Passing the PTCB examination will be one of the biggest stepping stones in your career as a pharmacy technician but how do you pass it? What do you need to do to conquer this challenge that a lot of people fail to do. In this article I’ll feature 5 simple yet effective tips you can integrate in your preparation to give you the best possible chance in drugstore online passing this test.
Demand for certified pharmacy technicians is going up. Top retail pharmacies, government agencies and hospitals prefer if not require certified technicians, just go through the top job sites like online pharmacy store indeed, you’ll see what I mean. Being certified equals a better pay and benefits, more job security and more opportunities for job growth.
1: Know what to study for
One of the reasons why most people fail the certification test is that they just didn’t know what subjects to study for. Studying hard isn’t enough and will only be a wasted effort if you don’t know what to study for, spend some time to research on the possible topics or subjects that will be given during the exam – you can do this by visiting forums, blogs, or Facebook pages about pharmacy technicians. Another way is to take the practice test offered by the PTCB. Essentially, in knowing what to study you’ve basically won half the battle, in this case – the certification exam.
2: Take the practice test
In relation to tip # 1, taking the practice test is one of the best ways you can prepare for the exam. It’s not free though, it’ll cost $29 for each exam (4 exams total). Despite the added costs, this is in my opinion one of the best preparatory tools for the exam because the subjects that’ll be tackled in this practice test will be the same subjects that will be tackled in the exam – again, like what I said in the first tip, know what to study for.
3: Take the exam soon after completing your technician training
The concept is simple, by doing this you’ll not forget what you’ve studied during the training program. If you wait too long, let’s say a few months to a few years, you might forget or recall the things you’ve studied that might be included in the test. Several online programs offer training courses that also doubles as a preparatory study program for the PTCB exam – one such program is the online course offered by the National Pharmacy Technician Association.
4: Get enough sleep and don’t cram
Don’t forget to get at least 8 hours of sleep the day before the exam. Sleep helps you relax and retain everything that you’ve studied in your memory – it is backed up by scientific study. And please do not cram, I cannot stress this enough, cramming will make you feel stressed, rushed and trust me you’ll not remember everything you studied if you do this and chances are you’ll not get enough sleep.
5: Be early during test day
On test day, be early to give you time to mentally prepare and relax – a relaxed mind is a sharp mind. The worst thing you can do on test day is to come in late, be stressed out and fail the test or the worst case scenario – miss the test entirely because of your tardiness, forfeiting the examination fee.
There you have it, five simple yet effective action points you can do to help you pass the PTCB test. Good luck!
