Free PTCB Exam Study Tool: Top 300 Drugs, Flashcards and Quizzes

Everything you need to learn the drugs for the PTCE

Medications is the largest part of the pharmacy technician exam, and most of it is memorization. RxCram puts the drug knowledge you need in one place, with four tools that work together.

What's on the PTCE in 2026

The PTCE is the exam you pass to earn the Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT) credential from the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB). Here are the basics, as of October 2026.

The four knowledge domains

PTCB's updated content outline took effect on January 6, 2026. Questions come from four domains:

What changed in the 2026 outline

Medications dropped from 40% to 35% of the exam and Federal Requirements rose from 12.5% to 18.75%. Nonsterile compounding was removed and the Drug Supply Chain Security Act was added. Drug knowledge is still the single biggest domain, and drug schedules now count for more.

Exam details change. Always check the current facts on PTCB's CPhT page and in the CPhT exam at-a-glance before you book.

Study the top 300 drugs: Medications is 35% of the exam

The drug guide follows the way most pharmacy technician courses teach the top 200 and top 300 drugs: by body system, then by drug class. For each drug you learn the generic name, the brand names, the class and the main use, plus the DEA schedule for controlled substances. Starred drugs are the most common or most important.

The 12 sections: Cardiovascular & Hematology, Endocrine & Diabetes, Gastrointestinal, Infectious Disease, Men's Health & Genitourinary, Neurology, Psychiatry & ADHD, Oncology, Transplant & Ophthalmology, Pain Management & Anesthesia, Respiratory & Allergy, Rheumatology & Bone Health, Vitamins, Minerals & Herbal Supplements, Women's Health & Contraception.

A sample from the drug guide

Open the full drug guide to search all 354 drugs, filter to starred or controlled drugs, and add the 50 optional extras.

Drug-name suffixes and stems for the PTCB

Many generic names end in a stem that tells you the drug class. Learn the stem once and you can place dozens of drugs, even ones you have never seen. These are the 38 stems in RxCram's suffix guide:

Stems have exceptions; the suffix guide explains each one, and the quiz asks suffix to class and class to suffix.

DEA controlled-substance schedules (C-II to C-V)

Federal Requirements is now 18.75% of the PTCE, and knowing which drugs are controlled is a common question. Schedule I drugs have no accepted medical use, so they are not prescribed. RxCram tags the 27 controlled drugs in its guide with their federal schedule; state law can be stricter.

• C-II: Amphetamine / dextroamphetamine, Dexmethylphenidate, Lisdexamfetamine, Methylphenidate, Hydrocodone / APAP, Oxycodone / APAP, Fentanyl, Hydromorphone, Methadone, Morphine, Oxycodone
• C-III: Testosterone, Codeine / APAP, Buprenorphine / naloxone
• C-IV: Alprazolam, Chlordiazepoxide, Clonazepam, Diazepam, Lorazepam, Midazolam, Eszopiclone, Zaleplon, Zolpidem, Tramadol, Carisoprodol
• C-V: Lacosamide, Pregabalin

The glossary has a separate entry for each schedule with its restrictions and abuse potential, and the quiz can ask drug to schedule.

Pharmacy abbreviations and glossary

The glossary covers 152 terms and abbreviations you will see on prescriptions and on the exam: Latin sig codes such as PO, BID and PRN, common medical abbreviations, and the abbreviations used in drug class names. Entries on the Joint Commission "Do Not Use" list and ISMP's error-prone abbreviations are flagged with the safer alternative, which is tested under Patient Safety. Browse the glossary.

Practice quiz modes

Reading a list is not enough; you remember what you practice recalling. The RxCram quiz builds questions from the whole guide, and you choose what to study.

Multiple choice

Four options, written like exam questions. Wrong options are chosen to be plausible, such as drugs from related classes, so you can't guess from the shape of the answer.

Type it

Type the generic name, brand name, schedule or abbreviation from memory. Harder than multiple choice, and closer to how you will need it at work.

Flashcards

Flip a card and mark whether you knew it. Good for a quick first pass through a new section.

Adaptive review

Every answer is tracked. Questions you miss come back more often and questions you know well come back less, so your time goes to your weak spots. Progress meters show how much of each section you have mastered.

Read-aloud

Have questions and answers read to you, to practice drug-name pronunciation or study hands-free.

A 4-week PTCB study plan

Short, daily sessions beat long cramming sessions. This plan spends the most time on Medications, the largest domain, and uses 15 to 30 minutes of quizzing a day.

1. Week 1: suffixes and the big sections. Learn the drug-name suffixes first. Then study Cardiovascular, Endocrine and Gastrointestinal drugs: brand to generic and drug to class.
2. Week 2: the rest of the drug guide. Work through the remaining sections. Add drug to main use questions, and let adaptive review bring back what you missed in week 1.
3. Week 3: schedules, abbreviations and safety. Quiz drug to schedule and the glossary, including sig codes and the "Do Not Use" list. Use your course materials for pharmacy law and calculations, which RxCram does not cover.
4. Week 4: mixed review. Run mixed quizzes across all question types, focus on your lowest progress meters, and take at least one full-length timed practice exam before test day.