The PTCE Math Kit — 44 Worked Calculation Problems

Pharmacy math is not an open field. It is a short, closed list of setups that repeat. Once you can name the setup, the arithmetic is rarely what fails you.

This kit is 44 worked problems grouped by the five setups that cover almost every calculation question on the PTCE, each with the trap that comes with it:

• Conversions — and why writing the units is the whole technique
• Days' supply — including the eye-drop and insulin problems that catch people who are fine with tablets
• Percent strength — built on the one anchor worth memorising: 1% = 10 mg/mL
• Dilution (C1V1 = C2V2) — and the reason correct algebra still answers the wrong question
• Alligation — the tic-tac-toe box, and why the answer is in parts, not millilitres. Legacy: PTCB's 2024 Job Analysis removed alligation from the January 2026 PTCE scope, so treat it as bench and state-board math rather than an exam target

Every problem has a full worked solution, not just an answer key. Written by Patrick Kissane, PharmD, a hospital pharmacist who precepts pharmacy technicians.

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