Welcome! This space is for folks preparing for the ASCP – MLS/MT/CLS exams.
Thank you to the foreign visitors to my page (108 international locations and counting). I took the ASCP exam but the ASCPi is the international equivalent of the same exam. The competencies tested are the same.
If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, they are always welcome and appreciated. Your email will not be displayed.
MORE UPDATES!____
Hemoglobin electrophoresis for the ASCP exam. The last 12 slides are 6 questions (to test your knowledge) and 6 answers (to cement your understanding) for the exam. Take a look and let me know what you think.
How to Solve an Antibody Panel now posted under Blood Bank
Gram Negative Diplococci chart updated
Obligate Anaerobes chart updated
Random Cartoon Questions
wordsology 
Hi guys i hope someone can help me. Whats the best book to study for MLT exam?
Polansky and Harr
Things that I remembered .
1)Cystic fibrosis green pigment -?
2)Alkali (that was the exact word )what happens co2, co3, ph?
3)Plt pooled at rt, how long held for ? 2,5,12,24 hrs
4)Pic of crystals in acidic urine
5)Antler hypha what bacteria?
6)Prolonged pt, ptt and tt-?
7)First titer till 120 , second till 50, what is it ? Pnh, mycoplasma …? Something in that nature
8)300 , what gives energy to things? K, copper, calcium ?
9)What grows on chocolate agar?
10)Aldosterone ?
11)Double zone , beta lactase?
12)Viewing crystals or urine under microscope , use 10x or 40 more light, less light . Something like that?
13)All analytes were out of wack, due to water not correct for Chem or reagents , something like that?
14)Mother donating rbc to son , what do you do… Wash, irradiate ect…
15)Where heme c and s found… Extrinsic , intrinsic, warfarin, heparin
Thank you Irina – it’s very kind of you. Excellent recalls!
1. Answer: pyoverdin
Answer 1. P.earoginosa
3. 2hours (in Polansky, its 4hrs. once pooled so it’s the closest answer without going beyond)
5. Trichophyton schoenleinii
14. Irradiated ( rule for immediate family donors and prevents GVHD)
Honestly speaking this website really helpful i have taken ASCP before i know this website, i was not pass. but now i took again and i have pass.this website i lot of information if you are use it very well.Thank you guys.
Thank you for the very kind words nathanel. Congratulations on your pass buddy!
Hi Wordsology,
I took the first ASCP MLS exam on July and I did not pass the exam, I was nervous and started to rush to retake the exam 2nd time. All of my classmates and co-workers passed the exam, except me, I found this website before I took the 2nd exam but I did not have enough time to study.
I did not pass the exam on 2nd time. I had 36 minutes left but I did not look back the answers, I was afraid I would change the answers. For the 2nd time, I felt I was ok, I understood the material, but then I failed. I am so sad and depressed now. I am very frustrated.
It’s very important that you solicit the testing agency for your exam feedback. I understand that this is a very disheartening and awful feeling. It’s most important to know what you got wrong so you can address it for the next time when you will pass it. Don’t lose hope because you can definitely pass this exam!
Don’t get frustrated. I failed twice as well. You have to just take a step back give yourself some time and regroup! That’s my plan 🙂 stay positive!
Thank you for this website…It’s really helpful…I pass the exam today. Thanks a lot…
Great news! Congratulations to you Jen.
hi congrats any recalls
Can you give me suggesting for CLS.how I can start my study I mean which book is good ma email is rahim_patho66@yahoo.com. advance thanks
I’m taking the AMT in October…..anyone out there recently taken that exam. I appreciate your help 🙂
hi i wanted to know instead of ascp can u take amt . is the amt easier than ascp?
Hi Emily,
Thank you for asking. The school I graduated from is accredited for the AMT. I have no ideal if easier, I’m at my wits ends preparing for this test.
hello ,i think it is not as easy as most folks said ,test question not similar style on labce ,bottom line approach or any kind of books,this test question mostly solve problem,work related issue,depend your experience ever disciple
Thanks for the notes! You prob don’t screen the recall questions but this one:
“What RBC inclusion can be seen on blood smear of a child who accidentally ingested moth balls?
Heinz bodies
Pappenheimers”
Doesn’t include the correct answer (Howell-Jolly bodies)
From the recalls: What RBC inclusion can be seen on blood smear of a child who accidentally ingested moth balls?
Heinz bodies
Pappenheimers
Doesn’t include the correct answer: HJ bodies
thanks a lot for the close reading lineupjunkie! I added that.
What is the correct answer? I found some sources say Heinz bodies… Please help! Thanks
Hi Sohail! I just passed my specialist in Micro certification (and yes, it’s still hard to believe!). There are no real study materials directed at the specialist certifications that I could find, but I read and re-read the information here as a basic overview. The passing strategies information was particularly useful to alleviate a bit of stress taking the exam… I finished in 90 minutes, because I always take exams (probably too) fast, but when the questions got markedly easier at the end I was encouraged. 🙂 Thank you for the work you put into this!
You did all the work and I was happy to help in a small way. Congratulations to you Specialist Beth!
I am taking the Microbiology Exam tomorrow. I love this website and have been sharing it with others! Any extra pointers you can give?
Hey all I just failed on my 2nd attempt feeling defeated. None of the recalls were on my MLS exam. Does any one have any advise on how to study for this? I didn’t actually go to school for this, no instructors pretty much teaching myself I got an 69 on my 1st attempt but feel like I did worse. I will try and post recalls when feeling a bit better. This site is very helpful thought!
Any help is appreciated
Anna
hey anna you remember any recalls? I also have different exam no recalls from here also i failed also..
My exam is scheduled tomorrow. Im so nervous.
you’ve got this!! Trust your process. Good luck!
good luck 🙂 mine is next month Im very nervous also we just have to study and pray
Hi Guys! I’m planning to take MLT licensure in a few months now, can anybody know what materials should i study for me to pass the exam? Thank you in advance 😊
i just take the ascp today to bad for me i didnt pass even 1 recall here doesnt came out. but still this site is really helpful in studying its just that there question is really situational and difficult. Is there possible that you are fail in preliminary then ur pass in the final report?
I am sorry to hear that. I believe that the result is not likely to change.
sir I got 343 well i think next time i can do it now. any advice for studying. I have BOC, Ciulla, Teriot, polansky. Thank you.
Hi everyone, I’m preparing to take the MLT exam and I was wondering whether most of the recalls are from the MLS exam or from the MLT exam?
The recalls I posted are from the MLS exam. I believe that most of the recalls are actually from the MLS exam.
hi guys i wanted to know how can i study for lab operations part of the exam what resources would be good its 10% of exam thanks
anyone have good notes on abo discrep kind of confused thanks
I passed the MLT this week! This site is awesome. I will definitely recommend people to check it out before they test.
what else do you recommend for studying for the mlt exam? I use labce and boc book. are these good?
LabCE is excellent. BOC book (in my opinion) meh…
does ASCP MLT and CLS exam kinda the same? can I just use Labce and wordsology? my exam is near 😦
congrats recalls plz
any recalls?
does MLT and CLS ASCP exam is kinda the same? thanks
I just pass MLS today!! This website is very helpful. Especially the recall from you guys!!
Hey tippo , what resources did you used? Any advice?
Thx
HI I passed my ASCP first try!!! Thank you soo much for the tips. A few questions that I remembered
What is increased with mumps ( Amylase, Lipase were options )
I had three urine pictures, one was tyrosine, cystine and x-ray leftover
Definition of a transduate
i had about 6 bloodbank panels
what does the hair test confirm ( I believe it was T. rubrum / T menta but I am not sure )
what is the cv is the 80-100 is within 2SDs (5.5% , 10% )
burr cells = uremia
stomatocytes= liver disease
spikey cells = slides not dry yet
what is blastoconidia
picture of blastomyces
difference between pseudo aer and pseudo putida
Which bacteria is LF , A/A and indole positive ( i put kleb oxytoca )
two questions about CRYO, storage temperature/ time and what needs to be cross matched
Mother is Apos baby is O neg , positive DAT what is the cause ( I put Kell antibodies made by mother , another option was baby made antibodies against mother)
R1R1 mother, R1r father, what genotypes are impossible
person donates blood on jan 1st 2016, glycerol solution is added on jan fifth and frozen , what is exp date ( jan 1st 2017, jan 5th 2017, jan 1st 2026, jan 5th 2026)
Know what happens to salt glucose and potassium when ADH is increased
Hepatitis markers
Syphilis markers for someone in the tertiary phase
GOOD LUCK, Do not panic, They gave me ear buds in case I needed them to concentrate, but I just used them as a mini stress ball anytime my nerves would flair up. I had about 25 recall questions!
Thanks for these recalls Nicole. 6 Blood bank panels! Congratulations on passing!
thanks
Hey guys so I’ve been doing the labce stimulated exam for mls, and I feel like I’m not making any progress my score would always be between 47-53
but my difficulty level increased 😦 I’m taking my exam this month and idk if I’ll pass…haha I guess just looking for moral support haha GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE!!
Keep at it. Are you learning from the questions you get wrong?
1.what is chloride shift?
2.what will increase in gamma globulin?alpha 1 antitrypsin?
3.what is the best specimen for cmv?
4.a picture of tear drop,correlates with a.vit b12 and folate b.acute inflammation
4.specimen for rotavirus?
5.tsh of 1.2 and t4 18 (high t4 and normal tsh)-secondary hyperthyroidism
6.metabolic acidosis know the normal values
7. Disease in target cell
8. At ph 8.6 beta globulin is faster than?
9.dark brown urine in alkaline,what cells will you see?waxy and granular?glitter cells and hyaline?
10.ketone 1+,bili +1,occult trace.which one is the most pathogenic?
11.nitroprusside test in urine for what?
12.increase in potassium affects what?liver lungs or heart?
13 ionized calcium left in room temp for an hour,it will affect result due to a.change in ph b.evaporation c.consumption of glucose?
14 electrical empedance measures what?
15.fibrinolytic assay-thrombin time
16.dic-prolonged pt,Ptt,ddimer,decrease in fibrinogen
17.anti-ss positive specked Ana at 1:340,is it sle sjogensen syndrome?
18.picture of urine amorphous.microscope used is it bright field,polarized or electron?
20.body fluid I think it was pleural exudate has white count of 500 and is turbid,is it because it’s purulent,chylous,lipemic?
21.virulence of strep pneumoniae?
22.graph of lag phase micro what are the igG and IgM?
23.increase results in empedance what is the cause?pinching the tubing reagent,compressor?
24.specimen for t.cruzi?
25.listeria-charcoal yeast
26.vibrio -tcbs seashells
27.picture of fussarium what agar to use?
28.Graph of window,recovery phase of hepatitis,interpret…
29.picture of rbc agglutination,what to do?prewarm sample at 37 degrees
30.menstrual period-decrease in ferritin
31.antacid poisoning,what will you test?ph,ammonia,k?
32.hgb c what test needed?is it hgb electrophoresis?
33.after eating fatty foods what will increase?chylomicrons,ldl hdl no choice of triglycerides
34.hospital is going to buy new equipment how do you know if it is working well?coefficient of variation,sd of difference,regenerating result?
35.gomori agar?
36.cryoptt must contain how many my of fibrinogen?
37.ffp storage
38.enterococcus-peptedoglycan
39.strep pneumoniae-lancet shape-sensitive to what? Bacitracin,Vanco,or penicillin
40.purpose of kbst stain
41.propionibacterium spp-bacterial contamination of the skin while drawing a clot
42.a black clot in a unit of bag means bacterial contamination
43.a picture of an rbc graph,is it normocytic,macrocytic,microcytic
44.treponemal test
45.cfu in immuno is what cell?lymphocyte t,b lymhpocye
46.picture of basophil but the choice was sensitivity to mast cells
48.selective cell
49.blood typing problems
50.antibody identification
51.picture of western blot hiv,how do you report it according to cdc
52.what is the best for hiv test?is it pcr?
Thank you Liv – this is really quite extensive and appreciated.
DOES ANYONE HAS ANSWER FOR THIS QUESTIONS
which questions??
.what is chloride shift?
2.what will increase in gamma globulin?alpha 1 antitrypsin?
Hello everyone,
i am new for this website. Thank you Sohail for this website…It’s really helpful. Does anyone know the answers of this questions.
0.ketone 1+,bili +1,occult trace.which one is the most pathogenic?
change in ph b.evaporation c.consumption of glucose?
.antacid poisoning,what will you test?ph,ammonia,k?
DOES ANYONE HAVE ANSWERS FOR THIS QUESTIONS PLEASE. I WILL APPRECIATE.
Hi Sohail
Thanks for the excellent website. You should put up a PP donation link so people can contribute so you can expand and and add more stuff. Today I took the ASCP for CLS and passed. I can say about 25-35 of the tests were from the recalls. I got about 40% blood bank, which is alot. One thing I wanted to suggest is that to rephrase the part where you said if people are doing poorly at the end the tests become tougher. This created a lot of stress because mine was tough to the end and still passed. I dont think if you already passed the computer throws easy questions at you.
So, how do I add stuff to the Exam Recall section? I didnt see a leave comment box there.
Thanks again. Dino
Thank you Dino,
That’s a good suggestion. You’re right about rephrasing – i’ll do that. Hmm, I will need to take a look at that Exam Recall section and see what’s wrong. In the meantime, i’ll email you. Thanks for your feedback.
Dino C: I took my MLS Oct 14,2016 for first time & passed. I agree with you on hard questions persisting toward the end. Anyway, I got a few easy questions toward the end, like the no-brainer: what is the analyte for GFR. My really “hard” questions in hematology, micro & BB were around questions 10 -50. Not a single leukemia, acid-base or which agar to choose. I was more than prepared for those 😦
Questions I remembered
1.only 1 bottle for blood culture was sent to the lab from a baby,what would you do next?
A.gram stain
B.subculture
C.recollect
D.plate in an agar
2.what is the purpose of lectins?
3.8 yr old in er had a alkaline dark brown urine,what do you expect to see in his urine?
A.glitter cells and hyaline cast
B.waxy cast and granular cast
C.red cells and red cells
D.white cells and white cells
4.what is decrease in females who have their menstrual period?
A.transferrin
B.alt
C.haptoglobin
D.ggt
5.what is chloride shift?
hey can what the answers for these question thanks
Hi I took my first MLS exam and failed. The questions were not like I was expecting. They were some easy ones but they were more like situational type questions. I will take again as soon as I can. I have the BOC, Harr, Success (which has to much info) and I just got the Polansky cards.
Does anyone know is there any good strategy to help me pass? I don’t want to overwhelm myself with all the materials I have.
I’m sorry to hear that. Do check out the strategy section on top. I found that answering large numbers of questions and figuring out why the choices are right or wrong worked best for me.
Hi,
I’ll be taking the MLS exam in about 3 weeks but i’m suddenly very nervous. Maybe because the test date isn’t far and/or perhaps because this is my last attempt at passing because every time prior to this I usually would take the exam anyway assuming I’ll be fine. But this time I want to be sure and prepare 100% rather than worrying about the family issues/responsibilities and/or anxiety and focus strictly on passing…. I haven’t done much of LabCe yet, but I have gone through Success once and some of Harr. I am now starting my ‘review’ but problem is i don’t remember a lot of the material – after going through success once. I have taken Subject Tests on LabCe and get around 50-60% for each subject, but haven’t taken any Adaptive or 100 Question Tests. I know I have to work on improving those scores but whats the best method at this point? I will continue to go through Harr but has anyone here gone through both, Success and Harr, Repeatedly?? I ask this because clearly I still have a lot of work to do but I get overwhelmed thinking about whether I should utilize my time memorizing notes/charts or stick to doing questions as many times as possible?? I’m using Bottom Line Approach this time around. But don’t feel like I actually Know the material. Please help! My anxiety has been kicking in and I end up flipping through without retaining much. TIA!
3 weeks. Plenty of time if you use it right. You MUST do adaptive tests now. Answer as many questions as you can. Look to the “Success” book as your reference as you get questions wrong or right. Go through the wrong answers and understand why they are wrong. Just do this every day. Try to do 100 questions per day – even if you get 80 wrong! Meanwhile, in the mornings and evenings just memorize writing out the micro charts. You can do it – just work real hard now!!
I passed the ASCP MLS exam today . Thank you very much for the information that you provided here.I did what you suggested and everything comes easily
great to hear!
I will be taking the ascpi exam this december. I am really worried and scared.. I just started reading my review materials from the review center I am attending right now. I also bought polansky cards and the robert harr book. Then, We just finished clinical chemistry recap but im a bit worried that it looks like i only know a few things in cc. Huhuhu how should i study for chemistry? Im reallyy really worried. Will be posting some recalls once i’m done with my exam. Hoping to pass this for the first time
Hey…me too I was in the same boat like 4 Months ago ..but I took my ascpi yesterday and I passed with the first attempt….I was a wreck but I had to do a lot of reading new staff …but with Harr …plus ciulla it gets easy…U can reach me via kristenjesh@gmail.com
Passed my ASCP MLS yesterday (first attempt)!! I’ve been an AMT registered tech since 1988. ASCP was a personal goal for me but I had LOTS to re-learn. It had been a while, to say the least. This site spells everything out and reviewing the questions that others posted was my MOST valuable resource. I used stacks of yellow legal pads, pencils, and markers. I think I was able to find everything needed to pass using the high yield notes. Thank you for simplifying information for one who had to learn soooo much all over again…and PRAYERS, Lots of PRAYERS!!!
Congratulations! A well deserved win! Thanks for the nice feedback also.
I told myself that after my MLS exam (pass or fail), i would thank the person who created this website. So to Sohail Ahmed, thank you very much! This website made my self-review lighter to take and so much better! I passed my ASCPi exam just a couple of hours ago, I’m still at lost for words honestly. My exam was not much on the objective-type (not much pictures either) but really more on situational.
What i did first as soon as i sat down, did not even touch the mouse yet lol, was to write (on the given erasable plastic pad) the following: Sohail’s microbiology charts on G+bacilli, G+cocci, and Enterobacteriaceae, plus all the reference values on Hema and Chem (include blood gases and thyroid panel), urobilinogen, bilirubin, B1 and B2 levels and how it affects Pre-hep,Hepatic,Post-hep stages. and as many formulas that i can remember. Majority of my questions revolved on the things i wrote down so i’m definitely blessed. So definitely take advantage of the erasable pad and write everything that you can remember.
Lastly, i had 10-15 questions coming from this website’s Exam Recalls so it really helped me a lot. Please read that entire area, highlight the answers, and search the answers yourself for the ones without. And its easier to review with all the High Yield Notes so take advantage of that. Again, thanks so much Sohail and more power!
Thank you for the much-too-kind words. I really do appreciate it. Your review is spot-on, excellent advice for future test takers. This is a great plan to keep in mind for everyone taking the exam. Thanks again!
I always believed in giving credit where it’s due. Thanks so much again!
Hi,
I’ll be taking the MLS exam in about 3 weeks but i’m suddenly very nervous. Maybe because the test date isn’t far and/or perhaps because this is my last attempt at passing because every time prior to this I usually would take the exam anyway assuming I’ll be fine. But this time I want to be sure and prepare 100% rather than worrying about the family issues/responsibilities and/or anxiety and focus strictly on passing…. I haven’t done much of LabCe yet, but I have gone through Success once and some of Harr. I am now starting my ‘review’ but problem is i don’t remember a lot of the material – after going through success once. I have taken Subject Tests on LabCe and get around 50-60% for each subject, but haven’t taken any Adaptive or 100 Question Tests. I know I have to work on improving those scores but whats the best method at this point? I will continue to go through Harr but has anyone here gone through both, Success and Harr, Repeatedly?? I ask this because clearly I still have a lot of work to do but I get overwhelmed thinking about whether I should utilize my time memorizing notes/charts or stick to doing questions as many times as possible?? Please help! My anxiety has been kicking in and I end up flipping through without retaining much. TIA!
Hello Summer! On my part, i did a lot of the “selected areas” in labce but only took computer adaptive tests a week before my exam so i can get an idea of what the actual exam may be. What i can suggest, based on what i did myself is write down as many terms, values, formulas and charts that you can in separate papers (according to subjects) from what you’ve learned in Success, Harr, and Labce tests, and this website but keep the sources around just in case. This way you’ll have these papers to concentrate on more and not get overwhelmed. I dont really memorize questions and its answers (unless it came from the Exam Recalls in this website because they really do recall it in the actual exam so its bonus points honestly) rather understand the entirety of the question because Ascp can tweak questions anyway they want so its more advantageous to understand rather than just memorize. Dont think about your previous exams because its all in the past, concentrate in the now and on passing your upcoming exam. Do all that you can so there won’t be any regrets/What if’s. Its normal to be nervous but always believe in Yourself! Deep breaths, positive thoughts.. Good Luck!
Does anybody know a review class for MLT in Los Angeles? Thanks!
If I’m getting 85’s on the 100 question MLS LABCE test is that good enough to pass the ASCP? I’ve taken the 100 question test three times and got an 82, 85,and 87. But truthfully I find these questions VERY easy. Most of them are level 1-3 difficulty, and Im just wondering what would you say the difficulty is on the real exam? I’m scheduled to take the ASCP in three days so I’m just wondering. For the adaptive, my scores are usually 53-55 with a difficulty of 5.7. I’ve studied Patsy Jarreau’s book, the charts on this site (thank you SO much for the micro!), and school notes. Will I be okay? I looked at the exam recalls and alot of it I understand but some questions seem to be coming out of nowhere. (The metabolite for cocaine? That definitely was nowhere in the Jarreau book…Iatrogenic anemia? Wasn’t in the book either o_O.) Any last minute advice would be super appreciated. I’ll be back to let everyone know how it goes!
The adaptive setting is more difficult and i’d do those if I were you. But now that i’m rereading this, you’ve already completed the exam!
hi.im new here.just like to say “thank you so much” to the one who made this website and to those who shared their recalls.
its a big help!!!Luckily I pass
good luck “motherof3”!
Hey, took the ASCP MLS exam today and passed. Thanks so much Sohail, your micro notes are everything!
Excellent news Wilhem! Congratulations to you pal!
Passed the ASCP on first try! I want to thank Sohail for creating this website and other people for their recalls. I got maybe 5-10 questions from the recalls. I think my test was very hard… Thought I wasn’t going to pass… It was a mix of everything and there were some surprises that I had absolutely no clue… No questions on metabolic/ respiratory syndromes, no parasitology, no UA cast pic, 1 blood bank panel, 1 calculation, 1 ANA. The questions were pretty random and some came out of no where (unlike some people who had mostly BB or micro) and didn’t cover the topics that I studied the most/ most confident in. Where did the antibody ID, blood components, and Hematology questions go?!
The study materials I used were Harr, Bottom Line Approach, BOC, Labce, Polansky cards, high yield notes from here and my class notes. In my opinion, Labce is helpful only to a certain extent. You can get an idea of how well you understand the concepts but the questions do repeat and some were too difficult and irrelevant for the board exam. BOC book is okay because the questions are worded similar to the actual test. Study the recall questions!
What I remember:
1. Differentiate btw Enterobacter- Lysine and Arginine
2. Burr cell- uremia
3. Pre-hepatic/ hepatic/ obstruction and bilirubin levels
4. UA results and correlate to disease
5. Couple questions that provide coag results and ask what is wrong. Controls? Instrument?
6. Lupus anticoagulant
7. Rotavirus specimen- stool
8. Differentiate btw EBV and CMV infection
9. serum Na: SIDAH
10. Staph. aureus ferments mannitol
11. Some ABO discrepancy
12. 1 ANA
13. EPO in what? PV? Aplastic anemia?
14. Heinz body stain
15. Pic of polyagglutionation and asked what is the cause? The same pic actually came up 2x LOL
16. Pseudomonas aeroginosa vs putida
17. Catalase pos bacilli in blood culture. Non beta hemolytic, non motile, Penicillin resistant
18. TSI and some biochemical results and what is the organism?
19. Pasturella- cat bite
20. Blastoconidia
21. Legionella test
22. GN anaerobe in blood culture
23. Calculate transferrin saturation
24. Hepatitis marker
25. HTLV confirmation test
26. Which blood group antigen is not stable in storage?
27. What is in the saliva of a Le(a+b-) individual?
28. PCR erroneous results?
29. What causes postprandial lipemia?
30. Treponemal test
31. High Hct in coag sample. What should you do?
32. What does CO2 electrode measure?
33. BGA pH controls
34. serum Na while other electrolytes are normal. What should you do next?
35. Pic of stomatocytes
36. Enterococcus vs Group D strep
37. Aeromonas is oxidase pos
38. 1 panel but it asked about the characteristics of the antibody and not just antibody ID
39. Cushing- hyperglycemia
40. 1 mycology
41. Mycoplasma has no cell wall so penicillin is not effective
42. Monitor PA and NAPA
43. What affects HgbA1c?
44. What can cause a in ESR?
45. False positive in UA reagent strips
Wow congratulations!!! Glad you passed. Must feel relieved. I’ll be taking it in 2 weeks 😮 .. I’m using bottom line, Harr and success. Can you elaborate on how you studied the material? I initially went through bottom line once, but that was over a month ago. Then did Success questions and some of Harr. But im still weak in most subjects. Mainly Micro and Chem, along with UA and Immuno. What do you recommend I do at this point? I sometimes think I should re-do bottom line approach and just focus on Labce. Any advice will be appreciated. TIA!
Thank you Jan! Excellent review!
Hi Sohail! Desperately need some advice.
Super nervous, as I keep changing my study method… I’m using bottom line, Harr and success. I initially went through bottom line once, but that was over a month ago. Then did Success questions and some of Harr. But im still weak in most subjects. Mainly Micro and Chem, along with UA and Immuno. What do you recommend I do at this point? I sometimes think I should re-do bottom line approach and just focus on Labce. And then at times I worry and change it up. Any advice will be appreciated. TIA!
I would stick to doing questions in LabCE and Harr. Just do 50 questions every day. Do it without studying. Then go over the answers in the SUCCESS book or the micro charts.
Thanks! I took an adaptive this morning and got a 48%. My weaknesses were around a 35% (microbiology, mycology, parasitology, virology, UA, and Immuno) I don’t understand how I can be doing this bad. I’ll try sticking with Harr and Labce this week and do similar questions in Success and then look at the charts. Hopefully this method improves my scores significantly. Extremely stressed but have to stay calm otherwise I’ll just do worse.
hi summer, did you passed the exam already? I’m having the same problem. my exam will be one month from now and I am still getting 50% on labCE. 😦 I’m so nervous please reply.
I am very nervous about the ASCP. I have been studying. I am have been praying about passing the ascp.
I need help coag is my downfall I’m fine with all other heme I need help idk where to start
Check the coagulation notes. If you can memorize that ridiculous number chart i’ve posted, you’ll do great. Check under “High Yield Notes –> Coagulation”. Coagulation questions are almost aways concerned with “you’re missing this or that factor – what happens? or how do you fix it?”
Hey there, just passed today came back to say thanks. This site helped. Read all the feedbacks. Also the high yield notes hear. Thanks again!
Hi, I will be taking my MLS exam this december does anyone know how the point system works? I’m really nervous. And I’m really bad in lab math. does anyone recall any computations included? Thank you
It is my impression that the first few questions will be basic and worth a few points apiece, that the computer algorithm will begin to select subsequent questions based on how well you do. For example, if you get questions #1-4 correct, miss #5, then #6 will be similar to 4 or 5, giving you a chance to answer correctly. Then test will get progressively bit harder with higher points awarded. The hardest questions will be mostly microbio, blood bank, hematology, questions will alternate among these, bounce around a bit. Supposedly, questions# 80-100 will be easy, though in my exam last week, that was not necessarily the case. Though I was tired by #90 and maybe they weren’t that hard but that I was just tired. The only calculations I had were for specificity & sensitivity in two different questions. The test provided the equation for sensitivity but not for specificity. But others who’ve posted here have said there were other kinds of calculations. Best bet is to know how to do them in case the question doesn’t provide the calculation for you. I would also find a website or book and go over ANA and their patterns, I had 2 of these with pictures. We never studied ANA patterns in my college, and I didn’t get either of them correct. You will need to bring your own calculator, it has to be non programmable and very basic. Good luck, follow all the suggestions on this whole website and you will probably do fine
Hi, I love your site and taking the ascp soon.. however your ABO discrepancy page is missing…I can’t wait till I see it. Also if anyone would like to study together online that would be awesome…..We could throw questions at each other or talk things out…
Hey there Mendi! Thank you! I’m not certain what you mean by (missing?). The link seems to work fine. Let me know if you’re still having difficulties and what the error is. Thanks! And that online group study idea sounds like a real good idea!
When you click on the link it says error 404 page not found….I wonder if it is because I am in Microsoft edge maybe..I don’t know
Hi Mendi. An online study group sounds perfect. Any idea on how to implement this idea? Thanks!
Summer we can use skype, facebook messenger video call, or even a group or whatever. There is google hangouts. I take my test on December 12 and scared to death I will fail again. I have LabCe, Harr book, BOC book, and the Polansky cards should be here next week!!! I am usually better once we start talking things out. I feel like I am a memorizer and not a studier if that makes any sense. Let me know my email is mchaka9247@gmail.com
Trust me Mendi, that totally makes sense!! Shooting you an email in a few 😀
I think that’s a great idea and i’m glad to see folks making moves and getting things done!
that would be a good idea Mendi
Well you can email me Cherice if you are needing to study….I’m usually home during the day. We can do it in a variety of ways. My email is mchaka9247@gmail.com
Thanks so much for your helpful site, Sohail! I used only my class notes, and your website to pass my MLT test 2 years ago, and did the same thing again last week for my MLS (though I threw in LabCE practice tests for MLS). For anyone else who is attempting ASCP certification via route 2 (this is for MLT’s who have a bachelor’s in something that’s not science), I can tell you that the test is pretty much the same for MLT and MLS. I thought the questions for MLS were only slightly more difficult, but since I’ve been working as a generalist for 2 years already that helped me a lot to narrow down answers to one or two choices. There were only 5 or 6 questions where I could not narrow down choices and had to blindly pick an answer at random. For both exams, Sohail’s micro notes are all you need to answer damn near every micro question, so memorize those (just draw them over and over) and don’t worry about mycology, you’ll only get a couple mycology questions at the most and its not worth your studying time. For my MLS I somehow didn’t get a single question from the long lost of topics that everyone says you “will definitely get a question about this”. No blood gas, no thalassemias, no liver enzymes, no calculations, no lipids, no diabetes, no hemoglobinopathies. My MLS was literally half blood bank, with a ton of coagulation and urinalysis with only a small bit of chemistry thrown in – going by what other people have said, this is NOT normal and chemistry is usually the largest part of the test. My MLT test, on the other hand, was much more well rounded with equal amounts of questions for each topic.
SInce LabCE comes up a lot, I averaged 53% on the adaptive tests, and 65% on the review mode tests, and about 70-75% on the one subject tests. However, I thought the actual test was much more difficult than the LabCE tests and covered very little of the same material, though that could be because I had a kind of wonky test. Most people seem to say that the actual test is easier than LabCE.
One last note: I left the testing center thinking that my 2 year old notes were a bit outdated already. Remember that lab science is constantly expanding and evolving like other sciences, so if you took your MLT even a few years ago you might want to invest in the newest edition of Hurr or Polansky cards or whatever it is you’re using to study for your MLS and throw out the old ones.
That’s an excellent review, Emily! Thank you so much and bless you for the really positive words and excellent feedback. This will surely help others and makes my day a good one!
Thank you for this comment. I have my exam in 10 days and i was freaking out yestarday but this helped me out
Hello Sohail, can you please make an easy explanation on Hemoglobin electrophoresis, please. Thank you so much
hi, my MLS exam is on first week of december and I’m still getting around 51% on computer adaptive exam of labCE, 73% on game mode and around 70% on selective subjects. I’m planning to start my HARR book this whole month of november. this whole month of october I’ve been focusing on my elsevier both book and online exams and also using bottomline. do you think I have a chance passing the exam. I’m really worried 😦
chance?? I’d say you have a great chance of passing! Just keep up the pressure and do the questions in the Harr book. Make certain to go over any facts or topics that you don’t understand. You’ll do fine if you keep studying correctly.
I may agree too, that it sounds like you have chance of passing. The MLS questions will not be as complicated as those in the Harr book. I did the Harr book too and had myself worked up over their lengthy explanations why choices are not correct and the one choice was. On the MLS exam, your choices are going to be less complicated, but you will need to know how to rule out choices. Two or three choices will be worded so that they seem like different things but actually are the same thing. The fourth choice is going to be your answer if it is actually different. Or, you will get, out of 4 choices, 2 that are pretty close and you will have to think how to rule one out of 2. Example I got was a description of bone marrow test saying that WBC & PLT counts normal, RBC very low, what is likely. I decided between aplastic anemia and pure red cell aplasia – I chose PRCA because in AA, all lineages are very low. Red cell aplasia itself tells you the answer. It aka Diamond Blackfan anemia. As I said already in another post, many of my choices were definitions instead of name of conditions, and I had lot of questions using babies and very young children as case study patients. Just be well rested, be reasonably confident, USE that whiteboard, write down the Ro R1 / Dce DCe, etc so you don’t have to keep trying to re-remember every time. I got true positive/false neg question with equation kindly provided, wrote it down just in case, got another similar question without the equation provided. I would have lost my mind if I had tried to recall the earlier equation. Use good mnemonics that help you. Make your own pictures/diagrams of acid base or liver problems & fix in your mind. Sohail’s strategies work because they are the high yield – high point questions, if you can go over the micro flow charts and get pretty good idea of what biochem goes with which bug, that will help a lot. Good luck, go over ALL of the recalls and strategies posted on this website. And forgive yourself: you will not get all 100 questions right, you just have to get over 400 points to pass and not change them all if going back over review at the end!
Hi, I took MLS last Friday aft and passed. I went into test center scared half to death because of “all the situational questions” but frankly, they were all one line questions giving the most minimal information. I am an over thinker, very well versed in what MTs actually do in their labs, what text books say to do, and also in all sorts of far-out alternative theories, so these minimal-info questions drove me crazy. Also, my test gave me definitions as choices in place of the actual organism or condition. Some questions were just so easy that I wondered if there was a hidden meaning. Example of definition: antibody R/O panel showing all reactivity in IS phase nothing at 37/AHG, so choices included cells destroyed by enzymes, sialo (or something like that) antigens, and glycoproteins adsorbed onto RBC. As the panel reviewed perfect reactivity in Lewis and mixed reactivity with M & N, I chose the glycoproteins adsorbed as that is definition of Lewis. Another was exact definition of FV Leiden. But I was getting hard questions toward the end, like figuring out the most likely antibody for a certain Rh phenotype – by then I was just tired, not that I couldn’t figure it out. I had to remember the Rh antigen frequency (D, c E, C e most frequent to least) . Also my test had a good third of questions all from these recalls, I had read the recalls back in August but forgot about them, but they must have sunk in, after all. So my bit of advice, yes yes, do go over the high yield notes on this site’s strategies, do know as much as you can about the highest yielding stuff, be well rested! Write down reminders on your white-board to clear your mind. I got a TP/FN question, wrote down the equation provided just in case and got a similar question later with no equation provided! I had the same slide 2x of cold agglutinin, asking what might this reflect (Mycoplasma) and then again, what condition might lead to this cold agglutinin (PCH as Mycoplasma was not a choice this time). I had at least 6 questions using babies as patients so I had to really know what might affect babies differently from adults, their normal clinical ranges. I’d say, because of all these recalls, the high yield notes, my own note taking, my test was not actually hard, and there were only 5 questions where I had never heard of condition/situation and had to guess. My own problem is I’m used to a ton of information in case studies, and it was hard for me to just look at the question as is.
Just want to thank Sohail for setting up this strategy/sharing website. I am sure my passing was largely due to what he and others have shared about their exam experiences and the high yield notes. But you still have to know your stuff!
Thank you very much and thank you kindly for the detailed review you’ve submitted. This will have a positive influence on a lot of people!
Sue S,
Thank you for this absolutely epic review. If I am a student reading this, i’ll make sure to address each and every one of these subtopics and questions and then take a gander at the “Recalls” section. This is an excellent review and I can’t thank you enough for contributing. Congratulations on your pass!
I had a quick general question so I took the MLS exam 2 years ago and failed. I finally mustered up the courage to retake it so I paid the $240 last Sunday through the ASCP website. My question is do I need to send my transcripts in again to the ASCP, I haven’t received any communication from ASCP yet about rescheduling but I was wondering what the process was and how long it takes. Thanks in advance for any help that I can get!
Mine was over a year ago and they didn’t need my transcripts again. I would just call the number.
OK thank you!
Can I ask you how you feel about the material now? I took mine over a year ago and scheduled it for December. However sometimes I feel lost. I was wondering if you felt the same? Im looking for anyone that wants to maybe study or talk things through online. I am only doing my MLT so I am not to sure how different they are. But Im using Harr, pulansky and labce. Also I have my BOC book as well.
ASCP should be sending you email about 2 1/2 weeks after your application + fee to them. Be on lookout for their email. In my MLT exam their email went to a promotions mailbox, I was new to that email account and didn’t find their email for a while. Then you’ll have 3 months in which to schedule your exam
Ok thanks so much, I will give them another week and will be on the lookout, thanks for your help!!
It’s really best to call them. I’d say you probably need to send transcripts again, but it’s worth a quick call to make sure you’re not sending a lot of extra paperwork for no reason.
I will take my MLS exam at December ang I’m still getting scores on labCE computer adaptive testing for aroung 49-52% its always like that. I’m so nervous to take exam I’m not sure if I will pass it. I have some other reference Elsevier both book and the online exams, BottomLine and harr. I’m planning to start my harr book this whole month of november together with my labCE. can someone please give me an advice 😦
Hi! I was wondering when did you take the ASCPi exam?
Hi, My exam is on first week of december I’m very nervous. I’m still getting 58% at difficulty level 6.1 @labCE. Do you think I can pass the exam?
just a question where can I determine my percentage in labCE’s computer adaptive exam? is it the total correct answer at the top of score board or the one that says “Your average score for ASCP Board of Certification MLS Computer Adaptive Testing exam” then the percentage? I’m really nervous to take the exam I have 1 month to prepare. my score in computer adaptive exam is always around 50-52 out of 100. 😦 is it bad??? please somebody answer me. my anxiety is really kicking is right now 😦
Hi Sohail, do you think that the MLS & MLT Comprehensive CE Package (97 CE courses) on labce would be helpful for an mlt?
I feel as if all knowledge is helpful in the ultimate battle we all wage against dementia. If you need 97 CE courses, then by all means, purchase them. If you are doing so in order to help you study for the exam, I’d say there are more efficient ways to study – like doing labce questions.
I purchased the 97-question package couple months before my exam but didn’t get around to doing the tutorials til couple of weeks ago. Am in that limbo awaiting NYS MLS license, doing stuff around house, cleaning, so opened up the tutorials. I have to say that I am impressed with the quality and level of detail in those tutorials, even though none of them are all that long time wise. I was a very good MT student in school but stil am impressed by the tutorials. If anyone is planning to take ASCP cert exams and have time on their hands, but worry about quality of their own notes, tutorials are not a bad supplement. But I agree with you on the battle against dementia !! 🙂
Interesting perspective. I’ll defer to you because I respect your measured response and you clearly have more knowledge with regard to this 97-question package. For me – back to the battle against dementia! I’m reading “The Jungle” and currently in a state of horror…
Hi may i ask how can i reapply for ascp? And will i really send an application form after the 3 month eligibility?
here. login with facebook if you’d lke.
http://www.ascp.org/services/selectCertification.aspx