Short answers

The questions candidates ask before they apply.

How many questions?Ninety multiple-choice questions are administered, of which 80 are scored and 10 are unscored pilot items that cannot be identified.
How long is it?The exam itself is 110 minutes, sitting inside a two-hour appointment that also covers a tutorial and a post-exam survey. Across 90 administered quest…
What is the pass mark?The passing scaled score is 1,400 on a scale of 1,000 to 1,600. PTCB does not publish the number of correct answers that produces it, and there is no …
What is the pass rate?PTCB publishes no pass rate for the PTCE. Any percentage quoted for it has been estimated, and the 6 January 2026 blueprint change makes older estimat…
What does it cost?The application and examination fee is USD 129 and it covers the Pearson VUE seat. A retake is a fresh application at the same fee.
Do you need experience?You need either a PTCB-Recognized Education/Training Program or a minimum of 500 hours of equivalent work experience with a supervisor attestation. On…
How many attempts?Each attempt is a fresh application at USD 129. PTCB sets waiting periods between attempts which lengthen for later ones, and after a number of attemp…
How long do results take?A preliminary pass or fail appears on screen at the test center before you leave, and the official scaled score follows from PTCB afterwards. The scal…
Is it open book?No. The PTCE is a closed-book examination delivered at a Pearson VUE test center. Personal items including notes, books and phones are stored during t…
Is a prep course required?No course is required to pass. A PTCB-Recognized Education/Training Program is required only if you cannot use the 500-hour work experience eligibilit…
How long to study?Sixty to 120 hours over six to twelve weeks. Working technicians sit at the lower end, career changers at the upper. These are our estimates; PTCB pub…
Harder than the ExCPT?Comparative difficulty between the two is not something we can establish from published data. What can be said is what PTCB publishes about its own ex…
Does the credential expire?The CPhT credential is held for two years and renewed on continuing education. A lapsed credential can be reinstated through PTCB's process, which cos…
Can you use a calculator?You do not bring your own calculator. Where one is available it is provided by the test center or built into the exam software, and the current candid…