Becoming a pharmacy technician is still a dream for many individuals, and qualifying for the pharmacy technician certification exam is a mandatory step to achieve that. Multiple choice questions are challenging and stressful factors for many individuals, even though you can effectively solve them by incorporating certain effective strategies and overcoming that challenging part in a much easier way.
In this article, let’s explore various strategies for answering pharmacy technician board questions effectively and important points to keep in mind while answering.
What are PTCB Questions?
PTCB stands for pharmacy technician certification board, which organizes and administers the pharmacy technician certification exam; individuals have to clear the exam who want to become pharmacy technicians in the United States.
PTCB Exam Format
In general, PTCB exams are conducted online mode that is computer-based, it has multiple choice questions(MCQ) and the time given is 120 minutes, the total number of questions is 90 and there will be two types of questions that will be scored(80 questions) and unscored questions which are often referred to as pretest questions(10 questions).
Pretest questions are used for research purposes, the candidate will not know which questions were pretest questions because they would remain unmentioned hence, candidates have to be aware while answering. Practicing PTCB questions and answers enables you to perform well in a real-time environment.
Strategies for Answering PTCB Questions Effectively
Read the Questions Till the end
Mostly, while seeing a question people usually tend to see the keyword and come to the decision that this is the answer, which could be wrong in most cases. Always, try to read the full question because when it comes to competitive exams they tend to trick people with minute changes. So, reading the question till the end is the safest way to choose the right answer.
Be Aware of Tricky Words
Certain words might trick you and affect the meaning of the whole sentence, some of them were not, never, always, rarely, usually, often, least, etc.,
For instance, Which of the following drugs is NOT contraindicated in patients with a history of asthma? A) Albuterol B) Propranolol C) Prednisone D) Montelukast
In this question, the use of “NOT” makes the question tricky. Candidates might initially think they need to choose a drug that is contraindicated in patients with asthma. However, the correct answer is D (Montelukast), as it is not contraindicated and is often used as a maintenance medication for asthma.
Manage Your Time Effectively
Mistakes need to be addressed while answering concerning time,
- Spending too much time on a single question.
- Answering difficult questions first.
- Answering all questions in a rush.
- Recorrecting the initial answer.
Prioritize Questions
Always make sure to prioritize questions, answer the easy questions first actually boosts your self-confidence, then move on to the difficult questions because trying to solve the difficult question might be a challenging thing to begin with, which is time-consuming as well.
Try to mark the difficult questions which you will be answering later, this enables you to answer those questions later. Remember marking too many questions can be overwhelming later.
Go with Your First Choice
Always try to stick with your first choice, reviewing your answers is not wrong but recorrecting them again and again, might result in a wrong answer. According to research data, it is identified that an individual’s initial answers tend to be more correct than the reassigned answer.
Split up your time accordingly, and make sure how much time you are going to spend on this question or else sitting on the same question for much time could result in a way where you will fail to answer other questions.
Plan Accordingly
Make sure that you are aware of the time left for completion of other questions because if you are not aware of the time you would fail to answer all questions correctly at the last moment.
Eliminate the Options Effectively
One of the effective ways to answer questions fast and effective way, go for this elimination technique, it involves specific steps,
- Firstly, read the question till the end, to understand them. Try to identify the clue words to begin the elimination process.
- Go for the options that are completely irrelevant or unrelated or non-fact-based concerning the question. Following that, you can easily eliminate certain options.
- Also, compare the similar options where you can eliminate one easily in many cases. For instance, look at this Question:
Which of the following drugs is a beta-blocker?
A) Aspirin B) Lisinopril C) Metoprolol D) Acetaminophen
In this above-mentioned question, options A, B, and D are not beta-blockers. Aspirin (A) is used for antiplatelet medication, Lisinopril (B) is an ACE inhibitor, and Acetaminophen (D) is an analgesic.
Therefore, C (Metoprolol) is the correct answer, as it is a beta-blocker commonly used to treat conditions like hypertension and angina.
- Each question follows a certain pattern. Use the knowledge you have to eliminate irrelevant options. If you don’t know the answer, try to understand the pattern and apply it to the options to make an educated guess.
- When the options have an “All the above” option, you can just verify two options alone whether it is true and mark all the above options.
- You can avoid much time by going through this effective elimination technique.
Practice Model Papers
Practice many model papers that will give you a clear idea of the real-time test environment, you will become aware of many aspects like how to manage time effectively and what area you are weak and making errors in, and where you want to improve. According to research data, individuals who practice many practice sample papers tend to perform faster and manage their time effectively.
PTCB questions can be answered effectively by following certain strategies while performing in an exam.
Frequently Asked Questions(FAQ)
- What are PTCB questions?
PTCB stands for Pharmacy Technician Certification Board, which organizes and administers the Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam. Individuals must pass this exam to become pharmacy technicians in the United States.
- How to manage time effectively in PTCB exams?
Prioritize questions like answer the easier one first then go for the difficult one, and be aware of how much time you spend on each question. Eliminating techniques is the best way to save time.
Wrapping Up
In competitive exams, individuals have to be more aware of the time they are spending on each question, read the full question to choose the appropriate option, practice more sample question papers, should know elimination techniques as well, prioritize questions, etc.
