How to become a Pharmacy Tech?

Do not pay for any classes as they are not necessary. ptcb.org is the correct site for becoming certified as a technician and then you may also have to register with your state. Google the state board of pharmacy for your state and look at their requirements. How long does it take to go through a book? That's up to you and how diligently you work on it. All of the testing info can be found on ptcb.org

You can essentially be a pharmacy tech a few ways. Find a place to hire you with without past experience. A lot of retail places will hire you, but generally now a lot of the community is really shifting to hiring people who are nationally certified. However, you may have luck finding some pharmacy in a bind, who simply need people ASAP. Working without prior experience at a place like Walgreens, they will train you on the job, and then you will have to register with the state's board of pharmacy once they certify you as a pharmacy tech. After that you can become nationally certified tech or CphT (certified pharmacy technician) and then you are officially recognized as a tech. The nice thing about retail pharmacies, many are willing to hire with no prior work history, train you, pay for your training books and pay for you to take the national exam. However, the big focus is on pushing all techs to become CphT's now. Requirements are changing and employers overall are really wanting it. I think eventually at some point all techs WILL have to become legit CphTs if they aren't already. With new employees there will be time constraints and most likely in the future if you don't become certified after 6 months to a year after being hired, you won't have a job anymore. The alternative of coarse is.... Grab some study guides, research online, get familiar with the material and do it yourself. PTCB.org is legit, and they are the main (I think there one other program that accredits CphTs, too) group that certifies people nationally. Once you are ready to take the exam you sign up on their website and schedule it. The fee is about $130 to take the exam, once you have paid you will pick a date 90 days from now to go to the nearest testing facility. Once you arrive you will be escorted to the computer terminal and the test begins. Its 90 questions, multiple choice and I believe you have 2 hours total to complete it. You will only have a calculator and a pen/paper at your terminal. They are quite strict at the facility, make sure to pay attention to what they tell you. Upon completion of the exam, you will be informed if you pass/fail. If you pass, they will print you a form and shortly in the mail you will receive your certificate with detailed scoring from the exam. Remember, its a 90 question test for the PTCB with a passing score of 650 or higher out of 900. That makes a passing score about a 72%, so its somewhat lenient. Of course, you could go to school for this but I don't recommend it for a few reasons. The field isn't that great and the salary is not nearly good enough to justify paying a school for. However, with time and experience you can make a decent wage, but its nowhere near a pharmacists and not worth school, IMO. Good luck!