100+ Free PTCB HD Practice Questions

The exam consists of 55 multiple-choice questions delivered at a Pearson VUE testing center or via online proctoring. Total appointment time is 1 hour 30 minutes: a 5-minute tutorial, 80 minutes for the exam, and a 5-minute post-exam survey. All questions are scored based on the content outline across six domains.

You need a scaled score of 300 out of a possible 400 to pass the Hazardous Drug Management Certificate exam. PTCB uses criterion-referenced scoring, so your result is compared against a fixed standard rather than other candidates. You will receive your pass/fail result immediately after completing the exam.

Candidates must hold an active PTCB CPhT certification AND complete a PTCB-Recognized Hazardous Drug Management Education/Training Program before scheduling the assessment. The training program ensures you have covered USP <800> standards, the NIOSH List, engineering controls, PPE, and spill management prior to the exam.

The PTCB assessment fee is $89 per attempt. This does not include the cost of the PTCB-Recognized Education/Training Program, which is a separate prerequisite and typically costs $100–$300 depending on the provider. You must also maintain an active CPhT certification, which has its own recertification fees.

No — unlike the CPhT credential, the Hazardous Drug Management Certificate does not require renewal. Once earned, it is a permanent credential. However, you must keep your underlying CPhT certification active, and PTCB updates the exam content outline periodically (for example, the NIOSH 2024 list update in March 2025) so your practice knowledge should stay current.

USP General Chapter <800> establishes standards for the handling of hazardous drugs in healthcare settings to promote patient safety, worker safety, and environmental protection. It became officially enforceable on December 1, 2019. USP <800> specifies engineering controls (C-PEC, C-SEC), PPE, facility layout (negative pressure, 12 ACPH for C-SEC), deactivation/decontamination agents, and the Assessment of Risk process. Nearly every domain of the PTCB HD exam is grounded in USP <800> requirements.

The NIOSH List of Hazardous Drugs in Healthcare Settings, published by the CDC's National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, identifies drugs that meet one or more hazardous drug criteria (carcinogenicity, teratogenicity, reproductive toxicity, organ toxicity at low doses, genotoxicity, or structural/toxicity similarity). The 2024 update replaced the 2016 list and uses Table 1 (drugs meeting MSHI criteria) and Table 2 (non-MSHI hazardous drugs). PTCB updated its exam to reflect the 2024 list in March 2025.

Most CPhTs with some HD handling experience study 20–40 hours over 3–6 weeks. Focus about 40% of your time on USP <800> requirements (engineering controls, PPE, facility cleaning), 25% on administrative topics (Assessment of Risk, SOPs, medical surveillance), 20% on dispensing and compounding interfaces with USP <795>/<797>, and 15% on the NIOSH list and spill management procedures.