PTCB Pass Rate: 69% for 2025, and What That Number Actually Measures
PTCB's latest published pass rate for the Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam (PTCE) is 69%, for 2025. PTCB doesn't label it a first-attempt rate, and it isn't a 2026 result. (PTCB: Credentials by the Numbers)
PTCB pass rates by year
| Year | Published PTCE pass rate | Official source |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 69% | PTCB: Credentials by the Numbers and 2025 Progress Report (PDF, p. 1) |
| 2024 | 70% | PTCB: 2024 Credentials by the Numbers |
| 2023 | 69% | PTCB: 2023 Progress Report (image) |
2026: PTCB hasn't published a 2026 pass rate.
The rate fell by one percentage point from 2024 to 2025. That's too small a change, over too few years, to call a trend.
By Castleport Test Prep Editorial Team · Last verified September 24, 2026: PTCB's published pass rates, exam format and scoring, the current content outline, and the retake policy.
Common PTCB pass-rate figures, decoded
You've probably seen more than one number. Here's where each one comes from.
| The number you saw | Where it actually comes from | Should you use it? |
|---|---|---|
| 69% | PTCB's published rate for 2025 (and for 2023) | Yes. 2025 is the latest official figure. |
| 70% | PTCB's published rate for 2024 | Only as last year's figure, not the current one. |
| "7 in 10 pass on the first try" | An interpretation of the annual rate, not PTCB's published label | No. PTCB doesn't say its annual rate is first-attempt only. |
| School or course pass rates | Individual programs may publish figures from their own PTCB Pass Rate Summary Reports | Check the scope first. Use the checklist below. |
| 62.75% | NHA's ExCPT, 2025 | No. That's a different exam from a different organization. |
Only the PTCB rows are PTCB's published answer.
What the PTCB pass rate tells you, and what it doesn't
The pass rate is a yearly group result. It describes what happened across a whole year of exams, not what will happen to you.
| Your question | The short answer |
|---|---|
| Is 69% a first-attempt pass rate? | PTCB doesn't say. Its table gives no separate first-attempt figure and doesn't say whether retakes are counted. |
| Is 69% my chance of passing? | No. PTCB publishes an annual group rate, not an individual probability, and its public table does not break the result out by attempt status or eligibility pathway. |
| Does 69% mean I need 69% correct? | No. Passing depends on a scaled score, not on the share of people who passed. More on that below. |
| Does a lower rate prove the exam got harder? | No. A change in results can come from who took the exam and how they prepared, not only from the test. |
| Can I work out exactly how many people failed? | No. The rate is rounded to a whole percent, and PTCB doesn't say what the rate is calculated from. |
What about the fail rate? 100% minus 69% leaves about 31% of 2025 results that weren't passes. That's our arithmetic from a rounded figure. PTCB doesn't publish a separate fail rate.
How many exams were there? PTCB gives two different counts for 2025. Its numbers page says it administered 49,253 PTCEs. Its 2025 Progress Report says 48,235 exams were delivered. Both give the same 69% rate. PTCB doesn't explain the difference, so we don't turn either count into a number of people who passed or failed.
Both published counts are exam counts, not counts of unique people. PTCB does not publish enough detail on these pages to reconstruct the pass-rate denominator.
Pass rate is not the passing score
To pass the PTCE, you need a scaled score of 1,400 on a scale of 1,000 to 1,600. (PTCB: CPhT certification page) That's a completely different measurement from the 69% pass rate.
A scaled score isn't a percentage correct. PTCB uses several versions of the exam, called forms, and they can differ slightly in difficulty. PTCB adjusts for that so every candidate is held to the same standard, whichever form they get. (PTCB: Scaled Scores and Equating)
That's why PTCB publishes no fixed number of questions you must get right. Dividing 1,400 by 1,600 doesn't give you one either. That treats the scale like a points total, and it isn't one.
Do the 10 unscored questions mean 10 mistakes get dropped?
No. The PTCE has 90 multiple-choice questions. Eighty are scored and 10 are unscored. The unscored ones are mixed in and not identified. (PTCB: CPhT certification page) They are part of the exam but do not contribute to your score; they are not a set of your wrong answers that gets thrown away. Because PTCB does not identify them, treat every question as if it counts.
Does the 2025 rate apply to the 2026 exam?
Not directly. PTCB's current content outline took effect on January 6, 2026. (PTCE Content Outline, PDF) Every result behind the 2025 rate came from the earlier version.
The four exam domains kept their names, but their weights moved. Federal Requirements now counts for 18.75% of the exam, more than it did before. Our PTCB exam prep guide covers the full list of changes.
Nobody can say yet whether the new version will produce a higher or lower pass rate. PTCB hasn't published 2026 results. A school may publish a 2026 figure from its own PTCB Pass Rate Summary Report, but that is a program-specific figure, not PTCB's national annual pass rate.
PTCB pass rate vs. ExCPT pass rate
Pick the exam your state, employer, or training program requires or accepts, not the one with the higher pass rate.
| Exam | Organization | Latest published rate | Year | Exams counted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PTCE (CPhT) | PTCB | 69% | 2025 | 49,253 administered (PTCB also reports 48,235 delivered) |
| ExCPT | NHA | 62.75% | 2025 | 22,441 administered |
Sources: PTCB, NHA 2025 Pass Rates (PDF).
These come from different organizations, different candidate groups, and different scoring scales. The gap tells you very little about which exam is harder. If your program or employer points you to the ExCPT, see our ExCPT exam prep hub.
How to check a school's or course's pass-rate claim
PTCB makes Pass Rate Summary Reports available to recognized training programs and enrolled employers. Each report covers the candidates who named that program or employer on their PTCB application. It includes pass/fail results, performance by exam domain, and a comparison with national averages. (PTCB Pass Rate Data License Agreement, v1.1, §C.1)
Programs may publish accurate figures from those reports. PTCB may also hold back some data, and it doesn't guarantee that the reports are accurate or complete (§C.2, §E.1, §G). So a school's number can be real and still tell you less than it seems.
The seven-question checklist
Answer each question Yes or No. If the claim doesn't say, count it as No.
- Does it name a PTCB report as the source? A school's own survey or "student success" figure isn't PTCB data.
- Does it give the exact date range? Three months of results can look very different from a full year.
- Does it give counts, such as 155 of 177, and does the math match the percentage? A percentage from a small group can swing a lot.
- Does it say what it counts: exams, people, or first attempts? Those are three different numbers.
- Does it cover every student who named the program on their PTCB application? Figures limited to "completers" or "fully engaged students" leave people out.
- If it compares itself with a national rate, is that rate from the same period? A 2026 school figure next to PTCB's 2025 average isn't a fair match.
- Will the program show you the report, or its summary, if you ask? A number you can check is worth more than one you can't.
What your score means:
| Yes answers | Result |
|---|---|
| 6–7 | Well documented. You can fairly compare it with other programs' documented figures. |
| 3–5 | Partly documented. Ask the program for the missing details before you rely on it. |
| 0–2 | Can't be evaluated. Treat it as advertising, not evidence. |
This rates how well a claim is documented, not how good the program is.
A worked example
Here's a made-up claim to show how the checklist works:
"91% pass rate! 64 of 70 exams passed, January–June 2026, from our PTCB report. Every student who listed us on their application is included. The national average is only 69%."
| Question | Answer | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Names a PTCB report | Yes | It says the figure comes from its PTCB report. |
| 2. Date range | Yes | January–June 2026. |
| 3. Counts that match | Yes | 64 ÷ 70 = 91.4%, which rounds to 91%. |
| 4. Says what it counts | Yes | It counts exams. |
| 5. Every affiliated student | Yes | It says so directly. |
| 6. Same-period comparison | No | 69% is PTCB's 2025 rate, not a January–June 2026 figure. |
| 7. Report shown on request | No | Not stated. |
Five Yes answers: partly documented. The claim is specific, but its national comparison doesn't match its time period. Ask to see the report before it sways your decision.
How should you use the pass rate when preparing?
As background, not as a readiness score. A national average can't tell you whether you're ready. Your missed questions can.
- Check that your materials match the current outline. Materials built for the pre-2026 version use old domain weights and may emphasize topics differently. Our free PTCE Scope Check includes a quick version check.
- Keep a log of missed questions. For each one, write down the topic, why your answer was wrong, and the rule or calculation you should have used.
- Go back to those topics with fresh questions, and keep covering the other domains too.
These are our study suggestions, not an official plan or a guarantee.
About PTCB's own practice tools. PTCB says people who use its Practice Bank score 10% higher on average, and that people who pass its Pre-PTCE are three times more likely to pass the PTCE. (PTCB: Official Practice Tools) The page does not publish the study design, sample, or adjustment method behind either claim, so neither statement should be read as proof that the tool itself caused the difference. PTCB's own advice is to use the Practice Bank first and save the Pre-PTCE, which has only one version, for a final check.
What happens if you don't pass?
Wait for your official score report, then reapply. PTCB sets no extra waiting period before a second or third attempt. You must wait six months before a fourth attempt. After four attempts, you must show that you've completed an approved preparation activity, started and finished after your latest attempt, and PTCB must approve it before you apply again. (PTCB: Retake Policy; PTCB: Can I retake the PTCE?)
| Attempt | Waiting period | What's required |
|---|---|---|
| 2nd or 3rd | None after your official score report arrives | A new application and the current fee |
| 4th | Six months | A new application and the current fee |
| 5th and later | No extra wait stated | Proof of an approved preparation activity completed after your latest attempt, approved by PTCB first |
Each attempt costs the current $129 application and exam fee. (PTCB: CPhT certification page)
PTCB also warns that people who fail should expect to fail again unless they add to their preparation. The quick retake is allowed, but it isn't a plan. Read your score report's domain breakdown before you rebook.
Pass rates for other PTCB exams
PTCB runs several credentials besides the CPhT. Here are its published 2025 rates.
| PTCB credential | Active credential holders, Dec. 31, 2025 | 2025 pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT) | 313,556 | 69% |
| Certified Compounded Sterile Preparation Technician (CSPT) | 1,911 | 83% |
| Advanced Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT-Adv) | 2,535 | N/A |
| Certified Pharmacy Technician Educator (CPTEd) | 92 | Multiple choice 84%; written 84% |
| Billing and Reimbursement Certificate | 2,278 | 82% |
| Controlled Substances Diversion Prevention Certificate | 2,228 | 75% |
| Hazardous Drug Management Certificate | 1,397 | 66% |
| Immunization Administration Certificate | 2,539 | 82% |
| Medication History Certificate | 3,726 | 93% |
| Medication Therapy Management Certificate | 1,699 | 89% |
| Nonsterile Compounding Certificate | 413 | 83% |
| Point-of-Care Testing Certificate | 433 | 92% |
| Regulatory Compliance Certificate | 797 | 91% |
| Supply Chain and Inventory Management Certificate | 826 | 60% |
| Technician Product Verification Certificate | 2,536 | 73% |
Source: PTCB: Credentials by the Numbers. CPhT-Adv shows N/A because PTCB publishes no rate for it.
PTCB doesn't say how many people sat each certificate exam, so don't compare these rates with the PTCE's. For the sterile-compounding credential, see our CSPT exam prep hub.
Sources and data notes
We checked everything below on September 24, 2026.
- 2025 rate, 2025 exam count, and other PTCB credentials: PTCB: Credentials by the Numbers (table "2025 Pass Rate")
- 2025 rate and second 2025 exam count: PTCB 2025 Progress Report (PDF), p. 1, "CPhT Certification at a Glance"
- 2024 rate: PTCB: 2024 Credentials by the Numbers
- 2023 rate: PTCB 2023 Progress Report (image), from PTCB's 2023 Progress Report page
- Exam format, passing score, fee: PTCB: Certified Pharmacy Technician
- Scaled scores: PTCB: Scaled Scores and Equating
- Current outline: PTCE Content Outline, effective January 6, 2026 (PDF)
- Retakes: PTCB: Retake Policy and Can I retake the PTCE?
- Program pass-rate reports: PTCB Pass Rate Data License Agreement, v1.1, March 2026 (PDF)
- PTCB practice-tool claims: PTCB: Official Practice Tools
- ExCPT: NHA: 2025 Pass Rates (PDF)
What these sources don't tell us: whether PTCB's rate counts every exam or only first attempts, and why PTCB's two 2025 exam counts differ. We report PTCB's rates as published and don't estimate passing or failing totals.
How we check exam claims: our methodology. If you spot an error, our corrections log explains how to report it.
Castleport Test Prep is an independent exam-prep publisher and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or approved by the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) or the National Healthcareer Association (NHA). Exam and credential names identify their subjects; trademarks belong to their respective owners.