EXAMINATION ADMINISTRATION

The ABCP Certifying Examinations are administered during an established four-week testing period on a daily basis, Monday through Saturday, excluding holidays, at computer-based testing facilities managed by PTC. PTC has several hundred testing sites in the United States, as well as Canada.

Scheduling is done on a first-come, first-serve basis. To find a testing center near you visit: http://www.ptcny.com/cbt/sites.htm or call PTC at (800) 211-2754. Please note: Hours and days of availability vary at different centers. You will not be able to schedule your examination appointment until you have received an Eligibility Notice from PTC.

ONLINE TESTING SOFTWARE DEMO

A Testing Software Demo can be viewed online by visiting http://www.ptcny.com/cbt/demo.htm. This online Testing Software Demo can give you an idea about the features of the testing software.

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SCHEDULING YOUR EXAMINATION APPOINTMENT

PTC will contact you to schedule your exam, after your Application has been received, processed, and your eligibility is verified. Within 4 weeks prior to the first day of the testing window, you will be mailed an Eligibility Notice. The Eligibility Notice plus current government-issued photo identification must be presented in order to gain admission to the testing center. A candidate not receiving an Eligibility Notice or other correspondence at least three weeks before the beginning of the four-week testing period should contact the Professional Testing Corporation by telephone at (212) 356-0660 with their fax number. The Eligibility Notice will indicate where to call to schedule your examination appointment as well as the dates in which testing is available.

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Appointment times are first-come, first-serve, so schedule your appointment as soon as you receive your Eligibility Notice in order to maximize your chance of testing at your preferred location and on your preferred date.

It is highly recommended that each candidate becomes familiar with the testing site.

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CHANGING YOUR EXAMINATION APPOINTMENT
If you need to cancel your examination appointment or reschedule to a different date within the four-week testing period you must contact PSI at (800) 211-2754 no later than noon, Eastern Standard Time, of the second business day PRIOR to your scheduled appointment. If you fail to arrive for your appointment or cancel without giving the required notice, you will forfeit your testing fee. Monitor your email contacts with the Testing Center. PTC may have to make unforeseen changes.  

If your exam strategy is to study longer and test later in the exam period, then plan for regional weather or unforeseen events like sudden need to change venue (power outages, life events, COVID closures, staffing...) or other last minute issues impacting test centers. The ABCP & PTC has one exam period per year that closes with all test centers on Aug. 31.

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RULES FOR THE EXAMINATION

1. Electronic devices including but not limited to, cell phones, pagers, palm pilots, Blackberries, Bluetooth type devices, voice      recording devices, cameras, and MP3 players (IPOD, I-Touch, etc.) cannot be used during the examination.

2. No books or reference materials may be taken into the examination room.

3. Simple, nonprogrammable calculators are permitted with the exception of calculators as part of cellular phones, blackberries, etc.  A calculator is also available on screen if needed.

4. No questions concerning content of the examination may be asked during the testing period.  The candidate should read carefully the directions that are provided on screen at the beginning of the examination session.

Violation of any of the rules listed above may lead to forfeiture of fees, dismissal from testing room, and cancellation of your test scores.

Exam Scoring: Only correct answers are scored and there are no deductions from total score for wrong answers.

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Admission of Candidates to the Examination: Upon receipt of an applicant's completed application and fee, the credentials will be evaluated. At its discretion the Board will admit the applicant to the examination; or, if the applicant's background is found to be deficient, the Board will suggest training and/or clinical pharmacology experience. An accepted applicant (candidate) will be notified as soon as possible following the application deadline regarding his/her eligibility and assignment to an examination center. Candidates will be admitted to the examination upon presentation of appropriate picture ID.

Test Center Mask Requirements:
Dear Client,
PTC has received notification from Prometric of updates to their policy regarding wearing face masks at test centers, which we wanted to share with you.  Please see below for the new policy. PTC has added this to the Scheduling Authorizations sent to all test candidates.  Prometric will also post this new policy on their website and candidate communications.

The new policy is:

“Due to guidelines regarding COVID19 and social distancing, all candidates will be required to bring and wear a face mask or face covering while they are in a Prometric test center at all times or their exam will be terminated. Both medical masks or cloth face coverings are acceptable. Masks with exhale/one-way valves are prohibited to use at the test center, due to the lack of viral particle filtration provided by these masks.  Mask with wearable technology are also prohibited. Any test taker that comes to the test center without a mask or with one of the prohibited masks described above will not be allowed to test, marked as a “no-show” and will not be eligible for a free reschedule.”

PTC is committed to keeping candidates safe during their testing experience while also protecting the integrity of the exam. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

Regards,
Sherry Frier
Vice President, Testing Services
 

Scoring the Examination: In this type of examination no candidate is expected to know the correct answer to every question. Even if the candidate is not familiar with all aspects of a particular question, he/she should answer all questions since there is no additional penalty for a wrong answer. Double answers and blank answers are treated as incorrect answers.

Reporting of Scores: Candidates will receive score reports with normative data, by mail, approximately three months after the examination date. The mailing address listed in item #3 of the application will be used. Report any changes to address, immediately.

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Integrity of Scores: If, as evidenced by observation or statistical analysis of answer sheets, giving or obtaining unauthorized information or aid has occurred, a candidate's scores will be invalidated and other appropriate action will be taken.

All candidates for these examinations must acknowledge that they are aware of these regulations for maintaining the integrity of individual scores by signing the statement included in the examination book.

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Next Testing Period: Weekdays between July 1, thru August 31, 2023.
(July 4 or the National Recognized Holiday)

We will be using an online format which may permit you to sit the exam at a site near you. We now have sites throughout the USA and Canada where you can sit the examinations.