Pharmacy Technician Study Guide PDF | PTCB PTCE and ExCPT Exam Review | Top 200 Drugs, Pharmacy Law, Calculations | 120 Practice Questions

Learn the drugs, the law and the math, organized the way the 2026 PTCE is organized.

This is a 58-page printable pharmacy technician study guide for the PTCB PTCE and the NHA ExCPT. I'm Anna, RN, BSN, PHN, a nurse educator who has been helping students pass their exams through NurseStudy.Net since 2012. The guide follows the four domains of the new PTCE content outline (effective January 2026): Medications, Federal Requirements, Patient Safety and Quality Assurance, and Order Entry and Processing, with ExCPT topics like compounding, billing and inventory included. Every page uses quick tables, worked examples and memory tricks, and points out the traps before you fall into them.

What's Inside

• About the PTCE and ExCPT, the 2026 outline and what changed (bigger federal law section, new DSCSA content)
• 6-week study plan, 2-week sprint and test day checklist
• Drug stems and suffixes: know the class from the name
• Top 200+ drugs by class in tables: generic, brand, main use (222 drugs)
• Drug interactions, therapeutic duplication, contraindications, narrow therapeutic index drugs, classic side effects
• Dosage forms, auxiliary labels, USP storage temperatures and stability
• Controlled substance schedules with examples, refills, partial fills, transfers and DEA number checks
• DEA Forms 222, 41, 106 and 224, CSOS, inventory and take-back
• Pseudoephedrine limits (CMEA), Poison Prevention Packaging Act, REMS and iPLEDGE, Medication Guides
• FDA recall classes, DSCSA, hazardous waste and HIPAA
• ISMP high-alert medications, look-alike/sound-alike drugs and Tall Man lettering
• Error prevention and error-prone abbreviations
• Reading a prescription, sig codes, Roman numerals, DAW codes and NDC numbers
• Pharmacy calculations with 42 worked examples: conversions, ratio-proportion, days supply, insulin, eye drops and inhalers, percent and ratio strength, dilutions, alligation, IV flow rates, business math
• Non-sterile and sterile compounding basics (USP 795, 797 and 800 overview)
• Insurance and third-party billing, and inventory management
• Must-know numbers and all memory tricks on one page
• 3 drills: brand-generic matching, sig-code translation and a calculation worksheet, with answer keys
• 120 original practice questions (30 calculation questions) with answers and rationales
• Score sheet by domain and a miss log
• Hyperlinked: clickable contents page and bookmarks

Good For

• Pharmacy technician students preparing for the PTCE or ExCPT
• Working techs getting certified or recertifying their knowledge
• Pharmacy tech program instructors who want a review handout for personal use

Details

• Instant digital download
• One PDF, 58 pages
• US letter size, 8.5 x 11 in
• Print at home or use on your iPad or tablet in GoodNotes or Notability

Please Note

• This is a digital product. Nothing will be shipped.
• Due to the nature of digital files, all sales are final.
• For personal use only. Please do not share or resell.
• This guide teaches federal law for exam study. State laws can be stricter. It is not medical or legal advice. Check the current PTCB or NHA candidate handbook before you test.

PTCB® and PTCE® are registered trademarks of the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board. ExCPT is a trademark of the National Healthcareer Association. Neither endorses this product. Brand drug names are trademarks of their respective owners.