The Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) is a not-for-profit organization that administers the certification program for pharmacy technicians. All states and territories require pharmacists to hire pharmacy technicians who are certified by the PTCB. In addition, most pharmacy technician programs require their students to sit for the PTCB certification examination before graduating. After passing the PTCB exam, you’ll be fully prepared to start your successful career as a pharmacy technician. You will have to spend time preparing for this examination, but once you know what strategies work best for you, it becomes much easier to study each week until the day of your test. If you want to become a successful pharmacy technician and pass the PTCAnywhere® Exam on your first try, then follow these five steps below.
Set a Good Study Environment
Before you can start studying, you need to set up a study environment that’s conducive to success. Like most things, success starts with a positive mindset. Don’t focus on the exam as a whole, but instead, focus on one exam section at a time. If you look at the entire exam as a whole, you may get overwhelmed and fail to be as thorough and organized as you need to be. Instead, break the exam down into smaller chunks and review each section thoroughly until you feel comfortable that you have a thorough understanding of the material. Next, you’ll need to choose which study strategy works best for you. There are many different study strategies, and which one works best for you will depend on your personality, your learning style, and other factors. Some people are best suited to auditory study methods while others are more visual learners. Additionally, to stay on track, you might find that you’re better with a certain study strategy than with another. With this in mind, be sure to try different study strategies and find the one that works best for you.
Organize Your Notes and Resources
Once you’ve set up your study environment, it’s time to set up your notes. Make sure you have everything you need close by, ready to go, so that you can easily access it as you study. In addition to your notes, you may also want to have a pen or pencil nearby, so that you can take quick notes whenever you’re studying. When it comes to organizing your notes, you have a few options. The most popular method is to set up “flash cards” for each topic on your study schedule. For example, if you have a study schedule that includes five exam sections, you can make cards for each section. If you have a study schedule that’s longer than five sections, you can either go through your notes and cards once a week (or more often if you need to) or make an “ exam schedule” on Google or another note-taking app to help you keep track of your schedule.
Practice, Practice, Practice!
The best way to improve your pharmacology knowledge is to practice. It’s true that studying may help you learn the material, but after you’ve studied and memorized the information, you won’t be able to apply it unless you practice. It’s important that you practice the right way. While you may be used to reviewing for exams or quizzes, you need to make sure you’re practicing the way you’ll be tested on the PTCB exam. You’ll need to be sure that you’re asking yourself the right questions, practicing the questions you’ll be asked on exam day, and getting used to the testing environment. When you’re practicing, keep track of your timing and be sure to stay within the testing boundaries of your testing center.
Don’t Be Afraid to Re-Study
If all else fails and you feel like you’re not ready to take the exam yet, don’t be afraid to keep re-studying. While you might have felt confident that you were ready to take the exam, the reality is that you never know what you’ll feel like one week before the exam. With practice comes improvement and if one week before the exam, you’re not feeling confident, don’t be afraid to take a break from studying and come back to it when you feel more confident.
Wrap-up
The Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) is a not-for-profit organization that administers the certification program for pharmacy technicians. All states and territories require pharmacists to hire pharmacy technicians who are certified by the PTCB. In addition, most pharmacy technician programs require their students to sit for the PTCB certification examination before graduating. After passing the PTCB exam, you’ll be fully prepared to start your successful career as a pharmacy technician. You will have to spend time preparing for this examination, but once you know what strategies work best for you, it becomes much easier to study each week until the day of your test. If you want to become a successful pharmacy technician and pass the PTCAnywhere® Exam on your first try, then follow these five steps below: Set a Good Study Environment Organize Your Notes and Resources Practice, Practice, Practice! Don’t Be Afraid to Re-Study