This exam is developed and maintained by the ASCP Board of
Certification (BOC) to give credentials to those seeking professional
laboratory certification. This exam will test you for the skills, knowledge,
and abilities that are required for professionals in this field.
Who is Eligible?
To be eligible to take the MLT exam you must fall meet the requirements of one of the following routes:
- Have an associate’s degree or at least 60 hours of academic credit from an accredited institution and completed a NAACLS or ABHES accredited MLT program in the last five years, or
- Have an associate’s degree or at least 60 hours of academic credit from an accredited institution with 6 hours of both chemistry and biology and CLA certification, or
- Have an associate’s degree or at least 60 hours of academic credit from an accredited institution with 6 hours of both chemistry and biology and completed a 50-week military medical lab training course in the last 10 years, or
- Have an associate’s degree or at least 60 hours of academic credit from an accredited institution with 6 hours of both chemistry and biology and three years of full-time clinical laboratory experience in blood banking, hematology, chemistry, urinalysis/body fluids, immunology, and microbiology in the U.S. or Canada in the last 6 years
There is a non-refundable fee of $215 due at the time of application.
When and Where is it Taken?
After your application has been approved, you will be sent an email inviting you to schedule your exam appointment through Pearson VUE. You will be given a three-month exam period to schedule and take the exam.
Pearson VUE offers this computer-administered test year-round at one of their many testing centers located worldwide. It is recommended that you schedule your exam as soon as possible to get your preferred testing session and to complete your exam during your testing window. Space is limited and is filled on a first come, first served basis.
If you need to reschedule or cancel your appointment, you may do so by contacting Pearson VUE at least one full day or 24 hours before your original exam session. If you wait any longer, your changes will not be made, and you will have to forfeit all fees paid up to that point. You will receive a confirmation email of any changes from Pearson VUE when and if you successfully make these changes.
What Do I Bring?
Make sure to arrive at least 30 minutes before your exam appointment to complete the required check-in process. Those who arrive late will not be allowed to enter and will forfeit any fees paid.
Pearson will require that you bring at least one current and valid government-issued photo ID with you to the testing site. This must include your full legal name as it appears on your application, your signature, and a recent and recognizable photo. If your ID contains missing or incorrect information, you may be asked to submit another ID for presentation or risk not being allowed to enter at all.
Personal belongings of any kind are not permitted in the testing area. These will be kept in designated lockers during the exam and are not to be accessed until you leave the testing center. prohibited items include but are not limited to:
- Cell phones and/or other electrical devices
- Weapons of any kind
- Pencils, paper, or any kind of study material
- Watches, jewelry, and any outerwear such as hats and coats
You will be allowed to bring a non-programmable calculator, which will be inspected for approval. Writing materials for calculations will be provided for you.
What is Covered?
This exam consists of 100 multiple choice questions. Each question will only have one answer. You will be given two hours and 30 minutes to complete them all.
It is given in a computer adaptive format, which means that the questions are given based on your answers to previously asked ones. For example, if you answer a question correctly, the next one will be slightly harder in difficulty. If you answer incorrectly, the next question will be slightly easier and so on.
The exam is broken into seven main content areas. Below is a brief summary of each including the amount of weight it is given.
Blood Banking (15-20%)
Blood product, blood group immunology, blood group systems, serology, and molecular testing, transfusion practice, physiology, and pathophysiology
Urinalysis and Other Body Fluids (5-10%)
Microscopic analysis, physical and chemical testing, disease states, physiology
Chemistry (20-25%)
Acid-base determinations, lipids, heme derivatives, enzymes, carbohydrates, electrolytes, therapeutic drug monitoring, toxicology, vitamins, and nutrition
Hematology (20-25%)
Hematology laboratory testing, disease states, physiology, hemostasis
Immunology (5-10%)
Infectious disease serology, serologic and molecular procedures, test results, diseases of the immune system, principles of immunology, transplantation
Microbiology (15-20%)
Virology, analytic procedures for bacteriology and mycology, mycobacteriology, pre-analytic procedures, post-analytic procedures, parasitology
Laboratory Operations (5-10%)
Safety, lab mathematics, quality assessment/troubleshooting, manual/automated methodology, and instrumentation
How it is Scored?
You will be emailed within four business days from your exam date with access information to your score report. Once you have viewed your score, you may choose to have it sent to various state licensing boards or an employer.
If you have passed the exam, you will receive your official wall certificate by mail about three to five weeks after you receive your exam results. This certificate is good for three years and can be maintained by completing the Credential Maintenance Program.
If you fail the exam, your score report or results information will include information about re-testing, which will require you to re-apply and submit another fee. You can complete five exam attempts under one route. After those five have been taken, you will have to meet the requirement of another route to retake the exam.
How Can I Prepare for the MLT Test?
That’s a great question. We’ve broken down the answer into three parts.
- Do yourself a favor and study. Do not walk in unprepared. We have recommended prep materials below, but that only helps if you actually try. Plus, studying is actually proven to be the best antidote to test anxiety.
- Take care of yourself. Make sure you’re eating well, exercising, and sleeping. All of these things are scientifically linked to brain performance. If you take care of your body, you’ll be helping your grades.
- Get a study guide or set of flashcards. Some people study better a certain way. Find your study strengths and make the most of them. We’ve tried to make it easy for you by tracking down the best study guide and flashcard set for your exam. Below you’ll see links to both!