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ASCP MLA Exam: Practice Questions

Number of questions: 400

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About the ASCP MLA exam

The ASCP Medical Laboratory Assistant (MLA) exam assesses the knowledge required for entry-level laboratory roles. The American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) administers the exam. Successful candidates are awarded ASCP MLA certification, which can result in improved job prospects and a higher salary.

The exam consists of 100 multiple-choice questions and lasts 2 hours and 30 minutes. The exam fee is $145.

About these practice questions

These practice questions will help prepare you for the ASCP MLA exam.

This page contains 400 practice questions divided into the five sections of the exam: 1. Patient registration and specimen collection, 2. Specimen preparation and processing, 3. Support for clinical testing, 4. Waived and point-of-care testing, and 5. Laboratory operations.

All questions have been carefully designed to mimic the questions on the real exam, to help you prepare and get a passing grade.

Sections

  1. Patient registration and specimen collection
  2. Specimen preparation and processing
  3. Support for clinical testing
  4. Waived and point-of-care testing
  5. Laboratory operations

Section 1: Patient registration and specimen collection

1.1) Which specimen request has the highest priority?
  1. Fasting
  2. Post-op
  3. Stat
  4. Urgent
Answers are locked. Please click here to buy them. 1.2) You must collect specimens from three patients: a fasting specimen, a pre-op specimen, and a routine specimen. What is the correct order of priority for collecting these specimens?
  1. Fasting, Pre-op, Routine
  2. Fasting, Routine, Pre-op
  3. Pre-op, Fasting, Routine
  4. Routine, Fasting, Pre-op
Answers are locked. Please click here to buy them. 1.3) A patient has a latex allergy. A phlebotomist needs to collect a specimen from another patient in the same room. How should the phlebotomist proceed?
  1. Ask the allergic patient to wear a mask
  2. Do not take anything that contains latex into the room
  3. Proceed as usual
  4. Pull the curtain between beds and proceed as usual
Answers are locked. Please click here to buy them. 1.4) What should you do when drawing blood from a frightened child?
  1. Explain the procedure to the child in simple terms
  2. Say nothing to the child and just perform the procedure
  3. Tell the child that the needle won't hurt
  4. Tell the child to be brave
Answers are locked. Please click here to buy them. 1.5) You have to draw blood from a nervous patient. What should you do?
  1. Be friendly and confident
  2. Cancel the requisition and send them home
  3. Tell the patient the needle won't hurt
  4. Tell the patient to calm down
Answers are locked. Please click here to buy them. 1.6) A phlebotomist must collect an urgent blood sample, but the patient is asleep. What should the phlebotomist do?
  1. Cancel the test
  2. Come back later when the patient is awake
  3. Draw the sample while the patient is asleep
  4. Wake up the patient
Answers are locked. Please click here to buy them. 1.7) A phlebotomist needs to collect a blood specimen from an inpatient who is not wearing an ID band. What is the best action to take?
  1. Ask a nurse to help identify the patient
  2. Identify the patient by asking them, "What is your name?"
  3. Identify the patient by the name card on the door
  4. Refuse to draw the specimen and cancel the request
Answers are locked. Please click here to buy them. 1.8) When drawing blood from an obese patient, where should you first look for a vein?
  1. The antecubital fossa
  2. The back of the knee
  3. The feet
  4. The neck
Answers are locked. Please click here to buy them. 1.9) What can a phlebotomist do to find a difficult vein?
  1. Ask the patient to hold their arm up in the air
  2. Ask the patient to make a fist
  3. Cool the area with an ice pack
  4. Tell the patient to drink nothing and come back in a few hours
Answers are locked. Please click here to buy them. 1.10) A phlebotomist needs to take a blood sample from a patient with an IV in his left wrist and a cast on his right arm. Which site should be used to obtain a blood sample?
  1. A vein in the left hand
  2. An earlobe
  3. The left median cubital vein
  4. The right median cubital vein
Answers are locked. Please click here to buy them. 1.11) A patient has a mastectomy on her right side. What special precaution is needed when drawing blood from this patient?
  1. Check the patient's white blood cell count first
  2. Do not draw blood from the right arm
  3. Make sure the patient is lying down
  4. Make sure the patient is sitting
Answers are locked. Please click here to buy them. 1.12) Which vein should be tried first when choosing a draw site?
  1. Basilic
  2. Cephalic
  3. Median antibrachial
  4. Median cubital
Answers are locked. Please click here to buy them. 1.13) Which letter is pointing to the median cubital vein?
  1. a
  2. b
  3. c
  4. d
Answers are locked. Please click here to buy them. 1.14) For venipuncture, tourniquets should be:
  1. applied very tightly to the arm
  2. left on the arm for at least three minutes
  3. tight enough to slow arterial flow
  4. tight enough to slow venous flow
Answers are locked. Please click here to buy them. 1.15) In venipuncture, what can happen if you palpate a site after cleaning it with alcohol?
  1. Difficulty locating the vein
  2. Entry of alcohol into the patient's bloodstream
  3. Hemolysis of the specimen
  4. Recontamination
Answers are locked. Please click here to buy them. 1.16) Why must the patient's skin be cleaned before venipuncture?
  1. To increase blood flow to the area
  2. To make the veins more prominent
  3. To remove microorganisms
  4. To remove oil and sweat
Answers are locked. Please click here to buy them. 1.17) What is the purpose of a tourniquet in venipuncture?
  1. To decrease the oxygen level
  2. To make the veins more prominent
  3. To monitor blood pressure
  4. To prevent hematoma
Answers are locked. Please click here to buy them. 1.18) After applying a tourniquet, small red spots appear on the patient's arm. These spots are a sign that:
  1. the patient has diabetes
  2. the patient is taking an anticoagulant
  3. the site may bleed excessively
  4. the tourniquet is too tight
Answers are locked. Please click here to buy them. 1.19) For venipuncture, the tourniquet should be applied _____________ the needle insertion point.
  1. 1–2 inches above
  2. 1–2 inches below
  3. 3–4 inches above
  4. 3–4 inches below
Answers are locked. Please click here to buy them.

Section 2: Specimen preparation and processing

Section 3: Support for clinical testing

Section 4: Waived and point-of-care testing

Section 5: Laboratory operations

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