It wasn't bad... I took a day-long prep class that was a prep for people taking the exam or CE for currently certified techs. It really wasn't too bad... the pharmacy I ran was free for indigent patients, but was a retail style setting, so I just made sure I was comfortable with drug calcs (my alegbra teacher always said I'd use it someday!) and the paperwork and I passed my first time.

City, State: Teaching hospital

Years as a Buyer: 2

Don't forget the Law questions. If you can breeze through the Food and Drug Act of 1906 and figure out valid DEA numbers, to name a few, those questions might be enough to give you a better edge. But they may (or should) be covered in a PTCB test prep class, as Colleen mentioned.

Name of Facility: Pharmacy Purchasing Outlook

City, State: Newsletter

Years as a Buyer: 30+

As for the CE... between the PPO conference and the 340B and GPO meetings/conferences I attend, I get enough CE for 2-3 recert cycles (unfortunately it just gets "wasted" since you can't rollover )

City, State: Teaching hospital

Years as a Buyer: 2