PTCB practice testPharmacy tech exam, one sig at a time.
Drug names, sig codes and calculations as short story lessons, with an endless math generator for days supply, dilutions and mg/kg.
The lesson plan
33 lessons in 4 chapters · about 5 minutes each
- 22.50%
1Pharmacy math and order entry10
Order Entry and Processing
- Pharmacy sig codes and days supply Lesson 1 · free
- Insulin and units
- Pharmacy math: ratio and proportion
- Conversions: mL, tsp, kg, lb
- Dilutions and percent strength
- mg/kg dosing for kids
- Roman numerals and pharmacy abbreviations
- NDC, lot and expiration dates
- Syringes, spacers and diabetic supplies
- Returns: credit, stock, reverse distribution
- 35%
2Medications8
- Top 200 drugs: brand to generic
- Drug stems: -olol, -pril, -statin
- What each drug class treats
- Interactions and contraindications that matter
- Therapeutic duplication, caught in time
- Doses, dosage forms and routes
- Side effects, adverse effects, allergies
- Stability, storage and the fridge
- 18.75%
3Federal law7
Federal Requirements
- DEA schedules, C-I to C-V
- Controlled refills and transfers
- Ordering C-IIs and counting inventory
- Loss, theft, take-back and destruction
- Pseudoephedrine limits and REMS
- Hazardous waste and the P-list
- Recalls and DSCSA tracing
- 23.75%
4Patient safety8
Patient Safety and Quality Assurance
- Look-alike, sound-alike and Tall Man
- High-alert drugs: extra checks
- Error-prone abbreviations and trailing zeros
- When to get the pharmacist
- Types of prescription errors
- Reporting errors: MedWatch, VAERS
- Clean trays, clean hands
- Test day: PTCE at Pearson VUE
Built on PTCE Content Outline · 2026
Read lesson 1: Sig codes and days supply
You may see abbreviations in prescription directions. Many come from Latin, and patients may not understand them.
The pharmacist puts the directions on the medicine label. That tells the patient how much to take and how often.
The sig is a prescription's directions. Look for how much, which way, and how often. Their order can vary. How long appears only when it applies.
One tablet, by mouth, twice a day, for thirty days. Two times thirty is sixty tablets.
1 tab PO TID × 10 d. How many tablets do you dispense?
- 10
- 20
- 30
- 40
Answer: 30. TID is three times a day. 3 × 10 = 30.
Days supply runs the other way. Divide the quantity by the doses per day. Sixty tablets at two a day last thirty days.
You dispense 90 tablets. The sig reads 1 tab PO TID. What is the days supply?
- 30 days
- 45 days
- 90 days
- 270 days
Answer: 30 days. 30 days: TID is three doses a day, and 90 divided by 3 is 30. Dividing by 2 misreads TID as twice a day. 90 is the tablet count, and 270 multiplies instead of dividing.
Next lesson: Insulin and units
The full class, $39 at launch.
Paid once, when it opens. Lesson 1 is free now.
- Top 200 drugs, spaced
- Endless calculations
- Full mock exams
Not affiliated with PTCB or NHA.
Questions
PTCE or ExCPT: which one is this for?
It’s built on the PTCE, PTCB’s exam. Most of it carries to NHA’s ExCPT, since the drugs, sigs and math overlap; check which one your state or employer accepts.
What math do I need?
Days supply, dilutions, mg/kg dosing and conversions. The class makes endless problems, each with worked steps.
Is this a PTCB-recognized program?
No, it’s exam prep. To qualify for the PTCE you finish a PTCB-recognized program or meet PTCB’s work-experience route.
When does it open, and what will it cost?
Lesson 1 is free now. The full class opens at $39, paid once.