qPCR, or quantitative PCR, is another term for real-time PCR.

RNA can be used as a template in reverse transcription PCR, or RT-PCR. RNA transcripts are commonly measured in RT-qPCR by reverse transcribing them into cDNA first, followed by qPCR.

Real-time PCR detects PCR amplification during the reaction’s exponential growth phase and is substantially more quantitative than regular RT-PCR.