Preparing to take ASCP MT exam in three weeks time

Ann in Meridian, Mississippi said: I took the test yesterday. I did not get the results. They said they would be mailed within ten days does that mean I failed?

I have not taken the test yet but I thought it tells you if you passed or failed right away...am I wrong?

Its supposed to

chu in North Las Vegas, Nevada said: hi SD! just want to ask which ASCP exam did you take.is it the ASCP or the ASCPi(international).after passing the test,aside from the test results sent to you after 10 days thru email, is there going to be a certification?

after passing the exam,is there anything i should do?like do i need to register?

now il be busy for job hunting.hope i can find one very soon

Hi Chu, havent been here in a while, just saw this right now.

I just took the regular ASCP not the ASCPi. And as far as I know, after you pass, they mail you your results within 10 days (which I already got in the mail), and after that it takes a couple of weeks or is it months before they mail you a certificate.

Also, if you might want to look into the visa screen process if you're going to be applying for a job here in the USA.

Hope this helps :)

BG in Selden, New York said: Hi SD, i am also taking ascp for my visa status and i also have few days left for the exam. can you please give me quick tips as i am sure u passed through the same pressure i have now. thanks

Hi BG...not sure if this is a little too late. The ASCP exam is very analytic but it certainly isnt impossible as it's sometimes made out to be. Make sure you understand the larger concepts of every area really well...instead of focusing too much on memorizing, focus on really understanding the subject..because the questions arent really recall type questions, they're more of application type questions. Also, as I've said before, concentrate on disease states...lab results associated with particular disease conditions...and try to keep calm during the exam (I know it's hard to, but staying calm will help you think rationally)..all the very best as you prepare to take the exam! :)

pearl in Baltimore, Maryland said: Hi guys! I just took the registry and passed, thank goodness!!! It's a relief. I would agree with everyone else about knowing symptoms for various conditions. The review cards were extremely helpful. I think I saw them on sale on Amazon.com. Also, I used the CLS Bottom Line Approach review book, and that was really good because it highlighted important points in each subject to remember, and it had sample questions along with good explanations for why the wrong answers were wrong. I also used the practice exams on the ASCP website. They were about $35 and 50 questions on each test (2 Comprehensives, and then one test for each subject). They were hard questions on the practice tests, so don't be discouraged by that, but they are really good for focusing on areas where you should review. Hope this helps

Congrats Pearlieeee! :P
And yes, I agree those review cards are the best resource for preparing for the exam.

NYC in Stony Brook, New York said: YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO I PASSSSSSSSSSSSEDDDDDDDDDDD!!!!!!!!!!!! WOOOT WOOT IM THE MANNNNN yay

congrats, NYC!!! :)

Ann in Meridian, Mississippi said: I took the test yesterday. I did not get the results. They said they would be mailed within ten days does that mean I failed?

From what I have heard, only when you fail the exam do they put up the entire results on the screen...ie what percent of questions you missed in the different sections of the exam. But if you passed, then it just says PASS on the screen at the end of the exam, without any breakdown of the scores and you get the results in the mail after 10 days.

SD in South Bend, Indiana said: From what I have heard, only when you fail the exam do they put up the entire results on the screen...ie what percent of questions you missed in the different sections of the exam. But if you passed, then it just says PASS on the screen at the end of the exam, without any breakdown of the scores and you get the results in the mail after 10 days.

Thanks maybe I still have hope of passing. I did not get any kind of result. Just said scores would be mailed in 10 days.

hi SD! thank for the reply..im busy looking for a job now in vegas.i already have my employmnet authorization document.im hoping to find a job really soon

CONGRATS PEARL AND NYC!

Vino in Fullerton, California said: Yes....you failed. Better luck next time

Just wanted you to know I got my letter in the mail today and I PASSED!!!!!

CLS48 in California said: Chu, your question is vague. You probably could find the answer in any review book. Paul by the time I got to question 50 I thought I had failed already. I was surprised to see that I passed after the test.

I mostly studied review questions from the green study book ascp provided and it didn't help me much. I studied for probably 3 weeks a few hours every day.

Do you have materials that you use to pass the test and want to sell it? I just moved to California and will hav to take the ASCP again, I took it in 1991.
thanks

SD in South Bend, Indiana said: THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH for all your good wishes. I just took the exam this afternoon and PASSED!! The exam was very tricky, but hey, if I can pass it after coming down with a cold and taking the exam on a groggy head burning up with fever, there is hope for all of you to pass! For those who are preparing to take it soon, make sure you know the disease states really well...i.e. what lab tests (mostly chemistry and hematology) you would expect with various diseases...the exam has tons of questions of that kind. Chu, I was really surprised that I had no panels at all in the exam. Ofcourse, since the exam is randomized, that doesnt mean that noone will get panels in their exam. Also, no parasitology questions at all...not even one! And to think of all the hours I spent memorizing what they all look like. Only a couple from mycology and immunology. My exam was mostly blood bank, micro, chem and hematology. And to reiterate, know the disease states. Hope this helps you prepare...and good luck to everyone else! :)

I had 3 panels! So, it just shows that it is luck of the draw.

CONGRATULATIONS DANA! gOOd JOB!

ann in Meridian, Mississippi said: Just wanted you to know I got my letter in the mail today and I PASSED!!!!!

Yes, but to pass technically you kinda have to fail as well. Remember the 60%. Sorry about my sarcasm but failing is passing. LOL. Funny concept.

hi i am planning to take the ascp exam but the problem is i only have the ascp bor green book and the 21st edition of henry as review materials. can anyone suggests other references or books that's very beneficial and i could purchase online. thanks.. help appreciated..

hi she,

i took the ASCPi exam and i used the following review materials:Robert Harr,Pearl of wisdom by Valerie Polansky and the Green book of ASCP.the queastions are more on case studies.Goodluck and Godbless

chu in North Las Vegas, Nevada said: hi she,

i took the ASCPi exam and i used the following review materials:Robert Harr,Pearl of wisdom by Valerie Polansky and the Green book of ASCP.the queastions are more on case studies.Goodluck and Godbless

hi chu thanks for the reply... i'll definitely order that right away..

she in The Valley, Anguilla said: hi chu thanks for the reply... i'll definitely order that right away..

I would recommend the reviewer by ciulla plus the green book of ASCP. Just analyze the questions then consult Henry if you'll not happy with your review progress.

she in The Valley, Anguilla said: hi i am planning to take the ascp exam but the problem is i only have the ascp bor green book and the 21st edition of henry as review materials. can anyone suggests other references or books that's very beneficial and i could purchase online. thanks.. help appreciated..

I took the ASCP last week and passed. I studied from my school notes, Robert Harr and Quick Review cards by Polansky.I think these cards are really good and easy to remember. I had a lot of panels and lots of QC on the exam, some were really hard, I never heard of them. But go through everything and practice as much multiple choice Qs as you can and you will do fine. The book by Robert Harr has good explanations to the answers and it helped me. Also, dont forget QC!!Good Luck!

Also, I was so stressed out because I had a job offer but it was contingent on my passing the exam, failing the exam would have costed me both the job and my visa. So if I can pass it under twice the pressure, anyone can!!

Also, the comments have really helped me. Thankyou everybody and good luck to those who are preparing to take the test.

NS in Texas said: I have not taken the test yet but I thought it tells you if you passed or failed right away...am I wrong?

you could see right away if you passed or failed..Indeed you are not wrong!!

I am currently working as Medical Technologist here in Washington having my ASCPi.Now I would like to ask if I could convert my ASCPi to ASCP? Is there any difference anyway? What will I do? Could you help me or advise me regarding this? Thank you!!!

you can take either the ascp or nca. If you did not pass the ascp take the nca. They are in the transition to unite, so if you have the the NCA or ASCP(BOR) they will form to ONE UNIFYING agency. You better do it soon because the merge will happen in a year or so, then you will only have ONE CHOICE b/c the agencies will be combined.

Hi everyone,

Im going to take the ASCP in a few weeks, only the hematolgoy portion, does anyone have any pointers for me? It would be greatly appreciated.

chu in North Las Vegas, Nevada said: hi she,

i took the ASCPi exam and i used the following review materials:Robert Harr,Pearl of wisdom by Valerie Polansky and the Green book of ASCP.the queastions are more on case studies.Goodluck and Godbless

Hello chu, I'm reviewing for the ASCPi exam and I also have the same books: robert harr,pearl of wisdom and the green book of ascp. Is this enough to pass the exam? Pls. reply, thanks.

hi janjan!

those are the only reviewers i used for the ASCPi.i think those are enough.

just learn to correlate tha lab results with the disease entity and youll be fine.as ive said,the test is more on case studies.Goodluck and Godbless

HELLO EVERYBODY I AM TAKING MY ASCP EXAM IN FEW WEEKS ANY SUGGETIONS, I AM SCARED FOR THAT EXAM, WHAT BOOKS TO STUDY.PLZ....

Its 100 questions, you will know if you pass or failed at the end. Its based on a tier system. If you get a question right you get a harder question, then if you get it wrong u get a easier question, I thought I failed b/c the questions really GOT HARD, but luckly I passed. If you are taking the generalist exam study the questions from the green book. Also, ascp website has a couple of practice tests that you can study from. Rani, if you do fail the ascp, take the NCA, they are in the process of merging. So if you have one of the two under your belt you will automatically get grandfathered into the new agency. If you do fail the ascp, go to the NCA website and take the NCA right away. I am not sure how soon the merge is going to come, but right now there is two tests.

This is the website about the merge

www.ascp.org/HomePageContent/Features/MajorLaboratoryCertificationAgenciesReachAgreementtoUnite.aspx

Hi I would like to take the ASCPi test. any advise from anyone will be helpful. i want to be prepared before i apply for it since i have been out of the medical system for a while. I would like to apply by next month is it enough time to prepare?

hi selina! i took my ASCPi exam last sept.i studied for almost 2 months and i did pass the exam.the test is more on case studies.correlating the lab results with the disease.

Goodluck on your exam

Hi everyone, I just took my ASCP exam for Technologist in Hematology and I PASSED! What a relief.I studied for about three months, made note cards on everything and I was surprised that I actually thought the test was pretty easy. I finished the test in about an hour. One thing that helped me is that I found that every disorder or disease is associated with a key word or clinical finding. So when I studied, I made sure I understood what key word correlated with which disease or disorder. For example auer rods are always associated with Acute Myelogenous Leukemia or Philadelphia Chromosome (9:22)is associated with a Lymphocytic Leukemia If anyone have any questions on hematology, feel free to send me a comment.

Hi SD, I guess I am in the same situation as you are....struggling to get my H1 visa and stay in the country...so am planing on taking ASCP CLS examination for Microbiology. I have completed my Bachelor's in Medical Laboratory Technology and Master's in Medical Microbiology from back home. Do you think it will be better to try for CLS general or Microbiology. Please Advice.

SD in South Bend, Indiana said: Hi,

I'm preparing to take the ASCP MT exam in three weeks time and I am freaking out. I am relying on passing this exam inorder to process an H1 visa, and so I desperately need to pass the exam just in order for me to even stay in this country. Talk about pressure! I wish I had more time to study, but I dont. Has anyone taken the exam recently? Any study tips for me? At this stage, I figure it's impossible for me to sit down with big bulky textbooks and start reading them so I'm relying heavily on the Polanksy review cards to study...and the green ASCP book. Any other pointers, anyone? Do the practise tests available online for the ASCP help at all with the exam? HELP. I'd appreciate any comments or advice at all :(

I just realized I put a link to the wrong thing. I meant to say, you might want to take a look at this book - NCA Review for CLS by Susan Becks. For some reason, I cant put up the link to it here...but you can search for it in amazon.

The other link that I provided shows you what kind of content you'd need to have a good understanding of in order to pass the ASCP MT general exam. If you decide to take that exam, you might want to go through this checklist and make sure that you understand all the concepts here well:
www.ascp.org/pdf/ExaminationContentGuidelinesMT.aspx

Hopefully, this helps you.

WHICH EXAM IS EASY ASCP OR NCA FOR MT'S

I am yet to take one but I guess ASCP is harder because it is a national board exam. hope it helps.

take the NCA its cheaper and its no so much theory based. I have both, under my belt when i graduated. You only need one. If you just graduted from a CLS program I would say take the ASCP, but if your not theory oriented and more applications based take the NCA. Both exams are GOOD. They both have theory, but NCA has a little less theory. Dont take both b/c they are going to merge, and they both require CE now.

None of the exams are easy, you nave to study well for them. If you dont study you will fail guarenteed. You have to know theory and application in both.

hi RICKY! just want to ask u something.i want to take the NCA exam but do i really need to have working experience to take that exam?i saw the application form of NCA and theres a part where they ask for working experience..can i skip that part or i really need to have working experience?

please help

Chu do you have your CLS degree from here? and was it w/in 5 years? if you have your CLS degree from the US and it was w/in 5 years your eligble to take the test, otherwise you need working experience as a generalist if you want to take the NCA generalist exam. CHU NCA is EXACTLY like the ASCP, they both require CE, and all university encourage their students to take either NCA or ASCP. Many have taken both. You dont have to know since they are merging, but the requirements are EXACTLY the same as the ASCP. Either a CLS/MT degree with in the past 5 years, or 3-5 years of clinical experience as a generalist. If I am mistaken please go to the website and give them a call. If you are eligible I suggest taken it soon, b/c the combined agency I am hearing is coming next year, then there will be only ONE test available.

Both are good test, one is more theory oriented than the other. If you just graduated CHU take the ASCP, but if you have been working for a while take the NCA. Both agencies have the same requirements so you MUST have those requirments in order to be eligible

hi JAMES.im not eligible to take the ASCP nor NCA since i dont have working experiece

hi SABER! i dont have both. so i guess i sholid take AMT instead

thank u SABER

thank u JAMES

Chu were did you get ur degree from? I suggest not to take the AMT b/c you will have a hard time finding a job, especially now they are going to merge.

i got mine from the Phillipines..
i dont have a choice but to take AMT

by the way are u a filipino?

With alot of degrees overseas you have to be careful in trying to find a job with those credentials. Most american certification agencies or licensures just take students that completed course work in an american university eligible to sit for either cert. I realize you have no choice but to take the AMT, but you might want to consider taking CLT/MT courses so you can be eligible for the ASCP or NCA. You will be very limited where you would be able to work as well as you will forget alot of the theory if you just find a job that takes the AMT. Its only like a extra year, if you really want to work in the clinical lab you might want to look into that.

I am looking for Certified MT with visa screen and H1...and willing to move to Alabama...email me twinklecp@gmail.com

...If you're as desperate for a job as I was, you might want to increase your odds by doing the CLS general exam.
Hope this helps. Good luck!
:)

hi SD,
i am at the situation as you were and we talked before to get H1 and visa screen certificate so the ascp test is also very important for me, i tried once but could not pass. And i took the date for second try but is it a good idea to take NCA rather than ASCP? could you please advise me? Thanks for your help