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Hong KongPractice tests
Use a practice test to measure, in full-length timed conditions on unseen questions weighted to the 2026 outline. Working questions untimed with the answers visible is study, not measurement.
Two different activities get the same name, and confusing them is why candidates arrive surprised.
Studying with questions
Working through questions, checking answers as you go, reading explanations. Untimed, unhurried, reference open.
That is useful and it is study. It tells you almost nothing about whether you will pass.
Measuring with a practice test
Ninety questions in 110 minutes, in one sitting, on questions you have never seen, no checking as you go.
That is a measurement, and it is the only signal that predicts the day.
The commonest way candidates lose their measurement is by working every question in the bank as study, then assembling a "mock" from items they have already seen. It returns a comfortable score and no information. Set aside enough unseen material for two full papers before you start.
What a good practice test looks like
- Ninety questions, matching the administered count, not 80
- Weighted to the 2026 outline: Medications 35, Patient Safety 23.75, Order Entry 22.5, Federal Requirements 18.75
- A domain breakdown at the end, not just a total
- Explanations that say why the wrong option was tempting
- Calculation questions with the stem timed as part of the question
Check the weighting before you trust the score
A test written before 6 January 2026 gives Medications 40 percent and Federal Requirements 12.5. Scoring well on it tells you about a paper that no longer exists. Ring-fence from week one.
When to sit them
One at about three quarters of the way through your plan, to find the gaps while there is time to fix them. One near the end, to confirm the fix. Study, not measurement.
A third is usually the wrong purchase. If two have not told you what you need, more will not.
Reading the result
The total is the least useful part. The domain breakdown, and the reason behind each miss, are the output that changes what you do next. Read the breakdown.
Common questions
How should I use a PTCB practice test?
As a measurement: 90 questions in 110 minutes on unseen material, weighted to the 2026 outline.
What is the difference from studying with questions?
Studying is untimed with answers visible. A practice test is timed, unseen, and scored in one sitting.
How many should I sit?
Two. One at three quarters through, one near the end.
How do I check a practice test is current?
It should give Medications 35 percent and Federal Requirements 18.75, not 40 and 12.5.
What matters in the result?
The domain breakdown and the reason for each miss, not the total.