I recently took the ASCP exam in order to acquire a state license in laboratory science. I’ve written this for folks seeking advice on a passing strategy. If you’re experiencing difficulty understanding the material or are anxious about what the exam entails, i’d like to help.
Who this is for:
Different strategies work for different folks. Some can pass an exam in two weeks, while others may require more than one attempt. I wished to make this strategy comprehensive so I have written this for folks taking the exam with only a rudimentary understanding of laboratory science. You know what an antibody is, but the fella who kept interrupting the professor made it impossible for you to learn anything else. Maybe your Professor exhausted his/her own own knowledge by this point. Perhaps you crammed for every exam in school, learning nothing substantive in the process. You may even be taking the exam after being out of school for several years. Whatever your situation, I’d like you to understand that you will pass this exam, by following a few simple steps.
About the exam:
You need to score 400 points out of 1000 in order to pass. That’s all you need – 400. Easy questions are worth 10 points; moderately difficult ones are worth more; difficult ones can be worth up to 25 points. All you need is 400. How do you know if you’re ready to score 400 on the real exam? Referring to labce.com, if you can score 75% + on subject tests; 65% + on 100 question review mode; or 55% + on computer adaptive testing mode, then you have a good shot at passing the ASCP exam. I’ve heard mentioned that if you’re still getting very difficult questions around #80, the computer is essentially throwing high value questions at you, hoping you can guess correctly and bring your score up to 400. If you’re getting very easy questions repeatedly, then you’ve already passed and the computer just wants you to go away.
Survival Kit (for those who aren’t sure what to get):
This is the survival gear you need. It is essential and comprehensive. I wouldn’t take this exam without the following: Polansky review cards (THE best resource) LabCE.com subscription – absolutely essential for questions and learning Success in Clinical Laboratory Science (Ciulla) – to be used as your reference textbook Clinical Lab Science Review (Harr) – for questions and learning
How much time do I need to study?
Very subjective. Depending on how hard you work on this, you will need more or less time to prepare. Two to three months is more than adequate if you have an extremely poor understanding of lab science.
Okay fine but what do I DO?!
Take a Labce practice test in 100 question test mode. Don’t look at any resources. Just finish it to see what score you would get. Randomly guess on everything if you need to. It’s Kewl – a blue legged squirrel would score 25% by random guessing so you’ll score around 25-35% if you learned the bare minimum in school. You may be worried about a horrendous score. Don’t be – trust me on this.
Separate your Polansky review cards by subject. Chemistry, Blood Bank, Hematology, Bacteriology and Urinalysis requires 95% of your attention because these subjects comprise 95% of your exam.
Open up the Harr Review book. Examine its organization. Each subject is subdivided further into subtopics (for example, Microbiology is divided into gram positive cocci; gram positive bacilli; anaerobes, enterobacteriaceae, etc). Your cards are organized in a similar manner. Notice that each ~50 question subtest in the review book corresponds to only a handful of review cards.
Each Harr question comes with an excellent explanation. If you don’t know a subject AT ALL, go through the entire individual set of questions for that subtopic – read each explanation – look up the pertinent facts in the few review cards you’re holding in your hands and mark it up. If it’s not there, then tell that fact to @!#*$ off because it’s not important. Do this for every question in that subtopic. By the end of that set of questions, you’ll have learned the entire subtopic and noted what you need to remember on your cards.
Do the above for every subtopic you have difficulties with. It took me 1-2 days per subtopic. Keep in mind that while there are many subtopics, only a few are important for the exam.
After you finish each subtopic (say you finish the enterobacteriacea questions in Harr), do a 50 question subject test in labce, corresponding to the subtopic you just completed (eg. do Bacteriology in labce if you finished enterobacteriacea in Harr: do Hematology in labce if you finished wbc disorders in Harr). Getting a poor score is okay. Most people score around 50%. But every question you get wrong is a new fact you’ve learned and underlined in your cards.
I attempted to do as many of the Labce questions as I could. A classmate did 100 every day – that’s phenomenal. Someone else did 300 every day – that’s wild. I did a thousand in total. Do as many as you can, and learn from every wrong answer. Highlight the facts you learn in your Polansky cards.
By the end of your study period, you’ll notice that only a certain percentage of your Polansky review cards are highlighted with facts you didn’t know. The more you know when you start studying, the less marked up your cards will be. Either way, it’s these highlighted facts that you need to review, ideally every few days.
Additional notes:
Don’t buy the BOC book. The explanations are not helpful. What’s the point of buying an inferior book with thousands of questions when you won’t even get to all the questions in the good review sources listed above (Labce and the book of questions from Harr)? The same goes for textbooks. You don’t need them for this exam.
In my opinion, class notes are utterly useless unless they’re diagrams or tables. Proper understanding requires that you create your own visual aids in between answering questions. Don’t waste time staring at monotonous text or reading the gibberish we tend to jot down in class. Those notes have a place and it rhymes with recycling bin.
Each day, try to recall all of the important information you learned that day. Some will also do this as part of a weekly group meet. I can’t stress enough how important it is to recall the information you’ve learned. If you understand something well and wait 2 weeks to think about it again, you’re liable to forget what you understood so well just a short while ago. Attempt to recall as you’re about to fall asleep every night and it will be fresh in your mind in the morning (an added bonus is that it may knock you out like a light). Therefore, review early in the morning, as well.
Picture the branches of bacteriological charts or certain key antigens in blood bank. If you can’t recall something, look it up immediately! Learning is all about layering knowledge. When you take the time to do several layers (learning, doing questions, drawing charts) your recall will be solid.
Use my high yield charts or make your own. But please know the relevant information!
Is there abig difference between the 3rd and 4th edition of bottom line approach? I have harr also but there is too much expaination. I want something brief and concise.. I have been reading refence books also to get a better knowledge of everything..i want to memorize and get familirize with most important things now. I want to buy a book but i am in between polansky card and bottom line 4th ed.. The boc book answers are mostly in the bottomline 3rd ed. Which one do you suggest?
If you are well familiar with the material and need the briefest of guides, I would say Polansky will cover you. Harr doesn’t really give too much explanation so much as it gives the perfect amount of explanations. It depends on where you are in your understanding of the material. I wouldn’t be too worried about 3rd vs 4th editions. Most of the material will be the same.
I took the exam yesterday and I PASSED. So excited….I only used LabCe and the microbiology notes on this website (microbiology section on LabCe is not really useful). I looked at how many questions I did on LabCe in total before taking my exam and it said 25,000 (that is right, 25,000, not a mistake) in 3 months (the amount of time I spent studying for the exam). I started doing every subject first and than I moved on to the MT practice exam and the CAT mode. I would start every section in LabCe with 10 questions and than build up to 100 question exams for each section. Each day I was taking about 300 question on LabCe ( I had days where I was taking 700 questions a day). My average scores were: hematology 85%, chemistry 90%, blood bank 90%, immunology 95%, and urinalysis 95%. I was getting an average of 85% on the MT practice exam, and a average of 65% on the CAT mode on LabCe. Now, I don’t want you to think that I am some crazy overachiever in doing 25,000 questions in 3 months, because I am not. I took this exam twice before and both of the times I failed. Finally, I asked myself if this is something that I really wanted and the answer was YES, so I got serious with this, I got LabCe and I studied my butt of. If you study really hard, YOU can pass this exam, don’t worry about if you failed the exam before. And if you say, well I work and don’t have time to study that much, well, I worked a full time job and I made sure that I found time to study for this exam. It was not EASY at all, I had days where I had to push myself to study or my girlfriend pushed me to study. I don’t remember any specific questions from the exam, but if you use LabCe and this website you WILL pass this exam. Good luck to everyone taking the exam and Wordsology, thank you for creating this website!!!!
Wow…this post speaks for itself. Determination and will and hard work. Congratulations and thank you for the tremendous feedback which will definitely be helping many people who may be struggling now but have the ability to achieve.
Thank you so much for your insight. I’m so embarrassed to say this but I have taken the MLS exam 4 times and failed 4 times!!! I know that I can take it one more time before I have to go a different route but I REFUSE to do that. Each time I took it my score was around 375 and I need that extra push to get me over the edge. I recently asked myself the same question…do I really want this? and the answer is YES. I’m going to take your advise and do more questions on LabCe than I had in the past. I also have the review cards and the Harr book. I’m scared to death to take it again but I have to do this.
I was embarrassed too and I think everyone that takes the exam and fails feels embarrassed, so you are not alone. On one of my exams my score was also 375 and I was really upset because I was only 3-5 questions from passing the exam. After I failed my exam each time, I reflected and I was angry with my self for not studying more. After my second time, I said enough and I studied my butt of and I did not rush, I took my time. I think the best advice for you is to forget all the previous times, you took the exam 4 times you failed the exam 4 times, you can’t change that, when you go to take the exam again forget about the previous attempts and focus on the exam in front of you. I wish you the BEST and good luck, DON’T GIVE UP.
I did not use LabCe the first two times I took the exam, I used my school books and notes, which where not helpful because there is so much information and you don’t really know what you are going to be asked…Use LabCe and do as many questions as you can and also use the Note section on this website…between LabCe, the Note section on this website and what ever information you can remember from school/your internship you should be able to get a score above 400…good luck!!!
Hi. Did you subscribe to labce with just the basic exam stimulator package? Or did you buy the one including 8 hours of review courses and mobile access so you could use a tablet or phone? If you get the basic package, can you only study on a computer?
I believe that the basic subcription is geared towards computer use. You might be able to access it on a tablet or phone but it’s probably just not ideal for those platforms.
How long should I study before I take the exam? I’m using Polansky cards and labce.com and i also do the content on the success book but not the questions. do u think those are enough for me to pass?
Hi,
thank you for this website, I just want to ask what is the good site for questions for microbiology as I intend to take the ABMM exam american board of medical microbiology and i found many guys say that labce is not good at microbiology.
thanks
A really good book that I mainly used for studying is the LSU Clinical Laboratory Science Review: Bottom Line Approach. It uses pneumonics and catchy phrases to help you memorize things! It really helped me pass! Good luck everyone!
Hello, thank you for your help. Took my mls exam and passed. Yay!!!! I studied review book by Robert Harr and lab ce. I learn malaria and coag sapretaly. also purchased question from ascp. There were 350 questions for $35. And studied for like four hours a day for like ten weeks. I know that’s crazy but I never thot i can pass this test. I used all your notes. Thank you for that. Exam was very hard. I think I passed because of the Robert harr book. I can’t believe I passed. Big shout out to wordsology.
Most of the questions on MLS (ASCP) exam are presented to you in such a way that you have to figure out the answer from a situation regarding a patient’s test result or condition.
Depending on your answer to a particular question you might be presented with a more difficult question like the ones in Harr review book…..Good luck to you !!!!
HI SARA, DID YOU TAKE YOUR TEST ALREADY? YES, THE REAL EXAM WAS HARDER. BUT WORDSOLOGY’S HIGHYIELD NOTES ,ROBERT HARR BOOK AND SOME GUESSES, ANY ONE CAN PASS THIS TEST.
Hello, I take my ascp exam in two weeks and am wondering if I am ready. I am able to do the Harr book with ease and on Labce, i score above 80 on subject test, above 80 on the MT practice exam and above 60 on the CAT. I use your microbiology notes and used the Cards for review. Just wondering if this enough to pass. The only part i struggle with is the problem solving for chemistry in harr. thank you
hii wordsology
I am taking ASCP exam in two weeks ..so nervous 😦 .. i’ve been using all the books you preferred plus labce and am scoring 79- 83 on labce full exam mode.. cant wait to get this done hoping to pass this exam on my first try
After hearing these positive interactions among aspiring clinical scientists from all over the world, I have to take a moment away from the rationales in 3x5s and discoid blobs of reds and purples.. to THANK YOU..- for leading, guiding and strengthening the very core of everyone here in this room you built alone. Your words of love and understanding, of hope and positivism, served in a plate sprinkled with reverberations of “hurrahs and congratulations, and once in a while, small conjectures “sideroblastically” comforting the young and the restless …holding their hands, looking straight into their eyes…saying..”YOU will be fine!”.
Reminds me, this world needs more of your kind. The kind, we only see in movies of cabbages and Kings. The truth is, you are the KNIGHT, the LIGHT..the MAP.. the Manufacturer’s manual. We get crazy looking for answers, they are all here, in the tools you told us where to look.. we draw diagrams and label them, then imagine them before we sleep. You EMPOWER us to go back to the basics, to retreat deeper into our selves and be sensitized from the crippling fear of the unknown. To wield our sword and defeat the dark thoughts of failure.
You got FAITH back into our hearts, our souls with Hope and dreams. You are the Tom Anderson, aka “Neo” of this generation.
Be blessed.
I really appreciate what you’re saying but that’s just too nice. The people on this site who provide feedback are the ones who make this place run. I thank you very much for the kind words though.
You’re welcome.
Am scheduled to press that SEND button on ASCP website before the year ends. I am neck deep with all these ideas, I read from your followers, from you, Mr Harr, and Ms. Polansky. Been gone from school for 21 years now but decided and embarked on a new and intense scientific-medical formal educational training, for 2 years and graduated this March 2014, BS MT at 52. – here in the Philippines. A feat that I will do again if I need to. Any thoughts on preparation and focus will greatly be appreciated.
sincerely,
Ariel Acaylar
Can you help me understand something? I failed the first time I took this test, but apparently not by much. I got a 356 out of the 400 minimum to pass. Breakdown is as follows:
blood bank (17% of exam) -subtest score: 360
chemistry (21% of exam) -subtest score: 359
hematology (20% of exam) – subtest score- 360
immunology (8% of exam) – subtest score- 100
lab operations (6% of exam)- subtest score- 557
microbiology (20% of exam) – subtest score- 445
urinalysis (8% of exam) – subtest score – 188
obviously I should touch up on immunology and urinalysis, but can you tell me how these subtest scores are computed? Are these numbers *good*? Should I just refresh or is there any area I really need to focus on? It seems pretty consistent across all areas.
Can you tell me at approximately what level of difficulty one should be passing the computer adaptive test with a minimum 55% at? I’m getting around 58%-60% on these tests with a difficulty hovering around 6.65. Is this ok? I do much better on the MT exam mode. Getting around 76-86%.
Ariel, you have a great determination and a solid experience throughout your life and I believe you have proved to the rest of the world that it is never late to become a Medical lab scientist.
Thank you for your kind words Bessey, yeah its an old dream shelved for 2 decades. It’s been an awesome journey – this life and I will do everything to fully complete the experience. Again many thanks for the vote of confidence!!.
I passed the MLS ASCP. Thank you SO much for your website, it helped SO much. Your enterobacteria chart saved my life as well as the Streptococcus. I wish I could hug you! lol. But the what surprised me was the many many ANA questions. I surprisingly had many Parasitology [Maybe about ten percent of the test], no coag questions, moderate hematology, moderate chemistry questions and many many Blood bank discrepency errors. The polasky cards helped me TREMEDOUSLY with BB. I used those cards, this site, Lab CE as well as bottom line approach. The Harr book was great, I used it for Hematology and Blood bank. It was quite extensive for everything else. I dont remember exact questions but DO KNOW your hyperparathyroidisms and hyPOparathyroidism, I had a dilution question, I didn’t really have to identify organisms but you need to know why an organism is identified but why it’s wrong [Such as the pigment of the organism causing a false red positive on a test], Wordsology Enterobacteria chart was GREAT but know the reactions each test causes and colors, the very first question I got was on specificity and sensitivity. I had a question on MEC and MIC and why the prescribed medication wasn’t affective for the patient. Know about an analyzer precision and accuracy, DEFINITELY KNOW about Iron deficiency and anemia for chronic disease [I made a comparison chart of Iron Deficiecy anemia, Anemia of chronic disease, and sideroblastic from the Polanksky cards]. Study what causes false results in MCV, MCHC, and MCH. I didnt have any questions on HIV, or ACID BASE QUESTIONS [Yes it’s true!!] Know difference between [Post hepatic, hepatic and prehepatic diseases], theres a great chart of that is in the bottom line approach book. Also know the difference between Addison’s disease and Cushings. The spirochete chart on this site was VERY helpful for knowing the difference between VDRL, RPR, FTAABS etc….Honestly this exam is the HARDEST thing i’ve ever had to do but it’s doable. I think it’s more so a critical thinking exam. 70% of it was mostly “What would you do if x,y,z went wrong?” Good luck guys and thanks again Wordsology!!! Visit my website and message me with any questions while it’s fresh! That’s my model site but you can contact me through there ❤ Good luck!!!!
Is that how many you get right out of 100, or the average it gives you? I noticed when doing the computer adaptive, that my number answered right/100 was different than the average percentage the computer gave. Which % are you referring to?
Absolutely. If you study the right way, you can pass basically any test. This is a test that you can pass with straightforward, logical study strategies targeting high yield topics.
Just passed my MT exam! Thanks so much for your suggested study strategy! Oh, by the way, remembering “Ahh, that’s freakin’ painful!” For knowing AFP is related to the testes actually came in handy on a question! LOL. SOOO happy to finally be able to call myself a certified medical laboratory scientist! Now I can roll with all you science gangstas! 😛
How does one sign up for lab CE practice questions?I heard its for free but when i see the exam stimulator section all i see is paid options. How did you guys get access to lab ce for free? The only free thing i see is the lab CE quiz game which thus far is not really challenging me so i suspect it’s easy.
did u guys pay for the lab ce questions bc i only see monetary options. The only free thing i see is the quizgame but that’s not really asking difficult questions. How do i get access to subject tests or attempt 100s of questions a day? The labce website is confusing me.
I just passed my exam! the two best resources for me was labce and the notes from this website, especially the microbiology ones. I had many questions that I was only able to answer after I memorized those charts, so thank you! My advice to anyone is to really learn the different types of jaundice, I had a lot of those questions. Also be ready for antibody panels and to know how enzymes affect certain antibodies. Also sure to learn how to interpret cbc panels correctly, labce really got me ready for those questions
BOC ASCP, mobile ASCP study guide and the stupid questions they sell you for $37.00 which by the way are all in the BOC study guide,… what a joke,…… the worst book you can use to study for the CLS ASCP exam. Don’t waste you money you will not pass the exam with this book,…. and to think is published by ASCP, that’s a pisser.
A BIG thank you to Wordsology for creating this website. It provided a good road map for preparing for the CLS exam. I referred regularly to the suggestions and high yield notes. I focused on the Polanksky cards, the “Success” book, and Lab CE more than any other study materials. I passed the exam 8-21-14. The exam was the most difficult I have taken. I have worked as an MLT for 25 years and finally pursued my CLS. I agree with the comments that the questions are crafted to require critical thinking and not just memorized information. I had one question on sensitivity vs. specificity. One on pre/ post hepatic test results. More than one on ANA! Hep B tests in various stages (Wordsology very helpful here), some parasites, fungus. Almost every blood bank question revolved around problem results and how to troubleshoot and interpret. There was one question on CML and the Philadelphia chromosome. Be sure to know the criteria for interpretation of glucose testing as defined by the WHO (page 31-33 in Ciulla’s “Success” review book.) I had no blood gas questions, which disappointed me because I was ready for those. The test was difficult ,as computer adaptive tests are known for being notoriously. Halfway though, I was calculating how much time off from studying I would give myself before studying for a retake. 🙂 At about question 75, the questions started to seem a little easier. (Not easy, just easier.) As has been discussed previously, perhaps this is because when one meets the minimum of points to pass the test, the computer gives easier lower value questions to get you to finish up. Best of luck everyone! Don’t despair if you have to retake the exam. I know from working in the field that some folks who struggle with test taking often go on to make excellent techs in the real world. Once again, my heartfelt thanks to Wordsology.
I just took the ascp exam (MLT) today and I passed. I am so happy. I studied from Labce and BOC book (for microbiology a took extra time reviewing my notes). For three months I took two test at least on labce. I absolutely recommend labce, it helped me so much. I thank this website for the advice.
My main resources:
1. Labce
2.Clinical Laboratory Science Review: A Bottom Line Approach
-for broad concepts
3. A Concise Review of Clinical Laboratory Science
-for the details
I just wanted to tell you THANK YOU for your amazing site and extremely helpful notes. I passed the MLS ASCP a few days ago and was very nervous and I constantly kept doubting myself during studying. I felt like I knew 20-30 of the answers but wasn’t even completely sure for more than 15 or so. I got several questions on chemistry, like what would you do if an electrode is reading wrong, and several blood bank discrepancy questions, 3 mycology, and several hematology stain ones. I got a few micro ones on reactions, and some totally random ones that made me eyes spin in the back of my head. Strangely I didn’t get any antibody panels. Oh, and i remember a couple endocrine questions where you had to determine the root cause of their problems. I spent about 5 weeks studying from my school books and notes, the BOC book, and LabCE. But when I discovered this site when I had about 10 days left before the test, I printed out EVERYTHING and studied mostly those and wrote notes on them that I found relevant. I feel like 50-60% of the questions were very critical thinking type, where what I learned in school really didn’t help me (but remembering stuff from my clinicals did help). One trick I used is selecting “B” when I didn’t know the answer, unless I knew B definitely wasn’t correct. I really read the questions several times and was freaking out after an hour cuz I was only on question 25. I finished with 20 minutes left, and after about question 85 they started getting easy – straightforward ones like “what condition is this test used for?” and etc. That’s when i started feeling like I was passing and saw that “PASS” in green letters and couldn’t believe that I had actually passed the horrific test. I got my score today and it was 599. If anyone’s curious, I did LabCE questions daily, subject-wise and then the 100 questions, and the adaptive testing a few times but didn’t like that cuz it took forever to do. Was scoring in the 60s for adaptive testing and 80s for 100 question MLS review. In my opinion LabCE wasn’t too helpful, or at least not as helpful as I thought it would be. But it did help me remember what to do with blood bank discrepancies. The best advice is: study every chart and notes page on this site, really understand the stuff I mentioned in the beginning, and BE CONFIDENT IN YOURSELF. I truly believe confidence made me pass!
So I’m getting 50-52% only no matter how many times I’m taking it, will I pass my board exam.. I failed it twice with a 375… What should I study to push my labce score and what else should I study??? I’m scared to fail again..:(((
same to me my friend I was getting 54-55% on labce, but I failed the real exam first time. I am now studying for second time. I don’t know what to do …….
i failed the first time,and i want to retake it,my question is i have to apply for it right after receiving examination score or i can apply for it later,because i think i need more time to study.
i graduated may 2012. i failed my first ascp exam. i need to take it again. do u think i can pass? what study tools would u recommend. i work at blood bank for 2 years now. please i need your help
I would like to ask, Polansky’s Q&A is good to read same as flashcards? how about BOC 5th ed.(2012) answers with explanation and 4th Ed.(no explanation) of BOC are both unreliable book?
Personally, I didn’t feel like the BOC books were useful. Some people do find them useful. I feel that ones time is better spent using the Harr book b/c the questions and explanations cover the facts so systematically.
So…I took the ASCP MLS exam today and failed. I have LabCE and did over 1900 questions over the course of a month and a half. My highest score on there was 65%. I also have the Polansky cards and studies those a bit, but not regularly. I mostly did the LabCE exams at least 3x/week. I’m really bummed, and don’t know where I went wrong or what happened as I just took it today and won’t receive any feedback for quite some time. Should I just go ahead and get the Harr book too? Also, is your study format the best way to prepare for my retest? How long should I study this time around before the retest? Thanks for your help thus far. This site has really helped me so far.
I’m sorry to hear this news. My study format worked for me and I think it works based on experience. Did you just take LabCE though? My suggestion in my guide is to also use Polansky cards daily and review them regularly based on the questions you see on the LabCE exams. It’s very important to also use the Harr book and go over WHY you did get questions wrong. If all of these resources are used in conjunction with each other – with understanding – I feel that you will pass without question.
Thank you for creating this useful guide! Your words really helped me maintain focus and offered invaluable advice in preparing for the MLS examination. I found the LabCE.com subscription to be helpful, the explanations and practice exams were worth the coin. My suggestion to anyone preparing for this exam is simple, PUT IN THE WORK. This exam is no cake-walk, it shouldn’t be – you are testing to be laboratory professionals! Dedicate yourself to the material so that you learn, grow, and develop into this field. The more you learn now will only aid you into your career. Best of luck!
ok, I took the ascp boards last week and failed with 390… I felt the questions were out there a few questions I had no idea what they were asking in immunology but I also scored a 570 in that department so the higher the score the harder the questions, even thou its only worth 8% of the overall score. I am going to use the medialab website to study. I feel I was only a question away from passing… right?
You were very close. Don’t be discouraged but use this as a prompt to study well and study for understanding. Build on what you already know and don’t let more than a week or two pass before you start studying again – you’ll do really well next time.
Congratulations to all of those who have passed and much appreciation to you Wordsology for assisting others. I have been a MLT for the military on a part time basis here in the U.S. for about 6 years now. Unfortunately, I didn’t take my MLT exam as soon I completed my schooling and clinical rotation. I now need it or I won’t be able to access a job in the civilian world in the field. Is your guide specifically geared towards the MT exam or is it relevant for the MLT as well?
What i’ve written is relevant to both exams, although I wrote it from the perspective of someone studying for the Medical Laboratory Scientist/Technologist (MLS) exam. Since the material covered on the MLS exam also covers the material covered on the Medical Laboratory Technician (MLT) exam, it may be more than one would need for the MLT exam. In this instance I would recommend the BOC review book as a resource. While I’m not a fan of that review book, next to every question it indicates whether the question applies to the the MLS or MLT exams or both. I hope that helps.
You answered 80 out of 100 questions correctly (80%).
Your average score for ASCP Computer adaptive testing mode exam review is 72%. The average score among all users is 56%.
Most of my CAT reflect the result above. I failed twice taking my MLS(ASCP). What am I doing wrong that resulted to a negative outcome of my exams. Any suggestions of what to do to increase my chance of passing it next time.
I’m sorry to hear that. Did you get a score breakdown from the ASCP? You want to see if there’s one particular subject that is giving you more problems than any other and address that.
Thank you Wordsology,
I will dedicate my time to reevaluate areas that I seem to have problem . I did pretty good in BB, Hematology, and immunology. But Chemistry and Micro are two sections that I am lacking better score. Since Chem and Micro combined are 41% of the total exam ….
I don’t know exactly how the scoring system works. I’m sorry. Try not to fail microbiology miserably. It’s not so bad. If you memorize the charts you’ve covered most of microbiology already!!
Hi!!! I took my exam today and I didn’t pass im very disappointed but anyway i have to study harder i used Labce, Harr and polansky!!! I just want to ask you if you know how long i have to wait to retake the exam and also how much i have to pay thank you 🙂
Jenny,
You can retake the exam 90 days after your first attempt. whatever amount you paid the first time will be the same the second time around. I hope this info help. As Wordsology said, ASCP site, and calling the customer service will give you all the info you need for your next exam.
Good luck Jenny,
Hi. I am taking my MLT exam in 2 days. My computer adaptive score is 50% and difficulty is 5 in LabCE. How does this relate to the actual ASCP registry? Im getting nervous. Thank you for your help.
wordsology 
Is there abig difference between the 3rd and 4th edition of bottom line approach? I have harr also but there is too much expaination. I want something brief and concise.. I have been reading refence books also to get a better knowledge of everything..i want to memorize and get familirize with most important things now. I want to buy a book but i am in between polansky card and bottom line 4th ed.. The boc book answers are mostly in the bottomline 3rd ed. Which one do you suggest?
If you are well familiar with the material and need the briefest of guides, I would say Polansky will cover you. Harr doesn’t really give too much explanation so much as it gives the perfect amount of explanations. It depends on where you are in your understanding of the material. I wouldn’t be too worried about 3rd vs 4th editions. Most of the material will be the same.
I took the exam yesterday and I PASSED. So excited….I only used LabCe and the microbiology notes on this website (microbiology section on LabCe is not really useful). I looked at how many questions I did on LabCe in total before taking my exam and it said 25,000 (that is right, 25,000, not a mistake) in 3 months (the amount of time I spent studying for the exam). I started doing every subject first and than I moved on to the MT practice exam and the CAT mode. I would start every section in LabCe with 10 questions and than build up to 100 question exams for each section. Each day I was taking about 300 question on LabCe ( I had days where I was taking 700 questions a day). My average scores were: hematology 85%, chemistry 90%, blood bank 90%, immunology 95%, and urinalysis 95%. I was getting an average of 85% on the MT practice exam, and a average of 65% on the CAT mode on LabCe. Now, I don’t want you to think that I am some crazy overachiever in doing 25,000 questions in 3 months, because I am not. I took this exam twice before and both of the times I failed. Finally, I asked myself if this is something that I really wanted and the answer was YES, so I got serious with this, I got LabCe and I studied my butt of. If you study really hard, YOU can pass this exam, don’t worry about if you failed the exam before. And if you say, well I work and don’t have time to study that much, well, I worked a full time job and I made sure that I found time to study for this exam. It was not EASY at all, I had days where I had to push myself to study or my girlfriend pushed me to study. I don’t remember any specific questions from the exam, but if you use LabCe and this website you WILL pass this exam. Good luck to everyone taking the exam and Wordsology, thank you for creating this website!!!!
Wow…this post speaks for itself. Determination and will and hard work. Congratulations and thank you for the tremendous feedback which will definitely be helping many people who may be struggling now but have the ability to achieve.
Thank you so much for your insight. I’m so embarrassed to say this but I have taken the MLS exam 4 times and failed 4 times!!! I know that I can take it one more time before I have to go a different route but I REFUSE to do that. Each time I took it my score was around 375 and I need that extra push to get me over the edge. I recently asked myself the same question…do I really want this? and the answer is YES. I’m going to take your advise and do more questions on LabCe than I had in the past. I also have the review cards and the Harr book. I’m scared to death to take it again but I have to do this.
I was embarrassed too and I think everyone that takes the exam and fails feels embarrassed, so you are not alone. On one of my exams my score was also 375 and I was really upset because I was only 3-5 questions from passing the exam. After I failed my exam each time, I reflected and I was angry with my self for not studying more. After my second time, I said enough and I studied my butt of and I did not rush, I took my time. I think the best advice for you is to forget all the previous times, you took the exam 4 times you failed the exam 4 times, you can’t change that, when you go to take the exam again forget about the previous attempts and focus on the exam in front of you. I wish you the BEST and good luck, DON’T GIVE UP.
when are you taking the exam again?
hey King, did u study from labce for the first 2 times you took it or you used to study from other material?
I did not use LabCe the first two times I took the exam, I used my school books and notes, which where not helpful because there is so much information and you don’t really know what you are going to be asked…Use LabCe and do as many questions as you can and also use the Note section on this website…between LabCe, the Note section on this website and what ever information you can remember from school/your internship you should be able to get a score above 400…good luck!!!
Hi. Did you subscribe to labce with just the basic exam stimulator package? Or did you buy the one including 8 hours of review courses and mobile access so you could use a tablet or phone? If you get the basic package, can you only study on a computer?
I believe that the basic subcription is geared towards computer use. You might be able to access it on a tablet or phone but it’s probably just not ideal for those platforms.
How long should I study before I take the exam? I’m using Polansky cards and labce.com and i also do the content on the success book but not the questions. do u think those are enough for me to pass?
everyone is different but those seem like they should be enough if you use them the right way
Hi,
thank you for this website, I just want to ask what is the good site for questions for microbiology as I intend to take the ABMM exam american board of medical microbiology and i found many guys say that labce is not good at microbiology.
thanks
The Harr book is really excellent for microbiology, in my opinion.
I took MLT exam and I failed 2 times. I studied only from BOC book. I’m going to take the exam the 3rd time. what shall I do in order to pass? thanks
don’t use the BOC books. look at the strategies page. in a word, labce.com
A really good book that I mainly used for studying is the LSU Clinical Laboratory Science Review: Bottom Line Approach. It uses pneumonics and catchy phrases to help you memorize things! It really helped me pass! Good luck everyone!
Hello, thank you for your help. Took my mls exam and passed. Yay!!!! I studied review book by Robert Harr and lab ce. I learn malaria and coag sapretaly. also purchased question from ascp. There were 350 questions for $35. And studied for like four hours a day for like ten weeks. I know that’s crazy but I never thot i can pass this test. I used all your notes. Thank you for that. Exam was very hard. I think I passed because of the Robert harr book. I can’t believe I passed. Big shout out to wordsology.
hii tj
am also using the Harr review book ..Was the really exam harder than these review books and practice questions on labce ..thanks
Most of the questions on MLS (ASCP) exam are presented to you in such a way that you have to figure out the answer from a situation regarding a patient’s test result or condition.
Depending on your answer to a particular question you might be presented with a more difficult question like the ones in Harr review book…..Good luck to you !!!!
HI SARA, DID YOU TAKE YOUR TEST ALREADY? YES, THE REAL EXAM WAS HARDER. BUT WORDSOLOGY’S HIGHYIELD NOTES ,ROBERT HARR BOOK AND SOME GUESSES, ANY ONE CAN PASS THIS TEST.
hah, excellent news!
Hello, I take my ascp exam in two weeks and am wondering if I am ready. I am able to do the Harr book with ease and on Labce, i score above 80 on subject test, above 80 on the MT practice exam and above 60 on the CAT. I use your microbiology notes and used the Cards for review. Just wondering if this enough to pass. The only part i struggle with is the problem solving for chemistry in harr. thank you
Tiffany, i believe you’ll do great
does anyone have the Success in Clinical Laboratory Science (Ciulla) book that I could buy??
try half.com or amazon.com used. pretty cheap right now on there.
so should I buy the second version of Polansky review cards or will the old version be ok
i’m sure not much has changed. you’re definitely okay with the 1st edition
hii wordsology
I am taking ASCP exam in two weeks ..so nervous 😦 .. i’ve been using all the books you preferred plus labce and am scoring 79- 83 on labce full exam mode.. cant wait to get this done hoping to pass this exam on my first try
i hope it worked out for you Sara
Hello wordsology,
just came out from testing center and i PASSED.. thankyou
After hearing these positive interactions among aspiring clinical scientists from all over the world, I have to take a moment away from the rationales in 3x5s and discoid blobs of reds and purples.. to THANK YOU..- for leading, guiding and strengthening the very core of everyone here in this room you built alone. Your words of love and understanding, of hope and positivism, served in a plate sprinkled with reverberations of “hurrahs and congratulations, and once in a while, small conjectures “sideroblastically” comforting the young and the restless …holding their hands, looking straight into their eyes…saying..”YOU will be fine!”.
Reminds me, this world needs more of your kind. The kind, we only see in movies of cabbages and Kings. The truth is, you are the KNIGHT, the LIGHT..the MAP.. the Manufacturer’s manual. We get crazy looking for answers, they are all here, in the tools you told us where to look.. we draw diagrams and label them, then imagine them before we sleep. You EMPOWER us to go back to the basics, to retreat deeper into our selves and be sensitized from the crippling fear of the unknown. To wield our sword and defeat the dark thoughts of failure.
You got FAITH back into our hearts, our souls with Hope and dreams. You are the Tom Anderson, aka “Neo” of this generation.
Be blessed.
ariel acaylar
I really appreciate what you’re saying but that’s just too nice. The people on this site who provide feedback are the ones who make this place run. I thank you very much for the kind words though.
You’re welcome.
Am scheduled to press that SEND button on ASCP website before the year ends. I am neck deep with all these ideas, I read from your followers, from you, Mr Harr, and Ms. Polansky. Been gone from school for 21 years now but decided and embarked on a new and intense scientific-medical formal educational training, for 2 years and graduated this March 2014, BS MT at 52. – here in the Philippines. A feat that I will do again if I need to. Any thoughts on preparation and focus will greatly be appreciated.
sincerely,
Ariel Acaylar
Can you help me understand something? I failed the first time I took this test, but apparently not by much. I got a 356 out of the 400 minimum to pass. Breakdown is as follows:
blood bank (17% of exam) -subtest score: 360
chemistry (21% of exam) -subtest score: 359
hematology (20% of exam) – subtest score- 360
immunology (8% of exam) – subtest score- 100
lab operations (6% of exam)- subtest score- 557
microbiology (20% of exam) – subtest score- 445
urinalysis (8% of exam) – subtest score – 188
obviously I should touch up on immunology and urinalysis, but can you tell me how these subtest scores are computed? Are these numbers *good*? Should I just refresh or is there any area I really need to focus on? It seems pretty consistent across all areas.
Can you tell me at approximately what level of difficulty one should be passing the computer adaptive test with a minimum 55% at? I’m getting around 58%-60% on these tests with a difficulty hovering around 6.65. Is this ok? I do much better on the MT exam mode. Getting around 76-86%.
Ariel, you have a great determination and a solid experience throughout your life and I believe you have proved to the rest of the world that it is never late to become a Medical lab scientist.
Thank you for your kind words Bessey, yeah its an old dream shelved for 2 decades. It’s been an awesome journey – this life and I will do everything to fully complete the experience. Again many thanks for the vote of confidence!!.
I passed the MLS ASCP. Thank you SO much for your website, it helped SO much. Your enterobacteria chart saved my life as well as the Streptococcus. I wish I could hug you! lol. But the what surprised me was the many many ANA questions. I surprisingly had many Parasitology [Maybe about ten percent of the test], no coag questions, moderate hematology, moderate chemistry questions and many many Blood bank discrepency errors. The polasky cards helped me TREMEDOUSLY with BB. I used those cards, this site, Lab CE as well as bottom line approach. The Harr book was great, I used it for Hematology and Blood bank. It was quite extensive for everything else. I dont remember exact questions but DO KNOW your hyperparathyroidisms and hyPOparathyroidism, I had a dilution question, I didn’t really have to identify organisms but you need to know why an organism is identified but why it’s wrong [Such as the pigment of the organism causing a false red positive on a test], Wordsology Enterobacteria chart was GREAT but know the reactions each test causes and colors, the very first question I got was on specificity and sensitivity. I had a question on MEC and MIC and why the prescribed medication wasn’t affective for the patient. Know about an analyzer precision and accuracy, DEFINITELY KNOW about Iron deficiency and anemia for chronic disease [I made a comparison chart of Iron Deficiecy anemia, Anemia of chronic disease, and sideroblastic from the Polanksky cards]. Study what causes false results in MCV, MCHC, and MCH. I didnt have any questions on HIV, or ACID BASE QUESTIONS [Yes it’s true!!] Know difference between [Post hepatic, hepatic and prehepatic diseases], theres a great chart of that is in the bottom line approach book. Also know the difference between Addison’s disease and Cushings. The spirochete chart on this site was VERY helpful for knowing the difference between VDRL, RPR, FTAABS etc….Honestly this exam is the HARDEST thing i’ve ever had to do but it’s doable. I think it’s more so a critical thinking exam. 70% of it was mostly “What would you do if x,y,z went wrong?” Good luck guys and thanks again Wordsology!!! Visit my website and message me with any questions while it’s fresh! That’s my model site but you can contact me through there ❤ Good luck!!!!
excellent feedback, thanks very much
I’ve been out of school since Jan. 2013. Could I pass the exam by just using Harr and Lab CE?
If your ASCP CAT results are above 63%, you have a good chance of passing it!!!
Is that how many you get right out of 100, or the average it gives you? I noticed when doing the computer adaptive, that my number answered right/100 was different than the average percentage the computer gave. Which % are you referring to?
i was referring to the % score you get from the computer at the end of the computer adaptive test
Absolutely. If you study the right way, you can pass basically any test. This is a test that you can pass with straightforward, logical study strategies targeting high yield topics.
Just passed my MT exam! Thanks so much for your suggested study strategy! Oh, by the way, remembering “Ahh, that’s freakin’ painful!” For knowing AFP is related to the testes actually came in handy on a question! LOL. SOOO happy to finally be able to call myself a certified medical laboratory scientist! Now I can roll with all you science gangstas! 😛
Congrats To You !!!!!
congrats!
What would you say is the hardest section of the test? (The section(s) I should spend extra time studying over)
How does one sign up for lab CE practice questions?I heard its for free but when i see the exam stimulator section all i see is paid options. How did you guys get access to lab ce for free? The only free thing i see is the lab CE quiz game which thus far is not really challenging me so i suspect it’s easy.
did u guys pay for the lab ce questions bc i only see monetary options. The only free thing i see is the quizgame but that’s not really asking difficult questions. How do i get access to subject tests or attempt 100s of questions a day? The labce website is confusing me.
It does cost money. It’s not very expensive though, for what you get.
The free version of LabCE.com is limited in question variety, purchase a subscription (about $55).
I just passed my exam! the two best resources for me was labce and the notes from this website, especially the microbiology ones. I had many questions that I was only able to answer after I memorized those charts, so thank you! My advice to anyone is to really learn the different types of jaundice, I had a lot of those questions. Also be ready for antibody panels and to know how enzymes affect certain antibodies. Also sure to learn how to interpret cbc panels correctly, labce really got me ready for those questions
BOC ASCP, mobile ASCP study guide and the stupid questions they sell you for $37.00 which by the way are all in the BOC study guide,… what a joke,…… the worst book you can use to study for the CLS ASCP exam. Don’t waste you money you will not pass the exam with this book,…. and to think is published by ASCP, that’s a pisser.
Haha! Frankly, I agree
Plz .. we need more ASCPi questions
ASCPi = ASCP!!!
A BIG thank you to Wordsology for creating this website. It provided a good road map for preparing for the CLS exam. I referred regularly to the suggestions and high yield notes. I focused on the Polanksky cards, the “Success” book, and Lab CE more than any other study materials. I passed the exam 8-21-14. The exam was the most difficult I have taken. I have worked as an MLT for 25 years and finally pursued my CLS. I agree with the comments that the questions are crafted to require critical thinking and not just memorized information. I had one question on sensitivity vs. specificity. One on pre/ post hepatic test results. More than one on ANA! Hep B tests in various stages (Wordsology very helpful here), some parasites, fungus. Almost every blood bank question revolved around problem results and how to troubleshoot and interpret. There was one question on CML and the Philadelphia chromosome. Be sure to know the criteria for interpretation of glucose testing as defined by the WHO (page 31-33 in Ciulla’s “Success” review book.) I had no blood gas questions, which disappointed me because I was ready for those. The test was difficult ,as computer adaptive tests are known for being notoriously. Halfway though, I was calculating how much time off from studying I would give myself before studying for a retake. 🙂 At about question 75, the questions started to seem a little easier. (Not easy, just easier.) As has been discussed previously, perhaps this is because when one meets the minimum of points to pass the test, the computer gives easier lower value questions to get you to finish up. Best of luck everyone! Don’t despair if you have to retake the exam. I know from working in the field that some folks who struggle with test taking often go on to make excellent techs in the real world. Once again, my heartfelt thanks to Wordsology.
I thank you for your words for the website; Your excellent review for all the visitors.
I just took the ascp exam (MLT) today and I passed. I am so happy. I studied from Labce and BOC book (for microbiology a took extra time reviewing my notes). For three months I took two test at least on labce. I absolutely recommend labce, it helped me so much. I thank this website for the advice.
*for three months I took two test everyday at least on labce
I’m only taking the microbiology exam, is it still only 400/1000 points to pass if it’s just one of the subject exams?
I can’t answer this question. Anyone else?
I just took the the ascpi exam and I failed. I tend to get a 70%+ consistently on LabCe practice exam and 60%+ on CAT mode…still failed..
That is difficult to hear but don’t give up. Try again.
Just passed the ASCPi.
Thank you for the leads and the advice. It helped a great deal.
CONGRATS Andrew … are you going to apply for jobs in USA ?
Right now I’m typing from a lab in the Texas Medical Center in Houston, Texas. CPL Labs STAT LAB. It’s intense, but I like it.
My main resources:
1. Labce
2.Clinical Laboratory Science Review: A Bottom Line Approach
-for broad concepts
3. A Concise Review of Clinical Laboratory Science
-for the details
I just wanted to tell you THANK YOU for your amazing site and extremely helpful notes. I passed the MLS ASCP a few days ago and was very nervous and I constantly kept doubting myself during studying. I felt like I knew 20-30 of the answers but wasn’t even completely sure for more than 15 or so. I got several questions on chemistry, like what would you do if an electrode is reading wrong, and several blood bank discrepancy questions, 3 mycology, and several hematology stain ones. I got a few micro ones on reactions, and some totally random ones that made me eyes spin in the back of my head. Strangely I didn’t get any antibody panels. Oh, and i remember a couple endocrine questions where you had to determine the root cause of their problems. I spent about 5 weeks studying from my school books and notes, the BOC book, and LabCE. But when I discovered this site when I had about 10 days left before the test, I printed out EVERYTHING and studied mostly those and wrote notes on them that I found relevant. I feel like 50-60% of the questions were very critical thinking type, where what I learned in school really didn’t help me (but remembering stuff from my clinicals did help). One trick I used is selecting “B” when I didn’t know the answer, unless I knew B definitely wasn’t correct. I really read the questions several times and was freaking out after an hour cuz I was only on question 25. I finished with 20 minutes left, and after about question 85 they started getting easy – straightforward ones like “what condition is this test used for?” and etc. That’s when i started feeling like I was passing and saw that “PASS” in green letters and couldn’t believe that I had actually passed the horrific test. I got my score today and it was 599. If anyone’s curious, I did LabCE questions daily, subject-wise and then the 100 questions, and the adaptive testing a few times but didn’t like that cuz it took forever to do. Was scoring in the 60s for adaptive testing and 80s for 100 question MLS review. In my opinion LabCE wasn’t too helpful, or at least not as helpful as I thought it would be. But it did help me remember what to do with blood bank discrepancies. The best advice is: study every chart and notes page on this site, really understand the stuff I mentioned in the beginning, and BE CONFIDENT IN YOURSELF. I truly believe confidence made me pass!
Great advice. Thank you for taking the time to write this for your colleagues.
So I’m getting 50-52% only no matter how many times I’m taking it, will I pass my board exam.. I failed it twice with a 375… What should I study to push my labce score and what else should I study??? I’m scared to fail again..:(((
It’s difficult for me to answer a question like this. I can only wish you hard work and luck.
same to me my friend I was getting 54-55% on labce, but I failed the real exam first time. I am now studying for second time. I don’t know what to do …….
i failed the first time,and i want to retake it,my question is i have to apply for it right after receiving examination score or i can apply for it later,because i think i need more time to study.
You can apply for it later. Take your time and study the right way. One only has a limited number of attempts (i believe 3 attempts).
i graduated may 2012. i failed my first ascp exam. i need to take it again. do u think i can pass? what study tools would u recommend. i work at blood bank for 2 years now. please i need your help
Please check the study strategies section. It’s a pretty comprehensive strategy if you need one.
hi can any one suggest me which is the best mlt practise test online as iam gonna take AMT test soon.
thanks
I would like to ask, Polansky’s Q&A is good to read same as flashcards? how about BOC 5th ed.(2012) answers with explanation and 4th Ed.(no explanation) of BOC are both unreliable book?
Personally, I didn’t feel like the BOC books were useful. Some people do find them useful. I feel that ones time is better spent using the Harr book b/c the questions and explanations cover the facts so systematically.
So…I took the ASCP MLS exam today and failed. I have LabCE and did over 1900 questions over the course of a month and a half. My highest score on there was 65%. I also have the Polansky cards and studies those a bit, but not regularly. I mostly did the LabCE exams at least 3x/week. I’m really bummed, and don’t know where I went wrong or what happened as I just took it today and won’t receive any feedback for quite some time. Should I just go ahead and get the Harr book too? Also, is your study format the best way to prepare for my retest? How long should I study this time around before the retest? Thanks for your help thus far. This site has really helped me so far.
I’m sorry to hear this news. My study format worked for me and I think it works based on experience. Did you just take LabCE though? My suggestion in my guide is to also use Polansky cards daily and review them regularly based on the questions you see on the LabCE exams. It’s very important to also use the Harr book and go over WHY you did get questions wrong. If all of these resources are used in conjunction with each other – with understanding – I feel that you will pass without question.
Thank you for creating this useful guide! Your words really helped me maintain focus and offered invaluable advice in preparing for the MLS examination. I found the LabCE.com subscription to be helpful, the explanations and practice exams were worth the coin. My suggestion to anyone preparing for this exam is simple, PUT IN THE WORK. This exam is no cake-walk, it shouldn’t be – you are testing to be laboratory professionals! Dedicate yourself to the material so that you learn, grow, and develop into this field. The more you learn now will only aid you into your career. Best of luck!
great advice James P
hi to everyone can someone tell me about the micro ascp i want to do this exam in 2 months from now please help is it easy or a hard exam many thanks
ok, I took the ascp boards last week and failed with 390… I felt the questions were out there a few questions I had no idea what they were asking in immunology but I also scored a 570 in that department so the higher the score the harder the questions, even thou its only worth 8% of the overall score. I am going to use the medialab website to study. I feel I was only a question away from passing… right?
You were very close. Don’t be discouraged but use this as a prompt to study well and study for understanding. Build on what you already know and don’t let more than a week or two pass before you start studying again – you’ll do really well next time.
Whats the medialab website? Is is free?
No but it costs very little and you get so much. Definitely worth every penny. http://www.labce.com/ascp_cls_certification_exam_simulator.aspx
Congratulations to all of those who have passed and much appreciation to you Wordsology for assisting others. I have been a MLT for the military on a part time basis here in the U.S. for about 6 years now. Unfortunately, I didn’t take my MLT exam as soon I completed my schooling and clinical rotation. I now need it or I won’t be able to access a job in the civilian world in the field. Is your guide specifically geared towards the MT exam or is it relevant for the MLT as well?
What i’ve written is relevant to both exams, although I wrote it from the perspective of someone studying for the Medical Laboratory Scientist/Technologist (MLS) exam. Since the material covered on the MLS exam also covers the material covered on the Medical Laboratory Technician (MLT) exam, it may be more than one would need for the MLT exam. In this instance I would recommend the BOC review book as a resource. While I’m not a fan of that review book, next to every question it indicates whether the question applies to the the MLS or MLT exams or both. I hope that helps.
the medialab website is also very good at only $55 and it will provide you with customized materials for both exams
Isn’t the medialab questions the labce questions? or am I confusing the two?
HELLO , PLEASE I WANNA KNOW WHAT IS THE BEST THINGS FOR HEAMATOLOGY,I AM GOING TO TAKE THE HEAMATOLOGY EXAME FOR ASCP. H (MT) SOON..THANKS
Just hematology? Do the hematology questions in Harr and review what you get right and wrong.
Medialab and lance are the same
I meant LABCE….LOL
Thank you so much for this website!! I used it to help me study for the ASCP MLT exam and passed!!!
I need more help , how i can get that material for reading polansky , success Harr
you have to get it somehow – i’d recommend borrowing or buying it
You answered 80 out of 100 questions correctly (80%).
Your average score for ASCP Computer adaptive testing mode exam review is 72%. The average score among all users is 56%.
Most of my CAT reflect the result above. I failed twice taking my MLS(ASCP). What am I doing wrong that resulted to a negative outcome of my exams. Any suggestions of what to do to increase my chance of passing it next time.
Thank you,
I’m sorry to hear that. Did you get a score breakdown from the ASCP? You want to see if there’s one particular subject that is giving you more problems than any other and address that.
Thank you Wordsology,
I will dedicate my time to reevaluate areas that I seem to have problem . I did pretty good in BB, Hematology, and immunology. But Chemistry and Micro are two sections that I am lacking better score. Since Chem and Micro combined are 41% of the total exam ….
Exactly how does the score work. what if i fail micro miserably but get 800 in each of the other subjects, will i still fail
I don’t know exactly how the scoring system works. I’m sorry. Try not to fail microbiology miserably. It’s not so bad. If you memorize the charts you’ve covered most of microbiology already!!
Hi!!! I took my exam today and I didn’t pass im very disappointed but anyway i have to study harder i used Labce, Harr and polansky!!! I just want to ask you if you know how long i have to wait to retake the exam and also how much i have to pay thank you 🙂
Consult the ASCP site – I don’t want to give you outdated information in this age of inflation.
Jenny,
You can retake the exam 90 days after your first attempt. whatever amount you paid the first time will be the same the second time around. I hope this info help. As Wordsology said, ASCP site, and calling the customer service will give you all the info you need for your next exam.
Good luck Jenny,
Hi. I am taking my MLT exam in 2 days. My computer adaptive score is 50% and difficulty is 5 in LabCE. How does this relate to the actual ASCP registry? Im getting nervous. Thank you for your help.
did you pass?