Everything you need to pass the PTCE.

Foothills is a PTCB-recognized, 100% online program. Sixteen weeks and 192 hours, self-paced, mapped directly to the four PTCE knowledge domains — using the same Paradigm Education textbooks as accredited college programs.

PTCB-RecognizedQualifies you to sit for the PTCE
16 weeks · 192 hoursAbout 12–15 hours a week, at your pace
100% onlineEvery lesson and exam in your Student Portal
$180 one-timeNo monthly fees, no tuition bill

The 16-week curriculum, week by week.

Two parallel textbook tracks — Certification Exam Review and Pharmacy Calculations — woven into one schedule that mirrors how the work is actually done behind the counter.

1–2Medications — terminology, dosage forms, routes of administration, drug classifications, intro to calculations
3–5Federal Requirements — pharmacy law, controlled-substance schedules I–V, DEA & FDA oversight, HIPAA
5–7Patient Safety & Quality Assurance — error prevention, tall-man lettering, look-alike/sound-alike drugs
7–9Order Entry & Processing — sig codes, patient profiles, prescription processing, documentation
9–10Pharmacy Conversions & Calculations — metric, household & apothecary; dosage, concentration, dilution
10–11Nonsterile Compounding — creams, ointments & suspensions; formulation records, compounding logs
12–13Sterile & Hazardous Compounding — aseptic technique, cleanrooms, IV & TPN, USP 797/800
13–14Inventory Controls — ordering, recalls, expired-medication handling, formulary management
15–16PTCE Review & Practice Exams — full-length PTCE and ExCPT practice tests in the real format

Every chapter includes Watch-and-Learn video lessons, flash cards for terminology and drug names, practice problems, and chapter exams — all in your Student Portal.

What you're preparing for.

The Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam, administered by the PTCB at Pearson VUE testing centers. Our curriculum maps to all four domains.

90
Questions — 80 scored, 10 unscored, 110-minute time limit
1400
Passing score, out of 1600 scaled
4
Domains: Medications (35%), Patient Safety & QA (23.75%), Order Entry & Processing (22.5%), Federal Requirements (18.75%)

Pass the PTCE and you earn the CPhT credential, which renews every two years with 20 hours of continuing education. Exam fees and domain weightings are set by the PTCB — check ptcb.org for current details.

Your $180 enrollment covers the course.

Enrollment unlocks the full instructional program and keeps you on track from day one to exam day.

Full access to the 16-week, 192-hour online curriculum
Video lessons, flash cards, practice problems & chapter exams
Full-length PTCE and ExCPT practice exams that mirror the real test
A Student Portal with a countdown, week-by-week checklist & progress tracking
Email support from our instructor throughout the program
A PTCE prep checklist for when you near the finish line

The two things we don't bundle.

We're upfront about every cost. Two items are bought outside your enrollment:

Digital textbooks (~$218)The two required Paradigm Education titles, purchased through our Foothills store at paradigmeducation.com/foothills-pharmacy. Access codes are included with that purchase.
PTCE exam fee (~$129)Paid directly to the PTCB when you're ready to test. Check ptcb.org for the current fee.

Buying your books through our Foothills store is the simplest path — one purchase gets you the correct edition and the access code that unlocks the course.

About $527 to certification — not thousands.

We believe you should see every number before you enroll. Here is the complete cost of getting certified through Foothills, start to finish.

No monthly payments, no surprise fees. Financial aid isn't available because we're not a college — but the total is a fraction of what a college charges.

Foothills · cost to certification
$180 enrollment
vs $3,000–$15,000 at a college
EnrollmentOne-time, instruction + portal$180
Pharmacy Calculations, 7th Ed.Digital textbook + access code$102
Certification Exam Review, 6th Ed.Digital textbook + access code$116
PTCE exam feePaid to PTCB when you're ready≈ $129
Total, start to certified≈ $527
Enroll for $180

A community-college program runs $3,000–$15,000 before books. No monthly payments here, no surprise fees.

One portal, everything in it.

After you enroll, you study from your Student Portal on foothillspharmacytech.com. One click on "Open My Course" logs you straight in — no separate username or password to juggle.

Interactive lessons, e-textbook integration, flash cards & a gradebook
Practice exams in the real PTCE format — 90 questions, multiple choice
Built-in progress tracking and performance analytics
Available 24/7 from any device — a computer is recommended for exams

Always open your course through the "Open My Course" button in your portal. For technical issues with course content, Kendall Hunt Support is available at help.kendallhunt.com.

Studying the online pharmacy technician course

What you'll need to start.

No pharmacy experience and no science background required — we teach everything from the ground up. Here's the short list.

A diploma or GED

A high school diploma or equivalent. There's no age limit — students of all ages and backgrounds enroll.

Basic math skills

Comfort with fractions, decimals, percentages, and ratios for the pharmacy calculations section.

A computer & internet

Any modern browser works. Basic computer skills — typing, navigating sites, downloading files — are all you need.

Pharmacy technician registration and licensure rules vary by state. Students outside North Carolina should confirm requirements with their state Board of Pharmacy.

You've seen the whole path. Your seat is $180.

Sixteen weeks, the four PTCE domains, the same books the colleges use — and every cost on the table.

Enroll for $180
$180one-time
Enroll now

Foothills Assistant

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