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newSchoolWorks.com › VoTechWorks › Health & Personal Services › Pharmacy Technician › Certification Exam Preparation: PTCB CPhT and NHA ExCPT › Lesson 3
HLT-PHAR41-08 · Lesson 3 · 17 clock hours · assessment

Mock ExCPT and review

Objective. Sit a timed mock ExCPT (100 scored items; 2 hours 10 minutes on the real exam) and review by domain.

⚠ Pending professional review

This lesson, its worked examples and its practice questions has not yet been verified by a licensed pharmacist or by a certification or approval body. It is a study draft and may contain errors. Do not use it to make decisions about any patient or medication. Always follow your instructor, your supervising professional, and current official references and regulations.

VoTechWorks program approval and accreditation are still in progress. Credentials are issued only by the certifying bodies named in each program, after their own exams.

What to Expect on the ExCPT

The ExCPT, offered by the National Healthcareer Association (NHA), awards the Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT) credential. The real exam contains 100 scored items plus 20 unscored pretest items (which are not identified), for 120 items total. You have 2 hours and 10 minutes to complete the exam. That works out to roughly one minute and five seconds per item—so pacing matters.

The exam is delivered on a computer at a PSI testing center. A simple on-screen calculator is available; bring a photo ID and know what to expect at check-in so that stress does not eat into your time.

ExCPT Domain Areas

The ExCPT covers four broad areas:

1. The Technician's Role – pharmacy settings, professional responsibilities, and communication

2. Law and Regulations – federal and state law, DEA schedules, HIPAA, and controlled-substance rules

3. Drugs and Drug Therapy – brand/generic names, drug classes, common indications, side effects, and look-alike/sound-alike (LASA) hazards

4. The Dispensing Process – prescription and medication order intake, calculations, compounding, sterile and non-sterile technique, billing, and inventory

Your mock exam today mirrors this blueprint. After you score, you will see which domains need the most attention.

Pacing Strategy for the Mock Exam

Treat the mock exam exactly like the real one:

Safety Points That Apply to Exam Day and Practice

Several exam domains carry direct patient-safety weight. Keep these principles in mind during review:

How to Review Your Mock Exam Results

After scoring, sort your wrong answers by domain:

1. List every missed item and write the domain next to it.

2. Tally misses by domain. A domain where you missed more than one-third of items needs focused study before exam day.

3. Read the rationale for every wrong answer—and for every right answer you were unsure about. Guessing correctly does not mean you know the material.

4. Identify error patterns: Are most mistakes in calculations? Law details? Drug names? Target your remaining study hours there.

Calculations and Law Quick Refreshers

Calculations to Review

Law Points to Review

After the Mock Exam

Your mock score is a diagnostic tool, not a final grade. Most candidates improve meaningfully with targeted review between a mock exam and the real test. If your mock score is below the passing benchmark your instructor has set, prioritize your two weakest domains and schedule additional practice problems before your exam appointment.

Key terms9

ExCPTThe Exam for the Certification of Pharmacy Technicians, offered by the National Healthcareer Association (NHA), consisting of 100 scored and 20 unscored pretest items completed in 2 hours and 10 minutes.
Pretest itemAn unscored question embedded in the ExCPT that NHA uses to evaluate new content; candidates cannot identify which items are pretest items.
LASA drugsLook-Alike/Sound-Alike drugs—pairs or groups of medications whose names or packaging are similar enough to cause dangerous mix-ups; a key patient-safety focus on both the ExCPT and PTCE.
High-alert medicationA drug that bears a heightened risk of causing significant patient harm when used in error; examples include insulin, anticoagulants, and concentrated electrolytes.
Days' supplyThe number of days a dispensed quantity of medication will last a patient at the prescribed dosing regimen; required for insurance billing and controlled-substance records.
AlligationA mathematical method used to calculate the proportions of two preparations of different concentrations needed to prepare a desired intermediate concentration.
Schedule II controlled substanceA DEA drug classification for substances with a high potential for abuse and currently accepted medical use but with severe psychological or physical dependence potential; these prescriptions cannot be refilled.
OBRA '90The Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990, which established a pharmacist counseling requirement for Medicaid patients and influenced broader pharmacy practice standards across states.
Scope of practiceThe defined range of duties a pharmacy technician is legally and professionally authorized to perform; patient counseling on drug therapy falls outside this scope and must be referred to the pharmacist.

Worked examples4

1. A patient brings in a prescription for amoxicillin 250 mg/5 mL suspension. The directions read: 'Take 10 mL by mouth twice daily for 10 days.' The pharmacy has 150 mL bottles. How many bottles are needed, and what is the days' supply?
  1. Step 1 – Calculate daily volume used: 10 mL × 2 doses = 20 mL per day.
  2. Step 2 – Calculate days' supply from one bottle: 150 mL ÷ 20 mL per day = 7.5 days. One bottle is not enough for 10 days.
  3. Step 3 – Calculate total volume needed for 10 days: 20 mL per day × 10 days = 200 mL.
  4. Step 4 – Determine bottles needed: 200 mL ÷ 150 mL per bottle = 1.33 bottles. Round up to 2 bottles.
  5. Step 5 – State the days' supply: 10 days (as written on the prescription).
Answer: Dispense 2 bottles (300 mL total); days' supply = 10 days.
2. A prescriber orders 750 mg of a drug. The available oral solution is 250 mg/5 mL. How many mL should be administered?
  1. Step 1 – Identify the dose needed (D): 750 mg.
  2. Step 2 – Identify the concentration on hand (H): 250 mg per 5 mL (quantity Q = 5 mL).
  3. Step 3 – Apply the formula: Volume = (D ÷ H) × Q = (750 ÷ 250) × 5.
  4. Step 4 – Calculate: (750 ÷ 250) = 3; then 3 × 5 mL = 15 mL.
Answer: Administer 15 mL.
3. Using alligation, determine how many mL of a 10% solution and how many mL of a 2% solution are needed to prepare 200 mL of a 4% solution.
  1. Step 1 – Set up the alligation grid. Place the higher concentration (10%) at the top left, the desired concentration (4%) in the center, and the lower concentration (2%) at the bottom left.
  2. Step 2 – Subtract diagonally: 4 − 2 = 2 parts of the 10% solution; 10 − 4 = 6 parts of the 2% solution.
  3. Step 3 – Total parts = 2 + 6 = 8 parts.
  4. Step 4 – Calculate volume of each solution needed from 200 mL total: 10% solution = (2/8) × 200 mL = 50 mL; 2% solution = (6/8) × 200 mL = 150 mL.
  5. Step 5 – Verify: (50 mL × 0.10) + (150 mL × 0.02) = 5 g + 3 g = 8 g in 200 mL = 4% — correct.
Answer: Mix 50 mL of the 10% solution with 150 mL of the 2% solution.
4. A patient is prescribed metformin 500 mg tablets, 1 tablet by mouth twice daily. The prescription is written for a 90-day supply. How many tablets should be dispensed?
  1. Step 1 – Determine daily quantity: 1 tablet × 2 doses per day = 2 tablets per day.
  2. Step 2 – Multiply by days' supply: 2 tablets per day × 90 days = 180 tablets.
Answer: Dispense 180 tablets.

The math in this lesson2

Learners find 20 mL/day use, 200 mL for 10 days, and round 1.33 bottles up to 2.
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Brush up in the math halls at newSchoolWorks.com:
In class: Timed mock exam · Item review · Calculations and law refreshers
Materials: Mock exam bank
Check: Mock exam scored

Practice check8

Answer each question, then check it. Nothing is recorded; this is your own practice.

The Technician's Role
1. A patient asks the pharmacy technician to explain whether she should take her new blood pressure medication with food. What is the most appropriate action?
Law and Regulations
2. A prescription is written for a Schedule II controlled substance with two refills noted. How should the pharmacy handle this?
Patient Safety and Quality Assurance
3. Which of the following is an example of a Tall Man lettering pair used to reduce look-alike/sound-alike drug errors?
The Dispensing Process
4. A prescription reads: 'Prednisone 20 mg tablets — Take 3 tablets once daily for 5 days, then 2 tablets once daily for 5 days, then 1 tablet once daily for 5 days.' What is the total quantity to dispense?
Law and Regulations
5. Under the Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act (CMEA), which of the following is required when selling pseudoephedrine-containing products?
The Dispensing Process
6. Which ISO class describes a cleanroom environment with a maximum of 100 particles (≥0.5 µm) per cubic foot, used for sterile compounding?
The Dispensing Process
7. A pharmacy receives a prescription for 'Humalog 100 units/mL vial, inject 15 units subcutaneously before each meal.' The patient eats three meals daily. What is the minimum days' supply for a standard 10 mL vial?
Law and Regulations
8. HIPAA's minimum-necessary standard requires pharmacy staff to:
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