEA controlled substance schedules
- Federal requirements (e.g.- DEA- FDA) for controlled substances (i.e.- receiving- storing- ordering- labeling- dispensing- reverse distribution- take-back programs- and loss or theft of)
- Federal requirements for restricted drug programs and related medication processing (e.g.- pseudoephedrine- Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies [REMS])
- FDA recall requirements (e.g.- medications- devices- supplies- supplements- classifications)
Patient Safety and Quality Assurance (26.25%)
- High-alert/risk medications and look-alike/sound-alike [LASA] medications
- Error prevention strategies (e.g.- prescription or medication order to correct patient- Tall Man lettering- separating inventory- leading and trailing zeros- bar code usage- limit use of error-prone abbreviations)
- Issues that require pharmacist intervention (e.g.- drug utilization review [DUR]- adverse drug event [ADE]- OTC recommendation- therapeutic substitution- misuse- adherence- post-immunization follow-up- allergies- drug interactions)
- Event reporting procedures (e.g.- medication errors- adverse effects- and product integrity- MedWatch- near miss- root-cause analysis [RCA])
- Types of prescription errors (e.g.- abnormal doses- early refill- incorrect quantity- incorrect patient- incorrect drug)
- Hygiene and cleaning standards (e.g.- handwashing- personal protective equipment [PPE]- cleaning counting trays- countertop- and equipment)
Order Entry and Processing (21.25%)
- Procedures to compound non-sterile products (e.g.- ointments- mixtures- liquids- emulsions- suppositories- enemas)
- Formulas- calculations- ratios- proportions- alligations- conversions- Sig codes (e.g.- b.i.d.k- t.i.d.- Roman numerals)- abbreviations- medical terminology- and symbols for days supply- quantity- dose- concentration- dilutions
- Equipment/supplies required for drug administration (e.g.- package size- unit dose- diabetic supplies- spacers- oral and injectable syringes)
- Lot numbers- expiration dates- and National Drug Code (NDC) numbers
- Procedures for identifying and returning dispensable- non-dispensable- and expired medications and supplies (e.g.- credit return- return to stock- reverse distribution)