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ASCP PBT Practice Questions

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ASCP PBT Practice Questions

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Questions
400
Format
Multiple choice
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2 years
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About these practice questions

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

This practice test contains 400 practice questions covering the six sections of the ASCP PBT exam:

  1. Circulatory system
  2. Specimen collection
  3. Specimen handling, transport, and processing
  4. Waived and point-of-care-testing
  5. Non-blood specimens
  6. Laboratory operations

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

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Sample practice questions

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Section 1: Circulatory system

1) What are white blood cells called?
  1. Erythrocytes
  2. Leukocytes
    White blood cells are called leukocytes. The word leukocyte comes from leuko, meaning 'white', and cyte, meaning 'cell'. Leukocytes are the immune system cells that fight infectious diseases.
  3. Osteocytes
  4. Thrombocytes
2) What is the term for an immature red blood cell?
  1. Monoblast
  2. Reticulocyte
    Reticulocytes are immature red blood cells in the bone marrow or the bloodstream.
  3. Segmented neutrophil
  4. Thrombocyte
3) What is macrocytosis?
  1. A blood cancer
  2. A high concentration of white blood cells
  3. A platelet deficiency
  4. Abnormally large red blood cells
    Macrocytosis is a condition where red blood cells are larger than normal. It is often associated with vitamin B9 and B12 deficiencies.
4) Which vessel carries blood from the heart to the lungs?
  1. Aorta
    The aorta is the vessel that carries blood from the heart to the rest of the body.
  2. Pulmonary artery
    The pulmonary artery carries blood from the heart to the lungs. Arteries carry blood away from the heart, and pulmonary means 'lungs'.
  3. Pulmonary vein
    The pulmonary vein carries blood from the lungs back to the heart.
  4. Superior vena cava
    The superior vena cava carries deoxygenated blood from the body to the heart.
5) What is the process by which platelets adhere to each other to form a hemostatic plug?
  1. Activation
    Activation refers to the activation of clotting factors, the proteins involved in blood clotting.
  2. Aggregation
    Aggregation is the process by which platelets stick to each other at sites of vascular injury.
  3. Attachment
  4. Hemostasis
    Hemostasis is the overall process that stops bleeding. It includes vasoconstriction, platelet plug formation, and coagulation.
6) Which term means the destruction of red blood cells?
  1. Erythropoiesis
    Erythropoiesis is the process by which red blood cells are produced.
  2. Hemolysis
    Hemolysis is the destruction of red blood cells. It comes from the Greek words hemo, meaning 'blood', and lysis, meaning 'breaking down'.
  3. Hemorrhage
    Hemorrhage is a general term for bleeding.
  4. Hemostasis
    Hemostasis is the process that stops bleeding.
7) What is the main function of capillaries?
  1. Exchanging substances between the blood and tissues
    The capillaries allow the exchange of oxygen, nutrients, and waste products between the blood and the body's tissues.
  2. Filtering waste from the blood
  3. Returning blood to the heart
  4. Transporting blood away from the heart
8) What percentage of blood is plasma?
  1. 55%
    Plasma is the liquid component of blood. It constitutes about 55% of total blood volume.
  2. 65%
  3. 75%
  4. 95%
9) Which cells release bilirubin when they break down?
  1. Mast cells
  2. Platelets
  3. Red blood cells
    Bilirubin is a waste product produced by the breakdown of hemoglobin, which is found inside red blood cells.
  4. White blood cells
10) What is the major hematopoietic site in adults?
  1. Bone marrow
    Hematopoiesis is the production of blood cells. In adults, new blood cells are created primarily in the bone marrow.
  2. Liver
  3. Lymph nodes
  4. Spleen
11) Which chamber of the heart receives blood returning from the lungs?
  1. Left atrium
    Oxygen-rich blood from the lungs flows back into the heart through the left atrium. The image below shows the heart chambers and the direction of blood flow.
  2. Left ventricle
  3. Right atrium
  4. Right ventricle
12) What is the name of the sac that contains the heart?
  1. Bundle of His
    The bundle of His is a specialized group of heart muscle cells that conducts electrical impulses from the atria to the ventricles.
  2. Endocardium
    The endocardium is the inner lining of the heart. Endo- means "inner" and cardium means "heart".
  3. Myocardium
    The myocardium is the heart muscle. Myo- means "muscle".
  4. Pericardium
    The pericardium is the fluid-filled sac that surrounds the heart. Peri- means "surrounding".
13) What is the largest vein in the body?
  1. Aorta
    The aorta is the largest artery in the body, not the largest vein.
  2. Hepatic portal vein
  3. Inferior vena cava
    The inferior vena cava is the body's largest vein. It carries oxygen-depleted blood back to the heart.
  4. Pulmonary vein
14) In the diagram of the heart below, which line is pointing to the left ventricle?
  1. a
  2. b
  3. c
  4. d
    a: right atrium b: left atrium c: right ventricle d: left ventricle On diagrams of the heart, the left atrium and left ventricle are on the right, and vice versa. This is because the left side of the heart is the patient's left, not the viewer's left.
15) What are the smallest blood vessels in the body?
  1. Arteries
  2. Capillaries
    Capillaries are the smallest blood vessels in the body.
  3. Lymph vessels
  4. Veins
16) What is the largest artery in the body?
  1. Aorta
    The largest artery is the aorta. It carries blood from the heart to the rest of the body.
  2. Iliac artery
  3. Pulmonary artery
  4. Superior vena cava
17) Which part of the heart contracts during systole?
  1. Arteries
  2. Atria
  3. Valves
  4. Ventricles
    Systole is the period of the cardiac cycle when the ventricles contract, ejecting blood into the aorta and pulmonary trunk.
18) What is the heart's primary pacemaker?
  1. Bundle branches
  2. Bundle of His
  3. Purkinje fibers
  4. SA node
    The sinoatrial (SA) node is the heart's primary pacemaker. It generates electrical impulses that initiate the heartbeat, thereby setting the pace for the heart's rhythm.
19) What is diastole?
  1. A heart rate below 60 beats per second
  2. An irregular heart rate
  3. When the heart muscle contracts
  4. When the heart muscle relaxes
    Diastole is the period between heartbeats when the heart relaxes and fills with blood.
20) What is this blood cell?
  1. Macrophage
  2. Neutrophil
  3. Platelet
  4. Red blood cell
    The image shows a red blood cell. You can recognize it by its biconcave disc shape, which is unique to red blood cells. This shape increases their surface area for oxygen exchange.

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Book edition of ASCP PBT Practice Questions

About the ASCP PBT exam

What is the ASCP PBT exam?

The ASCP Phlebotomy Technician (PBT) certification exam assesses the knowledge required for entry-level phlebotomy positions. The American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) administers the exam.

The exam consists of 100 multiple-choice questions and has a 2 hour time limit. Exam topics include specimen collection, processing, and transport; waived testing; point-of-care testing; laboratory procedures; non-blood specimens (urine, sputum, swabs, etc.); the circulatory system; and patient interaction.

The exam fee is $145.

Exam eligibility

Before applying for the ASCP PBT exam, first ensure you're eligible.

The exam has six eligibility routes:

  1. High school graduation and completion of a phlebotomy program within the last five years
  2. High school graduation and completion of a two-part phlebotomy program within the last five years
  3. High school graduation and one year of experience working as a phlebotomy technician within the last five years
  4. High school graduation and completion of an RN, LPN, or similar education that includes phlebotomy training
  5. MT/MLS or MLT certification
  6. DPT certification and completion of at least 100 venipunctures and skin punctures within the last five years

To take the ASCP PBT exam, you must meet the criteria for at least one of these routes.

[ASCP applying and taking]

Recommended study resources

ASCP recommends the following resources for studying for the PBT exam:

  • Code of Federal Regulations, Title 21, Food and Drugs, Parts 600, 601, 606, 607, 610, 660, 680. (n.d.). U.S. Government Publishing Office.
  • Garza, D., & Becan-McBride, K. (2018). Phlebotomy handbook: Blood specimen collection from basic to advanced (10th ed.). Pearson Health Science.
  • Garza, D., & Becan-McBride, K. (2018). Phlebotomy simplified (3rd ed.). Prentice Hall.
  • McCall, R. E. (2023). Phlebotomy essentials (8th ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning.
  • McCall, R. E. (2023). Phlebotomy essentials exam review (8th ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning.
  • Strasinger, S. K., & Di Lorenzo, M. S. (2019). The phlebotomy textbook (4th ed.). F.A. Davis Company.
  • Warekois, R. S., Robinson, R., & Primrose, P. B. (2020). Phlebotomy: Worktext and procedures manual (5th ed.). Elsevier Inc.

Exam structure

The questions on the ASCP PBT exam cover six content areas:

  1. Circulatory system
  2. Specimen collection
  3. Specimen handling, transport, and processing
  4. Waived and point-of-care testing
  5. Non-blood specimens
  6. Laboratory operations

1. Circulatory system

The first content area, Circulatory system, is worth 5-10% of the exam and will ask you questions about:

  • The heart
  • Arteries, veins, and capillaries
  • Types of blood
    • Venous
    • Capillary
    • Arterial
  • Plasma and serum
  • Blood cells
    • Red blood cells
    • White blood cells
    • Platelets
  • Terminology related to the circulatory system
Just one competency — Specimen collection — is worth 45-50% of the exam! Because this competency is so important, make sure to spend a significant amount of your study time on it.

2. Specimen collection

The second content area of the ASCP PBT exam, Specimen collection, is worth 45-50% and is, therefore, the most important content area in the exam. You will be asked questions about:

  • Reviewing and clarifying orders
  • Communicating with patients
    • Giving pre-collection and post-collection instructions
    • Age-specific communication techniques
    • Communicating with patients with special needs
  • Identifying the patient
  • Selecting the site
  • Preparing the puncture site
  • Puncturing the site
  • Collecting blood samples in the correct order
  • Equipment
    • Tubes
    • Anticoagulants
    • Needles
  • Complications (fainting, hematoma, IV, etc.)

3. Specimen handling, transport, and processing

The third content area of the ASCP PBT exam, Specimen handling, transport and processing, is worth 15-20% of the exam and will ask you questions about:

  • Receiving specimens into the lab (accessioning)
  • Labelling specimens
  • Checking samples for abnormalities
    • Hemolysis
    • Clots
    • Insufficient quantity
    • etc.
  • Centrifuging specimens
  • Aliquoting specimens
  • Storing specimens
  • Transporting specimens
  • Special samples
    • Chain-of-custody
    • Alcohol testing
    • Forensic testing
    • Newborn screening

4. Waived and point-of-care testing

The fourth content area of the ASCP PBT exam, Waived and point-of-care testing, is worth 5-10% of the exam and will ask you questions about:

  • Urinalysis
    • Dipstick tests
    • Tablet reagents
    • Urine pregnancy tests
  • Waived hemoglobin tests
    • Waived hematocrit tests
  • Waived coagulation tests (e.g. PT, INR)
  • Glucometer testing
  • Kit tests
    • Strep screen
    • Rapid influenza test
    • COVID antigen test
    • etc.
  • Quality control

5. Non-blood specimens

The fifth content area, Non-blood specimens, is worth 5-10% of the exam and will ask you questions about:

  • Physiology
  • Collection of:
    • breath (e.g. H. pylori, lactose)
    • nasal/nasopharyngeal swabs
    • stool
    • sweat
    • urine (random, clean-catch, 24-hour)
  • Processing, storage, and transport of:
    • buccal swabs
    • cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)
    • breath
    • nasal/nasopharyngeal swabs
    • semen
    • sputum
    • stool
    • sweat
    • urine

6. Laboratory operations

The sixth and final content area of the ASCP PBT exam, Laboratory operations, is worth 10-15% of the exam and will ask you questions about:

  • Quality assurance
    • Quality control
    • Proficiency testing
  • Communication and interaction
  • Ethics
    • Confidentiality (HIPAA)
    • Consent
    • Standard of care
    • Malpractice
    • Negligence
  • Regulations
    • Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA)
    • Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
  • Organizations
    • Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI)
    • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
    • Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
    • Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)
    • College of American Pathologists (CAP)
    • The Joint Commission (TJC)
    • National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)
    • Transport organizations
      • Department of Transportation (DOT)
      • International Air Transport Association (IATA)
  • Coding and billing
    • International Classification of Diseases (ICD)
    • Advance Beneficiary Notice of Noncoverage (ABN)
    • Test complexities
  • Safety
    • Chemical safety
      • Safety data sheets
      • Chemical labeling
      • Chemical hazards
    • Fire safety
      • Fire protocols
      • Fire classes
      • Fire extinguishers
    • Radiation
    • Infection hazards
      • Decontamination
      • Disinfection
      • Hand washing
      • Labels
      • Needle safety
      • Patient isolation
      • PPE (Personal Protective Equipment)
      • Routes of transmission
      • Safety symbols and signs
      • Standard Precautions
  • Waste disposal