Ok, maybe im missing something (PTCB related)

[iggles]

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Sorry if this comes off as a rant but I am a little frustrated.
Everyone on this forum is saying things like 'ptcb exam is super easy, i only studied for like 2 hours and passed!!
To all of you who have taken the ptcb exam how does it compare to the practice exams on http://www.pharmacy-tech-study.com/
I seem to get most of the calculations right but when it comes to the drugs and their functions i get stumped (i'm not very good at tasks involving sheer memorization). Taking these practice exams I usually get around 12/20 correct. My deadline is approaching in a month but I start school next week and wont have very much time to study for the exam. Should I get a refund and take the exam later or should I just go ahead and take it now?

 

[xNeenax]

Hello,

I was worried about the test just like you. I didn't know any drugs and their effects and I still passed. I just made sure I knew the math, laws, abbreviations, etc. Basically I just studied everything on that site except anything related to drugs. Also, I was getting the same scores you were getting, but the questions are good practice for the PTCE.
I studied for a week while I was taking classes, so don't stress about it. If you got the math down then you're fine.

 

[iggles]

Hello,

I was worried about the test just like you. I didn't know any drugs and their effects and I still passed. I just made sure I knew the math, laws, abbreviations, etc. Basically I just studied everything on that site except anything related to drugs. Also, I was getting the same scores you were getting, but the questions are good practice for the PTCE.
I studied for a week while I was taking classes, so don't stress about it. If you got the math down then you're fine.

may i ask what your exact score was?

 

[xNeenax]

may i ask what your exact score was?

My score on the PTCE? I thought I was barely going to pass with a 72 or something, but my grade instead was an 80. 🙂
It's really nothing to stress.
Math is about 70% of the test, so it's ok if you don't know anything about drugs. I didn't know anything about drugs and still did fine.

 

[xtsukiyox]

may i ask what your exact score was?

I understand how knowing this question would help judge how well xNeenax was prepared for the test, but... This is one of the few tests nobody cares how well you score on. (As long as you pass!) They just care whether you're certified or not.

 

[Di9]

"I thought I was barely going to pass with a 72 or something, but my grade instead was an 80".
Isn' t the passing score 650? Are you talking about percentile? I really hope there's a lot of math questions like you said, my test is in 5 days and I still don't know anything about drugs😳

 

[UES Girl]

Sorry if this comes off as a rant but I am a little frustrated.
Everyone on this forum is saying things like 'ptcb exam is super easy, i only studied for like 2 hours and passed!!
To all of you who have taken the ptcb exam how does it compare to the practice exams on http://www.pharmacy-tech-study.com/
I seem to get most of the calculations right but when it comes to the drugs and their functions i get stumped (i'm not very good at tasks involving sheer memorization). Taking these practice exams I usually get around 12/20 correct. My deadline is approaching in a month but I start school next week and wont have very much time to study for the exam. Should I get a refund and take the exam later or should I just go ahead and take it now?

Hahahahahah, I know you are totally talking about/ referring to my post where I said I studied for less than two hours and passed easily. I probably should have mentioned that I have bachelors in biochemistry and physiology and went to college for years, so the calculations were grade school math to me and majority of the stuff like laws and even drugs was super intuitive even with zero pharmacy experience or drug exposure.

 

[iggles]

Hahahahahah, I know you are totally talking about/ referring to my post where I said I studied for less than two hours and passed easily. I probably should have mentioned that I have bachelors in biochemistry and physiology and went to college for years, so the calculations were grade school math to me and majority of the stuff like laws and even drugs was super intuitive even with zero pharmacy experience or drug exposure.

Yeaaaaa thanks for freaking me out. I'm going to study as much as I can and take the exam on Tuesday. Is there anything you think I should cover in detail expect math questions? Keep in mind my time frame. Thanks!

 

[Golden Bear]

IIRC, it was kinda helpful to memorize some of the unit conversions like mL to fl oz. Oh, and maybe needle sizes.

 

[Swishers]

Yeaaaaa thanks for freaking me out. I'm going to study as much as I can and take the exam on Tuesday. Is there anything you think I should cover in detail expect math questions? Keep in mind my time frame. Thanks!

Study the drug suffixes on the website that iggles posted. It'll help you know what some of the generic drugs do without having to actually memorize the specific names.

 

[xNeenax]

"I thought I was barely going to pass with a 72 or something, but my grade instead was an 80".
Isn' t the passing score 650? Are you talking about percentile? I really hope there's a lot of math questions like you said, my test is in 5 days and I still don't know anything about drugs😳

yes I calculated it myself out of a 100%, so 650=72% (I think).
Most of the questions will be math. I never had any exposure to drugs, so I didn't learn anything about them.
The hardest part is finding a pharm tech job. I took the test in the middle of July and I don't have a job yet 🙁

 

[UnifiedField]

The ptcb exam is not easy!!! It took me three times to pass it! Call me dumb or whatever I don't care and I am very proud to say it was a very hard exam for me, I tried very hard. Oh and I am 23 with a Bach in biology from a hardA** science school so it's not like I'm out of the whole school loop! After working in a Pharm for 2 years I was able to study the material understand it better and pass it. I'm sure you can do it, study hard goodluck! 🙂

 

[MsPharmacist2B]

I took the test cold turkey in May and failed. My score was 580; need 650 to pass. 🙄

 

[phathead]

The PTCB exam is far easier than it used to be. Honestly if you know the very basics of pharmacy, plus how to do simple math conversions, you'll be set.

 

[MsPharmacist2B]

The PTCB exam is far easier than it used to be. Honestly if you know the very basics of pharmacy, plus how to do simple math conversions, you'll be set.

Yes, I agree. However, I need serious help with conversions!!!

 

[owlegrad]

Yes, I agree. However, I need serious help with conversions!!!

Learn to cancel units and you will never make a mistake.

 

[xtsukiyox]

Learn to cancel units and you will never make a mistake.

👍

This is the number one skill my highschool chem & bio teacher taught me, and it has served me fantastically well. Then once you've memorized the units, you're good to go on almost anything they can send your way. Shoot, I've used this skill in the real world many times.

Well, I'd say it's a two-way tie for #1 - the other was that you can still keep a sense of humor while you're studying this stuff.

 

[owlegrad]

👍

This is the number one skill my highschool chem & bio teacher taught me, and it has served me fantastically well. Then once you've memorized the units, you're good to go on almost anything they can send your way. Shoot, I've used this skill in the real world many times.

Well, I'd say it's a two-way tie for #1 - the other was that you can still keep a sense of humor while you're studying this stuff.

This statement is so true. If you think in terms of what units you have and what units you need, most everything falls into place nicely in terms of the mathematics you will see in chemistry or physics. Also what you see in pharmacokinetics and other mathematics you use in pharmacy, although that is perhaps somewhat arguable.

I love your two-way tie as well.

 

[MsPharmacist2B]

This statement is so true. If you think in terms of what units you have and what units you need, most everything falls into place nicely in terms of the mathematics you will see in chemistry or physics. Also what you see in pharmacokinetics and other mathematics you use in pharmacy, although that is perhaps somewhat arguable.

I love your two-way tie as well.

Post examples, please 😀 👍

 

[phathead]

Post examples, please 😀 👍

I've found its extremely helpful to be able to convert from say ml to pl in some classes. Or how to go from a concentration of kg/L to mg/dL, stuff like that.

 

[xtsukiyox]

Post examples, please 😀 👍

Not in pharmacy school yet, but my uses are usually similar to this:

(Chemistry) If you have a block of potassium chloride (KCl), and you know the content is 1g potassium, what is the mass of chlorine present?

1 g K * 1 mol K / 39.1 g K * 1 mol Cl / 1 mol K * 35.5 g Cl / 1 mol Cl = ?

(Physics / Real World 😱) If you are driving a vehicle with a total mass of 1000 kg, what is the force at which you would hit the stopped car ahead of you if you are traveling at 60 mph just prior to the collision? Bonus points: how does this effect your neck? 🙁

(Real World) If you have a 5 gallon container, how many packets of kool aid do you need to use to properly flavor water in a sufficient quantity to fill the container? Bonus points: How much room do you need to leave for a sufficient amount of alcohol to spike it?

(Real World) If you have a cookie recipe that calls for 3 eggs and 1 cup milk, but you don't have eggs or milk, and you need to triple the recipe for a total of 72 cookies, how can you substitute with stuff you have? Unfortunately, we rarely have these ingredients on hand at my house when the baking bug strikes, so I'm almost always substituting at least one thing in the recipe. Most people would give up & go to the store if they are missing half the ingredients for a particular recipe... not me!

1 egg = 1 tbsp oil + 2 tbsp water + 2 tsp baking powder. If sour cream can be used in the recipe - 1 cup sour cream + 1/2 tsp vanilla extract = 1 cup milk + 1/2 cup butter or oil + 1 tsp baking powder (or similar for other leavening substances).

 

[owlegrad]

Post examples, please 😀 👍

Everyone else did a good job providing examples. Most of the problems I have encountered in pharmacy involve being given some units (starting concentration/SrCr/etc) and being asked for something else (final concentration or amount of drug needed to get some final concentration/CrCL/etc).

I guess all math problems can be explained by being given some information and being asked for some other information. It is almost always just a matter of thinking about what units you have, what units you need, and how to get there.

 

[SparkleMotion]

Everyone else did a good job providing examples. Most of the problems I have encountered in pharmacy involve being given some units (starting concentration/SrCr/etc) and being asked for something else (final concentration or amount of drug needed to get some final concentration/CrCL/etc).

I guess all math problems can be explained by being given some information and being asked for some other information. It is almost always just a matter of thinking about what units you have, what units you need, and how to get there.

Agree.

After a few hours of drilling math for the PTCB I realized I completely stopped using my brain and just did units. 95% accuracy or above I'd estimate.

 

[xtsukiyox]

I guess all math problems can be explained by being given some information and being asked for some other information. It is almost always just a matter of thinking about what units you have, what units you need, and how to get there.

Baking is like science for hungry people!

Glad both of you guys gave examples related to pharmacy, to offset my examples full of lulz.

 

[MsPharmacist2B]

Everyone else did a good job providing examples. Most of the problems I have encountered in pharmacy involve being given some units (starting concentration/SrCr/etc) and being asked for something else (final concentration or amount of drug needed to get some final concentration/CrCL/etc).

I guess all math problems can be explained by being given some information and being asked for some other information. It is almost always just a matter of thinking about what units you have, what units you need, and how to get there.

RIGHT! I totally agree and found this to me true as I did practice problems on yesterday.

THANK YOU!!!

 

[Di9]

I just finished my test and passed😀, there were only 22 math related questions(out of 90) on my test, which almost screwed me(Im hoping theres at least half of them) cause I know nothing about the drugs, had to guess almost all of them, on my report sheet it only tells me that my result is "pass", no actual score, Im guessing I must barely passed.

 

[MsPharmacist2B]

I just finished my test and passed😀, there were only 22 math related questions(out of 90) on my test, which almost screwed me(Im hoping theres at least half of them) cause I know nothing about the drugs, had to guess almost all of them, on my report sheet it only tells me that my result is "pass", no actual score, Im guessing I must barely passed.

Please let us know what your score is when yuo receive the results.

 

[owlegrad]

RIGHT! I totally agree and found this to me true as I did practice problems on yesterday.

THANK YOU!!!

Your welcome. It is a shame that most math classes only teach you the actual processes used in mathematics, but not the thinking skills required to do well (IMO).

 

[Di9]

Please let us know what your score is when yuo receive the results.

Sure🙂

 

[xtsukiyox]

on my report sheet it only tells me that my result is "pass", no actual score, Im guessing I must barely passed.

Don't dwell on the score too much. PTCE is pass/fail.

Tell ya a secret - I did the exact same thing. A barely pass is the same as a pass. Pat yourself on the back & commence celebrating.

 

[Di9]

Don't dwell on the score too much. PTCE is pass/fail.

Tell ya a secret - I did the exact same thing. A barely pass is the same as a pass. Pat yourself on the back & commence celebrating.

Your post makes me feel so warm, thanks

 

[SparkleMotion]

I just finished my test and passed😀, there were only 22 math related questions(out of 90) on my test, which almost screwed me(Im hoping theres at least half of them) cause I know nothing about the drugs, had to guess almost all of them, on my report sheet it only tells me that my result is "pass", no actual score, Im guessing I must barely passed.

Only 22/90?

What were the other questions about? I thought most of it was supposed to be math.

 

[owlegrad]

Please do not discuss question specifics guys.

 

[xtsukiyox]

What were the other questions about? I thought most of it was supposed to be math.

When I took it on paper, there was a rumor at the break that there were something like 8 versions of the test in the room. (Of course, no one can ever confirm this except Pearson / their employees!) I'm imagining different tests had different balances. I'm lucky I got a math-heavy one.

 

[xNeenax]

When I took it on paper, there was a rumor at the break that there were something like 8 versions of the test in the room. (Of course, no one can ever confirm this except Pearson / their employees!) I'm imagining different tests had different balances. I'm lucky I got a math-heavy one.

Break? I never got a break
Maybe because I took it on the computer???

 

[Di9]

Please do not discuss question specifics guys.

I'm soooo sorry it won't happen again😳

 

[owlegrad]

I'm soooo sorry it won't happen again😳

No worries. 🙂

 

[xtsukiyox]

Break? I never got a break
Maybe because I took it on the computer???

Probably. It didn't strike me as a ridiculously long exam, but I think the proctors wanted a break. It's possible I'm mixing up the nervous cattle call in the lobby prior to & after the test for a break, though. It's been a while.

 

[docstndt]

I just had one quick question. Can you fill in the job applications after passing the PTCE, or do you have to wait for the official certificate from PTCB to arrive in mail? Thanks.