Five Most Effective Study Guides for the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB)

If you are an aspiring pharmacy technician, passing an upcoming PTCB examination is one of your most important goals in life. Passing this exam will earn you your CPhT designation and will allow you to practice as a full-pledged certified pharmacy technician.

An all-important exam like this can be nerve-wracking and no doubt you are getting as much studying as you can in order to pass. But a good PTCBstudy guide can not only help you increase your chances of passing the PTCB, it can also transform your review sessions into easy-breezy ones.

Here we listed the five most effective study guides for your upcoming PTCB exam. With these, acing your exams is going to be easy!

1. Mosby’s Review for thePharmacy Technician Certification Examination – James J. Mizner

This book by James J. Mizner, an established educator in the field of pharmacy tech, is one of the most comprehensive study guides you can find in the market today. Inside you will find everything you need to pass your PTCB – from lecture notes, topic outlines, and important test-taking tips and strategies, you will find them here. 

This book also includes useful study tools such as digital flash cards and the latest PTCE blueprint so you can simulate the actual exam as if you’re actually taking it. The best part is that each of the book’s chapters are equipped with an exclusive PTCB knowledge domain. With this, you can study in parts that are easily digestible, making your review sessions light and efficient.

2. Pharmacy Technician Exam – Learning Express Editors

With its simple and uncomplicated approach to difficult problems, The Pharmacy Technician by Learning Express Editors has gained a solid reputation as one of the leading study guides for PTCB. In fact, using this book is so easy; it can even be used by people who don’t have previous experience in healthcare or pharmacy training. It also covers a great number of topics such as mathematics, pharmacy law, hospital equipment, and extensive coverage of the drug list. 

This book is definitely a handy reference for anyone wishing to take the PTCB.

3. Complete Math Review forthe Pharmacy Technician – William A., Jr. Hopkins

Definitely one of the hardest and most worrisome topics in the PTCB is mathematics. So if you’re rusty on your math, this book is recommended for you. 

With more than 750 practice problems available, this handy guidebook covers almost every math scenario in the PTCB, especially all the pharmacy calculations that are not just important in your upcoming exam but in your real-life career as well.

4. PTCE – Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam Flashcard Book – Della Ata Khoury

One of the most effective ways for studying for any exam is to use flashcards – this guidebook offers you just that. Study and memorize the various terms, medications, questions, and definitions for your upcoming PTCB through this book’s 400 flashcards. 

As a user, you also acquire an exclusive access to the online REA study center where you can join other participants in answering online quizzes and various diagnostic tools. If you find that the book’s pre-made flashcards are not working for you, you also have the option to create your own set of flashcards that will tailor to your unique studying needs.

5. Secrets of the PTCB ExamStudy Guide – PTCB Exam Secrets Test Prep Team

With a title as enticing as this, this book is one of the best-selling PTCB study guides out there. Created by a group of dedicated and knowledgeable PTCB prep team, the contents of this book will provide you with important shortcuts and tips that are essential for you to ace your certification examination. 

This guidebook is especially useful when exam date is fast approaching and you no longer have months to perform a traditional cover-to-cover review. Concise and extremely helpful, The Secrets of the PTCB Exam Study Guide is a great bonus to the other comprehensive study guides mentioned in this article.