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!
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I paid $225 and now I'm eligible to take the exam sometime in the next 3 months. Then hopefully I'll be certified and more competitive in the job market. I'm a bit weary; there's about a dozen ways you can disqualify yourself and have to start over, no refund, pay the fee again in full. On top of that I need to know the material, and most study guides are behind paywalls. The BOC book I bought doesn't seem that helpful. Has anyone else dealt with this process?
Any advice for good study materials? I hate everything about this so far.
Daisy in Orange, California said: sure.maybe we help each other we pass huh? Give me your email and I will contact you.thanks Hi Daisy.
I have my BSCT(ASCP)- Cytotechnology and am working to move into the Mol Diag world. I work in Cypress, CA and live in Long Beach. I just sent a note as well to CLS142 in Glendale. Have you both connected?
Any info learned from each other? The posts on this website have been EXTREMELY helpful in learning the path to Mol Diag.
If you're comfortable, please email me and we can stay in contact about this subject. EC in Long Beach, California said: Hi Daisy. I have my BSCT(ASCP)- Cytotechnology and am working to move into the Mol Diag world.
I work in Cypress, CA and live in Long Beach. I just sent a note as well to CLS142 in Glendale. Have you both connected? Any info learned from each other? The posts on this website have been EXTREMELY helpful in learning the path to Mol Diag. If you're comfortable, please email me and we can stay in contact about this subject.
[email protected] Out of curiosity, what does moving to the Molecular Diagnostics world mean, exactly? KM in Wendell, North Carolina said: I was wondering if anyone had taken the ASCP Molecular certification exam?
Hardly any information is available online. I am scheduled to take the exam in April. I have the content guideline and reading list from ASCP website. I would like to get my hands on sample questions or a sample test. I have Master's degree in Molecular Biology (2002) and have worked in academic research and now in a clinical.
I have started rewieving all my old textbooks, but I don't know in how much detail I need to know all the topics. Any information would be much appreciated. Thanks so much! KM Hi KM, I'm sorry but I do not have information regarding ASCP exams in MB, but I'd like to ask you if you could tell me more about your degree and how you obtained your degree.
Free Study Guide For Ascp Phlebotomy Exam
I am practicing cytotechnologist who is researching other career options and options that could support my cytology experience. I am interested in obtaining a masters degree in molecular biology and I like to know more information about it?
I'm interested in genetics, however I was wondering if a masters in MB required a lot advanced math skills(calculus)? Also, what kind of job opportunities are there for a person with a masters in MB? Please anyone may respond. I have a BS in Microbiology and I had taken Calculus I, II and III for my undergrad.
You don't really need advanced math skills on that level for Molecular, but you need to be able to do basic conversions - milliliter to microliters, grams to micro- and nanograms, molarity calculations, etc. I earned my Masters degree in two years as a full-time on-campus student. I did a thesis research project, wrote a thesis and defended it to earn my degree. There are many job opportunities available, depends on what you are interested in, where you are located at, and if you are willing to relocate. USDA has laboratories is Ames, Iowa.maybe that is close to you? If you are interested in genetics, you might look into getting a Masters degree in Genetic.
One of my friends did that. I know somebody who was a CT (Cytotechnologist) and took the exam, they claim it was pretty difficult, especially if you have not studied the material or are 'rusty' on your molecular bio.
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They did order the Buckingham book, however it is a bit of a complex read and some chapters you don't need to read for the MB test. The most frustrating thing they found was that there are no sample questions or tests to study from, so they had no idea what kinds of questions they would be asked.
They said to definately know molecular techniques and testing (such as PCR, RT-PCR, TMA, NASBA, etc), DNA replication and the enzymes, HIV viral load, genetic diseases and the mutation assoc. With them (such as Fragile X, Duchenne's, Hemochromatosis, etc) and how to read a PCR run. Also know the translocations associated with certain lymphomas such as the t(9:22) in AML, and things like Her2Neu, BCL-2 and EGFR. They also said there are a few questions on operations (such as CPT codes for molecular tests and questions regarding the technical procedure manual and CLIA regulations) And yes, it tells you right there if you pass or fail.it will say 'Preliminary Results' PASS or FAIL. All in all they said it was not easy and you should give yourself atleast 3-6 months of good study time before you consider taking it. I am thinking of taking it as well and will take their advice, as I am ordering the Buckingham book. HUGE thank you to everyone before me who took it and posted information they took from the exam!
I guess it's my turn to pay it forward. I used the Buckingham book plus some notes coworkers lent me which were basically reiterations of the content in the book, but the book was my BIBLE. I went through the practice questions at the end of each chapter and read every chapter.at least TWICE. Things to know (I realize some of this has already been stated by previous posts but I'm too tired to filter it out right now). DNA replication.helicase, topoisomerase, ssbp, telomerase, ligase, replication fork, your alpha beta gamma delta epsilon polymerases, Taq. Even a couple RNA pol (insert roman numerals) popped up. Know how to read a gel or other types of assays for DNA thumbprinting paternity testing, etc.
Purposes of various controls. Validity of assays. How to troubleshoot or tweak PCR for higher specificity, etc.
Know all your PCR techniques.how they're different. Know your major diseases.primary causes of mutations.
Huntingtons.(everything in the book) A couple virus questions threw me off.like what kind of HPV causes cervical cancer. What kind of virus causes some sort of nephrotic kidney dysfunction (and they give you the abbreviations and NOT the actual names of the viruses in the answer choices but I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that was a practice question, a crappy one.but still a practice question that doesn't even count. But if you stick to that guidelines outline, like REALLY REALLY COVER EVERYTHING on it.you'll be golden.
Good luck to everyone and thanks again! To Smily, I dont think that you are eligible to take the exam. Like you, i got my master degree in Biotechnology.
I worked in a CLIA certified clinical diagnostics for 6 months before i applied for the MB. Check the ASCP website. For you, you should take route 4 which for someone who has master/phd degree.
The requirement is that you need to work in CLIA certified clinical diagnostics lab for 6 months before they allow you to take the exam. I took my exam on Saturday. The exam was not that hard at all. Since you got master degree in biotechnology,i pretty sure that you dont have any problem in understanding the material at all. Please leave me message here if you need any more information. Thanks for your respond. I have a similar question.
I have a PhD degree in Molecular and Genetics. I've worked for a CLIA certified clinical diagnostic for three years. We do real-time PCR assays for diagnosing a chronic viral infection. I plan to take ASCP MB exam. I'm not sure if i'm eligible as our lab was not accredited by CMS approved organization such as CAP. I called ASCP today. A lady told me that if our lab is not CAP or other CMS approved organization accredited I am not eligible for taking this board exam.
Is this correct? Thank you very much for your advice. Any suggestion will be greatly appreciated! Karen in Sugar Land, Texas said: To Smily, I dont think that you are eligible to take the exam. Like you, i got my master degree in Biotechnology. I worked in a CLIA certified clinical diagnostics lab for 6 months before i applied for the MB.
Check the ASCP website. For you, you should take route 4 which for someone who has master/phd degree.
The requirement is that you need to work in CLIA certified clinical diagnostics lab for 6 months before they allow you to take the exam. I took my exam on Saturday. The exam was not that hard at all.
Since you got master degree in biotechnology,i pretty sure that you dont have any problem in understanding the material at all. Please leave me message here if you need any more information. Eveyon'e comments were EXTREMELY helpful. I took it a few weeks ago and passed.
I studied so hard and there were many things that frankly weren't in any book. I would suggest really really knowing your biochemistry. I had a lot of questions about optimizing PCR reactions.
Study Guide For Ascp
Know PCR very very well. Also be prepared to figure out primers, and its not as straight forward as you would think. KNow your polymerases and all the enzymes in replication and translation. Know how to do paternity and know all the gene translocations for the various leukemias.
Southern blot, Nasba, Cleavase, RNAse H, analyzing gels, Hybrid capture, bDNA, know a little about CPT codes. There are no true/false questions. Know about the main inherited diseases like Fragile X and Cystic fibrosis.
I didn't get a sickle cell question but you could so I would know that too. Know HIV and HCV and EBV inside and out. I probably guessed on only 2 questions but many of the questions were very hard and its sort of confusing to be looking at all these Cs, Ts, Gs, and As on a. The ASCP study guide was really good, follow that to a T. I studied using the Buckingham book, the Coleman/Tsongalis book, the Persing book.
I truly had to use my brain for this test, it wasn't just testing to see if you memorized stuff from a book, you have to have a true and in depth understanding of the material and be able to apply it in the problems presented. I tried to find practice questions and all the questions I found were NOTHING like the questions on the test, and in fact I was constantly finding errors in many books, which is confusing! Bwmsmb in Lubbock, Texas said: If anyone is interested there is a 1 year Master of Science in Molecular Pathology program at Texas Tech University Sciences Center in Lubbock Texas. Not only do you get your masters in a year, you get an, 3 research projects to put on your resume, Forensic and Health Department rotations, and publication potential!! It is one of the top molecular diagnostic programs in the nation! If you have further questions let me know. What type of job can one obtain after completing the program?
Would one compete with MTs for molecular dx jobs? I see a lot of molecular dx positions advertised and the only qualifications are MT(ASCP), never MB(ASCP). Would employers prefer the MB certification over the MT certification for molecular dx jobs or are they basically the same (a rat is a lab rat)? Confussed in Los Angeles, California said: I have passed NCA Mol Bio test in early 2008 which is now recognised as MB(ASCP) but I can not get a California license because I never worked in a clinical, I always worked for acameia non clinical mol bio labs. I got a Cal trainee license in mol biol and genetics but can not secure a place to get my 1 year training in California.
The best option would be to find clinical lab work in Mol Biol field out of California state and then it would count as a training and I would be fully licensed here in CA. I dont know where to look for to find someone a MB(ASCP) certified with years of non clinical Mol Biol lab experience! Any help is highly appreciated I just worked with the CSU system to help people in your situation get internships. There were about 7 new CA approved Clinical Genetic Molecular Biologist Scientist internships opened up in California. Reply if you want more information.