Pharmacy Technicians Are in Serious Demand Right Now — Here's How to Actually Get Certified

I've been keeping an eye on healthcare careers for a while now, and one thing that keeps showing up in the data is how much demand there is for pharmacy technicians. Not nurses, not doctors — pharmacy techs. The people behind the counter who actually keep the whole operation running.

 

And honestly? The numbers back it up.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects about 49,000 job openings for pharmacy technicians every single year through 2033. That's not total growth — that's annual openings. The field is expected to grow at 7%, which is nearly double the national average for all occupations. A big chunk of those openings come from retirements and people switching careers, but a growing portion is driven by something else entirely: pharmacists are being asked to do more patient-facing clinical work, and someone needs to handle the dispensing, inventory, and processing side of things. That someone is the pharmacy tech.

 

What really caught my attention recently was Walmart's announcement in January 2026. They bumped pay ranges for pharmacy technicians up to $40.50 an hour and promoted 3,000 techs into new leadership roles. No college degree required. They're even covering the cost of certification for employees who want to move up. That's a massive signal from the largest private employer in the country.

So What's the PTCB Exam, Exactly?

If you want to get certified — and in most states, you need to — you'll have to pass the PTCB exam. That stands for Pharmacy Technician Certification Board. It's 90 multiple-choice questions, and you get about two hours to finish. Ten of those questions are unscored (they're testing future questions), but you won't know which ones they are, so you have to treat every question like it counts.

The exam covers four main areas: medications (the biggest chunk at 35%), federal requirements, patient safety and quality assurance, and order entry and processing. You need a scaled score of at least 1,400 out of 1,600 to pass, and the current pass rate hovers around 70%.

Before you can even sit for the exam, you either need to complete a PTCB-recognized training program or have at least 500 hours of work experience as a pharmacy tech. The application fee is $129, and testing happens at Pearson VUE centers nationwide.

How People Are Actually Preparing

Although the exam is timed and specialized, textbooks aid in laying the groundwork; you must become accustomed to the format. For this reason, when serious applicants begin their studies, one of the first things they search for is a good PTCB practice exam.

Beyond practice questions, it helps to get familiar with the top 200 drugs (brand and generic names), nail down pharmacy math conversions, and understand controlled substance schedules. These topics come up again and again.

Is It Worth It?

For a career that doesn't require a four-year degree, pays a livable wage, and has genuine room for advancement — yeah, I'd say it's worth looking into. The average pharmacy tech earns around $40,300 a year, but certified techs in metro areas can push past $50,000. And with companies like Walmart actively investing in this workforce, the ceiling keeps moving up.

 

If you've been thinking about a career pivot into healthcare but don't want to spend years in school, this might be one of the more practical paths available right now.