Becoming a pharmacy technician is an excellent choice for those interested in an accessible, lucrative career path within the healthcare field. Acquiring a pharmacy technician certification will allow you to outshine competitors and enhance your chances of obtaining your ideal position within the pharmaceutical industry. In order to earn a Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT) credential, you will need to pass the Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam (PTCE) offered by the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) or the Exam for the Certification of Pharmacy Technicians (ExCPT) offered by the National Healthcareer Association (NHA). Let’s explore the benefits of becoming a CPhT and whether the PTCE vs. ExCPT is right for you.
Benefits of becoming a Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT)
Although it is not always necessary to earn a CPhT, many states do require pharmacy technicians to be certified. According to the NHA, 90% of employers encourage or require their pharmacy technicians to be certified. Regardless of whether it is mandatory or not, having this certification will make it significantly easier for you to gain employment. Those that hold a certification will also be more likely to achieve higher salaries and more promotional opportunities than non-certified candidates.
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Choosing how to get certified is an important step for your future career. The exams offered by the PTCB and NHA are recognized in all states that require a certification. However, they differentiate in content, cost, eligibility, and career advancement resources. Depending on your goals, one of these organizations may be more advantageous over the other.
Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam (PTCE)
The Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) is a non-profit organization that offers the Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam (PTCE). The PTCE is the most widely recognized exam offered to receive the CPhT credential.
PTCE content
The PTCE is a comprehensive assessment of the knowledge and skills required to be a pharmacy technician. The exam consists of 90 questions covering 4 major sections. In order to successfully pass the PTCB exam, candidates must have a strong understanding of all the content below.
Medications (40%)
The Medications section of the PTCB exam evaluates your knowledge of various aspects of medications, including their generic and brand names, therapeutic classifications, therapeutic equivalence, potential drug interactions and contraindications, dosage forms, routes of administration, storage requirements, indications, and safety considerations. This section accounts for 40% of the overall exam score. The Medications section is the core of the PTCE, and requires a lot of memorization. Study the material in this section early and often to be successful on the exam.
Patient Safety and Quality Assurance (26.25%)
The Patient Safety and Quality Assurance section of the PTCE assesses your understanding of patient safety principles, error prevention techniques, quality assurance procedures, patient engagement, and education. This section is crucial for ensuring that pharmacy technicians are able to provide safe and effective care to their patients. The Patient Safety and Quality Assurance section comprises some of the most important, life saving material that you will learn when preparing for the pharmacy technician exam. These things can have a real impact on your customer’s health and wellbeing, so be sure to treat it with the care it deserves.
Order Entry and Processing (21.25%)
The Order Entry and Processing section of the PTCE covers the essential tasks involved in accurately processing and dispensing medications. It assesses your ability to calculate and convert medication doses, ensure proper drug administration, and manage medication returns. While not glamorous, getting Order Entry and Processing right is also a crucial part of doing your job as a pharmacy technician. The dosages and administration instructions you give to customers are a key part of keeping them safe.
Federal Requirements (12.5%)
The Federal Requirements section of the PTCE covers the federal requirements for healthcare substances and waste. It includes regulations for controlled substances, restricted drug programs, and FDA recall requirements. This section can be challenging for some because it involves a lot more law text than other sections. However, ensuring that your work follows federal guidelines is extremely important and failure to do so could cost you your pharmacy technician job in the future.
Check out our article on the complete guide to the PTCB exam for more information, containing a detailed outline and studying tips.
PTCE pass rate
The PTCE pass rate varies from year to year, but has remained around 70% over the past 3 years of available data.
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PTCE Exam YearPTCE Exams AdministratedPTCE Exams PassedPTCE Pass Rate 201848,86228,05857% 201951,76829,91058% 202033,63423,52270% 202142,61530,13471% 202242,34429,80570%
PTCB eligibility and cost
Eligibility requirements for the PTCB certification includes the completion of a PTCB-recognized education/training program or 500 hours of work experience as a pharmacy technician, passing a background check, and passing the PTCE.
Generally speaking, there are three main paths people take to fulfill these eligibility requirements:
- After spending 500 hours of work experience of a pharmacy technician, they prepare for and take the PTCE
- They take a training course that both fulfills the requirements for the PTCB certification and prepares them for the PTCE
- They take a training course that fulfills the requirements for the PTCB certification, and then prepare for the PTCE separately
There is a 1 time $129 fee to take PTCE, in addition to a $49 recertification fee and $89 reinstatement fee that must be paid every 2 years in order to renew your credential.
PTCB renewal requirements / CE
The certification has to be renewed every 2 years by completing 20 hours of continuing education (CE). At least 1 of those hours must be in pharmacy law and 1 must be in patient safety.
PTCB career advancement
In addition to offering the CPhT credential, the PTCB offers many other certifications related to your pharmacy technician journey:
- Advanced Certified Pharmacy Technician
- Billing and Reimbursement Certificate
- Controlled Substances Diversion Prevention Certificate
- Hazardous Drug Management Certificate
- Immunization Administration Certificate
- Medication History Certificate
- Medication Therapy Management Certificate
- Nonsterile Compounding Certificate
- Certified Compounded Sterile Preparation Technician
These credentials can all be earned through the PTCB organization.
Having these extra certifications, especially the Advanced CPhT, can help with improving your resume and professional growth.
Exam for the Certification of Pharmacy Technicians (ExCPT)
The National Healthcareer Association (NHA) is another non-profit organization offering the CPhT credential. Although the exam offered by the NHA, the Exam for the Certification of Pharmacy Technicians (ExCPT), is newer and less commonly taken than the PTCE, it is still a respected choice that will thoroughly assess your pharmacy technician skills.
ExCPT content
The ExCPT is made up of 100 questions covering 4 major sections. The NHA provides a very similar outline to the PTCB on what to study regarding content, but the focal points between the exams differ.
Overview and Laws (25%)
The Overview and Laws section of the ExCPT will assess your understanding of what your priorities are as a pharmacy technician and ensure that you are following through with those tasks legally. Specifically, this section covers crucial knowledge of controlled substances, laws and regulations, and the roles, scope of practice, and general duties of a pharmacy technician.
Drugs and Drug Therapy (15%)
The Drug and Drug Therapy section of the ExCPT ensures your understanding of key qualities within medications. This covers drug classification, where you will need to know how to match products with their dosage, therapeutic classes, routes of administration, and indications. Frequently prescribed medications are also covered, meaning you must be able to differentiate between brand and generic names of commonly used prescription medications, and possess knowledge of common vaccine and immunization schedules, drug interactions, and the effects medications have on patients.
Dispensing Process (45%)
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The Dispensing Process section of the ExCPT tests your comprehension of dispensing medications. This includes prescription intake and entry, preparing and dispensing prescriptions, and calculating prescription data. You must also be familiar with procedures relating to sterile and nonsterile products, compounding, unit dosage, and repackaging. This section makes up 45% of the exam, making it a fundamental component of the ExCPT.
Medication Safety and Quality Assurance (15%)
The Medication Safety and Quality Assurance section of the ExCPT ensures your ability to follow best practices for quality assurance and medication safety. This includes knowledge of guidelines, medication warnings, and procedures to guarantee delivery of the correct prescriptions. This section will also verify your competence in taking corrective action, checking stock, and maintaining a clean work environment.
Check out the NHA’s Test Plan for the ExCPT Exam for a more detailed outline of what to study for the exam.
ExCPT pass rate
The ExCPT pass rate was 63% in 2023, and has remained around 63% over the past 3 years.
ExCPT Exam YearExCPT Exams AdministratedExCPT Exams PassedExCPT Pass Rate 2021N/AN/A63% 202213,3908,57064% 202315,6099,83463%
NHA eligibility and cost
In order to be eligible for the NHA’s CPhT certification, you must have a high school diploma or the equivalent, and successfully complete one of the 3 pathways described below:
- Training Program:
- Complete a pharmacy technician training program offered by an accredited or state-recognized institution or provider; or
- Complete an employer-based training program that:
- is recognized by the Board of Pharmacy of the state in which the candidate completes the training program; or
- has been verified by the candidate’s employer to provide academic preparation that ensures the candidate’s competence in performing the duties of an entry-level pharmacy technician.
- Military: Pharmacy related training offered by any branch of the US Military fulfills the training program. Candidates whose date of graduation or completion from their training program is 5 years or more prior to the date of application, must also have relevant work experience as described below.
- Work Experience: Complete at least 1200 hours of supervised pharmacy related work experience within any 1 year of the past 3 years.
There is a $125 fee to take the ExCPT exam and a $55 renewal fee.
NHA renewal requirements / CE
The NHA holds the same standards for renewal as the PTCB, meaning your certification has to be renewed every 2 years by completing 20 hours of CE, including 1 hour in pharmacy law and 1 hour in patient safety.
NHA career advancement
The NHA organization offers many other certifications besides the CPhT:
- Certified Clinical Medical Assistant
- Certified Phlebotomy Technician
- Certified Medical Administrative Assistant
- Certified EKG Technician
- Certified Electronic Health Records Specialist
- Certified Medical Billing and Coding Specialist
- Certified Patient Care Technician/Assistant
However, these certifications are unrelated to becoming a pharmacy technician and do not provide the option for an Advanced CPhT credential.
PTCE and ExCPT comparison
We have established that the PTCE and ExCPT share a similar content outline, but we still need to dive into how their focal points differ. The PTCE seems to focus more on safety than the ExCPT, seeing as their patient safety and quality assurance section covers 26.25% of the exam, with an additional focus on medication safety under their medications section. The ExCPT only dedicates 15% of their exam to medication safety and quality assurance. However, the ExCPT exceeds the PTCE in dispensing process content, as that is the main portion of their exam at 45% of tested questions, compared to the PTCE that allocates 21.25% to their order entry and processing section. The ExCPT also seems to have a heavier focus on laws, as 25% of their exam covers overview and laws, with a majority of that section covering legalities over pharmacy technician overview. The PTCE’s federal requirements section only takes up 12.5% of the exam.
The areas of knowledge you are most confident in may sway your decision as to which exam is more appealing. If the division of content does not have an impact on your decision, the pass rates might, as they reveal which exam more candidates were able to successfully pass.
The following table compares the pass rates for the PTCE and ExCPT over the last 3 years of available data. Due to evidence showing lower passing rates for the ExCPT compared to the PTCE, one may find the ExCPT to be a slightly more challenging exam.
CPhT Exam YearPTCE Pass RateExCPT Pass Rate 202070%N/A 202171%63% 202270%64% 2023N/A63%
Conclusion
All things considered, the PTCB exam is likely the better choice for CPhT candidates, as it has higher passing rates and offers more certifications related to pharmacy technician growth. However, the NHA’s certification is cheaper and may be easier for you individually depending on the content you are most confident in. Ultimately, you cannot go wrong with your choice of either organization. Both organization’s CPhT exams cover similar content areas and will guarantee you possess the knowledge needed to flourish as a pharmacy technician.
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