I used 4 different books to study from: Delmar, APhA's Complete Math Rev for PT by Hopkins, Pharmacy Calc. by Ballington, and Noah Reifman's Certification Review for PT.
If you want to get really comfortable w/ the math the APHA review is good. It's kind of childish, but the author makes you do it over and over until your hand falls off. And if you don't understand the method to solve the problem, he shows how to do it for every question.
And it's a definitie no on the Ballington book. Don't ever get this book. There's only answers for odd questions. Explanations are not as good as Hopkins.
Anyhow, I highly recommend Noah Reifman's most recent book (2002), but with some reservation to students who have no experience in a pharmacy. Some of his questions were the same ones on the test and he hits a lot of the points that the test emphasizes except he doesn't tell you the nitty gritty. It's pretty much a highlight of what to study and research more into if you don't understand something. He gives 4 test, 125 questions each. Total is 500 questions and with the odds, a few of his questions would show up on the test, however, the flaws, as in other PTC review books, are the wrong answers that appear from time to time!!
Delmar was good to fill in SOME of the gaps that was left out
in Noah Reifman's book, but being published in 1999, it's a bit
outdated.
I wrote this review on a PTC study forum. I took the July 2003 exam and passed with an 800/900 considering I don't have any pharm experience! Go me. It's quite ridiculous that I don't have any experience since I'm applying to pharm this year. boohoo. But hopefully this will get me a job soon!
If you want to check out the forum, go to Yahoo Groups and look for Jeanetta's PTCB Study. You have to be a member of Yahoo to view the messages though.
The Reifman book is hard to find, but if you need a copy, I still have it. Good luck on your endeavour.
Cheerio!
Mimi
