Passing the MLS ASCP exam means many things to many people.
To some people, earning the MLS ASCP is a means to acquire a state license in laboratory science.
To others, it means landing a better job, earning a higher salary, or helping to get ready for work before they have US VISA.
It means standing out from their peers.
Whatever the reason is, there’s no denying that passing the MLS ASCP exam and ultimately earning the MLS ASCP certification leads to improved personal and professional life.
However, passing the MLS ASCP exam is never a walk in the park.
To pass this career-defining exam, you must understand everything there’s to know about the MLS ASCP exam, including the suggested reading lists and content areas, get an exceptional study guide, get the best exam prep course available, and put effort into your study.
But again, is that all it takes to ace the MLS ASCP exam?
Here’s what many medical laboratories who have passed the exam have to say on how to do the same:
Total Time:2 minutes
Understand The MLS ASCP Exams
Know about the exam format, number of questions, and average pass score.
Check the MLS ASCP Exam Content Areas (Syllabus)
Goo through the BOC content areas and topics.
Start Early
Take the exam prep classes and start reading months before you apply for the certificate exam.
Plan To Study
Have a sound study plan and place.
Use The MLSIA MLS ASCP Exam Resources
Get the most comprehensive reading material and an all-in-one study guide.
Utilize the MLS ASCP QBank
Assess yourself with Question Banks.
Know What You Need On The Exam Day
Get to the venue time and don’t bring prohibited materials to the exam hall.
Try and Stay Healthy
Eat good food, exercise, and get enough sleep.
Supply:
MLSIA MLS ASCP Course
Tools:
MLSIA MLS ASCP Course
Materials:Live Classes,
Recording Of Classes,
MLSIA MLS ASCP Study Guide,
MLSIA QBanks,
Study Plan,
HOW To Pass MLS ASCP Exam Action Plan
Understanding The MLS ASCP Exams
The first step to passing the MLS ASCP exam is to understand everything about this professional certification exam.
You must try to get all the information you can, from the exam pattern to the syllabus and reading list.
Like all ASCP certificate exams, the MLS ASCP exam utilizes the Computer Adaptive Testing (CAT).
This means that questions come with a hierarchy of difficulty.
When you sit to take the ASCP MLS exam, the computer will automatically give you soft questions at first.
The more correctly you get a question, the tougher the next one will come after it.
This will go on and on till you fail to get a question correctly.
Only then will the difficulty level drop.
This way, the MLS ASCP exam easily assesses the test takers’ ability.
Also, the MLS ASCP exam comes with multiple-choice questions.
You’ll be given only 2 hours and 30 minutes to provide answers to these questions.
Therefore, you need speed and accuracy to excel in this exam.
Give your best shot to every question that comes your way.
Never make the mistake of relying on soft questions, as they may fail to give you the needed average score.
Always remember that the MLS ASCP certificate exam is about evaluating every applicant.
Your theoretical and procedural knowledge of medical laboratory science is carefully evaluated.
Your leadership and judgment-making are equally put to the test.
The MLS ASCP theoretical questions are designed to assess your skills in applying what you know, calculating results, and correlating patient results to disease states.
The procedural end of the test assesses your skills regarding performing laboratory techniques and following quality assurance protocols.
MLS ASCP Exam Content Areas (Syllabus)
While preparing to pass the MLS ASCP exam, you must avoid the dangerous mistake of not knowing all the core MLS ASCP exam content areas, topics under each content area, and the question percentage.
Here are the ASCP BOC published content areas with topics and percentages.
Chemistry: 20–25%
Hematology: 20–25%
Blood Bank: 15–20%
Microbiology: 15–20%
Lab Operation: 5–10%
Immunology: 5–10%
Urinalysis and body fluids: 5–10%
Check the MLS ASCP Reading List
The ASCP BOC is kind enough to drop 49 study resources.
These suggested study resources include 28 textbooks, 15 online associations, and 3 journals, covering all MLS ASCP content areas.
If you so much desire to pass the MLS ASCP exam, you must go through these resources.
Journals
“Clinical Laboratory Science” by the American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science
“Laboratory Medicine” by Oxford University Press.
“Medical Laboratory Observer” by Endeavor Business Media, LLC
“Urinalysis and Body Fluids (7th ed.)” by Strasinger, S.K. & Di Lorenzo, M.S. (2021).
“Fundamentals of Urine and Body Fluid Analysis (5th ed.)” by Brunzel, N.A. (2022).
Laboratory Operations:
“Clinical Laboratory Science: Concepts, Procedures, and Clinical Applications (9th ed.)” by Turgeon, M.L. (2022).
“Henry’s Clinical Diagnosis and Management by Laboratory Methods (24th ed.)” by McPherson, R.A. & Pincus, M.R. (2021).
Getting the Best Study Guide
Although the BOC offers ideally all you need to pass the MLS ASCP exam, attempting to take it solo could be overwhelming.
This is where MLS ASCP Prep courses come.
The MLSIA MLS ASCP prep course pack interactive classes, test practices, and, more importantly, a comprehensive study guide.
Your choice of MLS ASCP exam study guide should be,
Conclusive:
To pass the MLS ASCP exam, only go for conclusive study materials. Conclusive study material should cover all BOC content areas and topics extensively.
No single topic or concept should be considered unimportant and should be omitted from the package.
All-in-One Solution:
No doubt, the long BOC-suggested reading lists are endless.
It’s easier to get drowned trying to compile, sort, and organize these lists into something brief yet meaningful.
But a good study guide should take the pain and do so.
It should offer all the suggested reading materials and content areas in one package.
Comprehensive:
Beyond compiling all the BOC reading lists concerning all the content areas, a good study guide should make these materials easy to understand.
Having comprehensive study material makes taking the MLS ASCP exam much easier.
It packs all the necessary concepts and feeds them to you in the most simplified pattern.
Excellent Test Practice:
Passing the MLS ASCP certificate exam requires knowing all you can find out about the exam, including having a feel of the questions, even before your actual exam.
A good study material should offer MLS ASCP standard exam questions and conditioning.
By stimulating the actual MLS ASCP exam, you discover faster your strengths and weak areas and make necessary adjustments on time.
This ultimately builds the right mindset and acts as a confident booster—all necessary to pass the MLS ASCP exam.
Accessible In All Forms:
To stand out in your MLS ASCP exam, you should go for the right materials that are easy to use and readily available in all formats, whether video or PDF.
Start Early
To pass the MLS ASCP exam, you need to make your plans early.
Starting early gives you enough time to research and understand the MLS ASCP exam and its pattern.
It equally gives you time to review your study materials, get a prep course, and finish your MLS ASCP classes.
The more time you have to do all these, the better prepared you’ll be to pass the MLS ASCP exam.
Furthermore, everything will go at your pace when you start on time.
You don’t need to feel hurried to go through your reading materials or speed up your prep classes.
This makes understanding and retention of what you study very possible.
As a rule of thumb, never book an MLS ASCP exam when you’re not about 80% ready.
Your exam is less than 45 days from the day you booked.
Plan To Study
When planning to study for your MLS ASCP exam, ask yourself,
How many hours per day and total hours per week should I dedicate
Do I need to temporarily stop working or take a vacation to meet up with my readings?
Do I need to sign up for an online preparation class? If so, what is the best MLS ASCP online prep course for me?
Your study schedule should help you manage your reading time.
It should also break your reading into sections and ensure you properly cover all BOC content areas without reflecting on any.
It should be very practical as well as flexible.
A practical study plan will help you stay on track and avoid procrastination.
Above all, when you make time to study, put in effort to meet up with your study schedule.
Use The MLSIA MLS ASCP Exam Resources
The ASCP Board of Certification has provided all the MLS ASCP exam resources—from reading lists to content areas.
However, to some people, trying to put all these together in a form that makes sense could be challenging.
Regardless of how smart you may be, this is your first time taking the exam, or you’ve never passed the MLS ASCP exam.
You need guidance from someone or people who has taken the journey before you.
You need the MLSIA MLS ASCP exam resources.
The MLSIA team comprises astute medical laboratory professionals dedicated to advancing the cause of medical laboratory science.
This well-trained and vastly experienced team organizes the best resources that have helped hundreds of medical laboratory professionals pass the MLS ASCP exam.
The MLSIA MLS (ASCP) exam resources consist of an exclusive study guide, expository online classes, comprehensive reading materials, and well-rounded practice questions.
All of these are exclusive to the MLSIAcademy.com’s MLS ASCP certificate exam preparation course.
Therefore, to pass the MLS ASCP exam in one sitting, you need to do it with the MLSIA MLS ASCP course program resources.
Utilize the MLS ASCP QBank
Nothing prepares you better to pass the MLS ASCP exam than practising with the exam question bank. It makes no sense to do all the reading without assessing yourself.
Practising with the MLS ASCP exam QBank will give you a clearer perspective of what the exam questions look like.
It boosts your understanding of concepts and helps you understand and identify your weak areas.
So when you study and review what you’ve read, make time to practice with test questions.
The MLSIA MLS ASCP practice questions select questions from all the BOC content areas.
When you practice with the QBank, you understand what matters and what does not matter.
Also, when taking tests practice, track your performance, and make time to study the questions you answered incorrectly effectively.
Know What You Need On The Exam Day
No matter how well you prepare for your exam, some details you neglected could ruin your confidence at the last minute.
Be sure you’re prepared all around for the MLS ASCP exam.
While the MLS ASCP exam takes place at a Pearson Vue center of your choice, ensure that you know your exam center before the exam day.
Go to your exam venue on time and be there 30 minutes before the time. Also, go with any means of identification with your name, photograph, and signature.
It could be your state or national ID, Driver’s license, or passport.
Also, beware that mobile device, smartwatches, and reading materials are not allowed into the exam hall.
Try and Stay Healthy
You indeed need to pass the MLS ASCP exam to get to that point you dream of achieving in your career, but you can’t take the exam from a sick bed.
Neither do you want to spend the rest of your career after passing the MLS ASCP exam on a sick bed.
So, when preparing for the exam, take care of your health.
Know when to take a break and when to continue with your study material.
Get enough sleep, get some sunlight, and eat healthy foods.
Don’t rely on junk, as it could hamper your retentive ability.
Go for healthy brain foods.
Pass MLS ASCP Exam FAQs
What Score Do You Need To Pass ASCP MLS?
While the MLS ASCP exams are graded on a scale of 100 to 999, you need to get an average score of 400 to pass the MLS ASCP exam.
How Do I Know If I Passed The MLS ASCP?
Once you’re done with your exam, you’ll receive a “pass” or “fail” notification. The final exam report will be sent to your email within a few days after the exam.
How Many Questions Are On The MLS ASCP Exam?
The MLS ASCP certification examination comprises 100 multiple-choice questions.
Abdelhalim Elshawadfy is an ASCP certified Medical Laboratory Scientist (MLS ASCP), Specialist in Microbiology (SM ASCP), and Molecular Biology Technologist (MB ASCP) with a distinguished career marked by expertise, continuous learning, and a commitment to elevating the standards of clinical laboratory science. As an ASCP Certification Expert and American Board Certification Expert, Abdelhalim Elshawadfy continues to make invaluable contributions to the field, leaving a lasting impact on the medical community.
