Credentialing Guidelines and Requirements

Scope

PTCB Technician Product Verification (TPV) certificate holders have demonstrated the knowledge and skill necessary to perform the final product check in both health-system and community pharmacy settings. Subject to additional state or facility requirements, they are ready to perform this vital function, thereby enabling pharmacists to focus on other areas of patient care. 

Eligibility Requirements 

A candidate must hold an active PTCB CPhT Certification and fulfill one of the following eligibility pathways:

Pathway 1: Completion of a PTCB-Recognized Technician Product Verification Education/Training Program.

Pathway 2: Completion of a state board-approved validation program.*

*Applications submitted under Pathway 2 will be held for review to determine eligibility. 

Exam

Candidates are required to pass the Technician Product Verification Exam to earn the PTCB Technician Product Verification Certificate. The TPV Exam is a computer-based exam with 120 questions. Be prepared to commit 2 hours for the exam (12-minute tutorial, 1 hour 45-minute exam, and 3-minute post-exam survey).

Exam Passing Score

A panel of subject-matter experts established a passing score for the Technician Product Verification Exam using industry best practices. The method used by the panel, as directed by a psychometrician, is the modified-Angoff method. This method requires experts (panel members) to evaluate individual test questions and estimate the percentage of qualified pharmacy technicians that would be able to answer each question correctly. These estimates were analyzed for consistency and averaged to produce the passing score. The passing score and candidate results are reported as scaled scores. The passing scaled score for the Technician Product Verification Exam is 300. The range of possible scores is 0 to 400.

Advanced Certified Pharmacy Technician Credential

Earning your TPV Certificate takes you one step closer to becoming a PTCB Advanced Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT-Adv). Active PTCB CPhTs who have completed at least four of the certificate programs, or three certificate programs and the Compounded Sterile Preparation Technician (CSPT) Certification, and 3 years of work experience will be eligible to earn a CPhT-Adv credential.