Which books should I use to study for Pharmacy Technician Exam (PTCB)??

[arc1234]

I am looking for books to study for the Pharmacy Technician Exam. Any recommendation about good books to buy? I appreciate it very much.

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[SparkLy09]

This has probably been answered several times already BUT, try Mosby's. I studied solely off of that and passed easily.

 

[Dancer123]

There is a series of books called the Pharmacy Technician Series by Mike Johnston. Get the book specifically for the certification. This book was excellent and covered exactly what was on the exam. Follow the study questions and you will pass easily.

 

[PuppyEyez]

I don't want to start a new thread for a similar topic, so here goes my questions:

I'm looking into getting certified as a Pharm Tech. I am currently not working anywhere, but I believe after getting the certification, it would be easier to apply to the retail stores. Since I read from a post of yours that you do not need to take any courses to take the test and you can study by yourself, I was wondering is it possible to self-study without actual experience working in a pharmacy? Besides the PTCB, there is also another organization for certification called the ExCPT (http://www.nationaltechexam.org/home.html), they sell manual study guides tailored to their tests while the PTCB does not. Since there are many study publications, which study materials do you suggest buying? The cheaper the better since I don't want to spend too much on these guides. Also, which one of these 2 organizations would you sign up with?

I've been reading through the forum and see that some people suggest http://www.amazon.com/Comprehensive-..._bxgy_b_text_b
and http://www.amazon.com/Delmars-Pharma..._bxgy_b_text_b

Do you think these 2 books will be enough for a beginner (non-pharmacy experience)?

Thank You! I really appreciate it!

 

[arc1234]

Here is one of a very helpful threads of Smile...This person helps me a lots on how to study and prepare for the text.


Advice for PTCE takers with no experience or training I am a long time lurker on these boards and I thought I would finally contribute since I just took the PTCE yesterday with no experience or formal training and passed with the help of everyone here.

Firstly, it is possible to pass the exam with no experience in a pharmacy setting and no formal training in school. I'm proof of that. So don't worry so much. I spent days on the student doctor network worrying about this, reading every post I could find on the subject matter instead of using that time to study. Don't make the same mistake.

Secondly, to review I used Delmar's "Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam review" and AphA's "the Pharmacy Technician" and AphaA's "The Pharmacy Technician Workbook Certification Review" both published by Morton. However, I am highly critical of both books. The Delmar book is thorough but it has too many errors for a person with no training or experience. AphA's books are an excellent read to get an understanding of the pharmacy technician's role but some sections are unnecessary for the test while other sections leave out important test info. In terms of books I've learned two things from the studentdoc network posters 1) Mosby's book is generally agreed to be the best review. I'd recommend getting this one, even though I haven't used it. 2) Use at least two books as review guides. (People with no experience/training who fail the test usually only used one guide.)

Thirdly, DRUGS- the big question on everyone's mind. Well the best advice is to learn at least the drug class and suffixes/prefix. For example, know that cef or kef in a prefix or suffix usually is an antibiotic.

OR
-olol-beta blockers (example:metoprolol)
-statin-cholesterol lowering medications ( Example atovastatin)
-cillin-penicillins
-floxacin-quinilone antibiotics (cipro)
-cycline-antibiotics (tetracycline)
-mycin- macrolide antibiotics [some of them]- erythromycin

Here are some others:
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_parts_of_the_cardiovascular_system_does_high_ blood_pressure_medication_target_and_how_would_thi s_drug_work_on_a_biochemical_level


Here is a complete list of drug class suffixes and prefixes:
http://www.takerx.com/class.html

Fourthly, if you have not memorized the top 200 drugs and info but you have memorized some drug classes (which was my case), it is IMPERATIVE that you have the calculations, conversions, and abbreviations portions MASTERED. I can not stress this enough. I think this is what helped me pass. I have heard a rumor that the calculations questions are weighted more than the drug questions. I think I bombed the drug questions, did decently on law and procedures, and mastered the calculations, conversions, and abbrevs.

Finally, I bought practice exams from eBay because someone on this board recommended them. They were great practice and only cost $5. Search for "PTCB Pharmacy Technician Practice Exams- 400+ questions" on eBay. It's sold by exam-resources. ( by the way, I recieved a 65% 70% and a 76% on the three practice exams i took, so if your scoring in this range on these test i suppose you are on the right track)

I also bought a PTCB practice exam for $30 from the official PTCB website because I was so worried about passing. Even though this is completely unnecessary to purchase, it was very similar to the actually test. It also provides a degree of confidence going into the real thing for the worry-warts such as myself because it tells you if you would hypothetically pass the real exam and gives you a scaled score based on the practice test.

I hope all my rambling helped someone. If you have any questions do not hesitate to ask. Since the city I'm in is so saturated with pharm techs, it is hard to get a job without training or experience. Now that I'm certified I'll have a better chance at volunteering at smaller chains stores at least. YAYY! On to the PCAT!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[RVD09]

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&...aq=3&aqi=g6g-m1&aql=&oq=pharmacy+tec&gs_rfai=

I found these free PTCB books online, which one of these are the best to use?

 

[arc1234]

I have never used one of these free PTCB books, but I heard that Delmar's would be a good one for reference. However, there are some errors in this book as well.

 

[Roger411]

Hello, If you are struggling passing the PTCB exam or scared need that extra assurance, you are not alone! I have been there! I'm happy to help! I noticed many books out there make it harder than it needs to be! You don't need a tutor! All you need is the right tools to pass the exam! I spent countless hours of hard sweat work to find the right tools that made it easy to understand. I passed the PTCB exam with flying colors on the first attempt! If you need help contact me [email protected]

 

[molyhelp]

Here is one of a very helpful threads of Smile...This person helps me a lots on how to study and prepare for the text.


Advice for PTCE takers with no experience or training I am a long time lurker on these boards and I thought I would finally contribute since I just took the PTCE yesterday with no experience or formal training and passed with the help of everyone here.

Firstly, it is possible to pass the exam with no experience in a pharmacy setting and no formal training in school. I'm proof of that. So don't worry so much. I spent days on the student doctor network worrying about this, reading every post I could find on the subject matter instead of using that time to study. Don't make the same mistake.

Secondly, to review I used Delmar's "Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam review" and AphA's "the Pharmacy Technician" and AphaA's "The Pharmacy Technician Workbook Certification Review" both published by Morton. However, I am highly critical of both books. The Delmar book is thorough but it has too many errors for a person with no training or experience. AphA's books are an excellent read to get an understanding of the pharmacy technician's role but some sections are unnecessary for the test while other sections leave out important test info. In terms of books I've learned two things from the studentdoc network posters 1) Mosby's book is generally agreed to be the best review. I'd recommend getting this one, even though I haven't used it. 2) Use at least two books as review guides. (People with no experience/training who fail the test usually only used one guide.)

Thirdly, DRUGS- the big question on everyone's mind. Well the best advice is to learn at least the drug class and suffixes/prefix. For example, know that cef or kef in a prefix or suffix usually is an antibiotic.

OR
-olol-beta blockers (example:metoprolol)
-statin-cholesterol lowering medications ( Example atovastatin)
-cillin-penicillins
-floxacin-quinilone antibiotics (cipro)
-cycline-antibiotics (tetracycline)
-mycin- macrolide antibiotics [some of them]- erythromycin

Here are some others:
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_parts_of_the_cardiovascular_system_does_high_ blood_pressure_medication_target_and_how_would_thi s_drug_work_on_a_biochemical_level


Here is a complete list of drug class suffixes and prefixes:
http://www.takerx.com/class.html

Fourthly, if you have not memorized the top 200 drugs and info but you have memorized some drug classes (which was my case), it is IMPERATIVE that you have the calculations, conversions, and abbreviations portions MASTERED. I can not stress this enough. I think this is what helped me pass. I have heard a rumor that the calculations questions are weighted more than the drug questions. I think I bombed the drug questions, did decently on law and procedures, and mastered the calculations, conversions, and abbrevs.

Finally, I bought practice exams from eBay because someone on this board recommended them. They were great practice and only cost $5. Search for "PTCB Pharmacy Technician Practice Exams- 400+ questions" on eBay. It's sold by exam-resources. ( by the way, I recieved a 65% 70% and a 76% on the three practice exams i took, so if your scoring in this range on these test i suppose you are on the right track)

I also bought a PTCB practice exam for $30 from the official PTCB website because I was so worried about passing. Even though this is completely unnecessary to purchase, it was very similar to the actually test. It also provides a degree of confidence going into the real thing for the worry-warts such as myself because it tells you if you would hypothetically pass the real exam and gives you a scaled score based on the practice test.

I hope all my rambling helped someone. If you have any questions do not hesitate to ask. Since the city I'm in is so saturated with pharm techs, it is hard to get a job without training or experience. Now that I'm certified I'll have a better chance at volunteering at smaller chains stores at least. YAYY! On to the PCAT!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank you very much for sharing. I am sure you will be a compassionate pharmacist.