PTCB Exam Day Tips
What to expect and how to succeed on test day
What to Bring
- Two forms of valid, non-expired ID (one must be government-issued with photo)
- Your PTCB authorization email or confirmation number
- Arrive 30 minutes before your scheduled appointment
- No personal items allowed in testing room (lockers provided)
- No calculators - a basic calculator is provided on screen
Exam Format
Total Questions: 90
Scored Questions: 80
Pretest Items: 10 (not identified)
Time Limit: 1 hour 50 minutes
Question Type: Multiple choice (4 options)
Passing Score: 1,400/1,600 scaled
Time Management Strategy
- First pass (60 min): Answer every question you know immediately. Flag uncertain ones.
- Second pass (30 min): Return to flagged questions. Eliminate obviously wrong answers first.
- Final review (20 min): Check flagged items one more time. Never leave a question blank.
- Per question: Average ~1.2 minutes per question. Don't spend more than 2 minutes on any single question.
Night Before & Morning Of
- Do a light review of cheat sheets only - no heavy studying
- Get 7-8 hours of sleep
- Eat a good breakfast with protein and complex carbs
- Avoid caffeine if you don't normally drink it
- Review directions to the testing center and leave early