Quick tips before taking the PTCB Exam
Study 1 day before taking the official exam but please do not over study, you will need to relax your brain for the big day.
Get a good night rest, make sure you get your 8 hours of sleep.
Eat a hearty breakfast to fuel up.
Leave to the testing center early just to make sure you are not late, if you have any extra time left feel free to scam through your notes.
You do not need any materials for the exam all you need is proof of identification, the testing center will actually ask you to lock your personal belongings in a locker. The testing center will provide an erasable board in replace for scratch paper, and a calculator.
Before starting the exam remember some quick math conversions and formulas and write them on the erasable board because during the test you might feel nervous that you might even forget those simple conversions such as 1 tbsp = 15 ml.
Have some confidence and be optismistic. Try to relax your nerves and say to yourself "I can do this"
Do not rush into the exam, try to spend at least 3 minutes on each question. Remember you have 2 hours to complete 90 multiple choice questions. If you are not sure of a particular question just skip it and at the end you can always go back and answer it. If you finish on time spare your time to recheck those questions.
Read questions carefully and understand what the question is ASKING. At times there are math questions that just throw in some extra information that we do not need so you can optionally sctrach off any extra info that might get in your way. For example >
A patient with multiple antibiotic allergies has a urinary tract infection. Amikacin 250 mg IVPB q8h is ordered over 1 hour. The Amikacin is dissolved in 200 ml of D5W. The drop factor is 20 gtt/ml. How many drops per minute should be given?
200 ml
60 min X 20 gtt/ml = 67 gtt/min
After finishing the exam you will receive a print out with only a fail or pass result. Your scores will later be mailed which you should receive within 2 weeks after passing the exam.
