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MLPAO MLA/T Certification Exam: Practice Test 1

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About the MLPAO MLA/T exam

The MLPAO MLA/T Certification Exam is a test that students must pass to work as laboratory assistants in Ontario, Canada. The exam is administered by the Medical Laboratory Professionals Association of Ontario (MLPAO).

About these practice questions

These practice questions will help prepare you for the MLPAO MLA/T exam.

This page contains 500 practice questions divided into the thirteen sections of the exam: 1. Standards of Practice, 2. Medical Terminology, 3. Basic Biology, Anatomy and Physiology, 4. Laboratory Mathematics and Quality Management, 5. Specimen Procurement, Processing and Data Collection, 6. Laboratory Safety, 7. Laboratory Equipment, 8. Histology and Cytology, 9. Clinical Microbiology, 10. Clinical Chemistry, 11. Clinical Hematology, 12. Transfusion Medicine, and 13. Electrocardiograms.

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

Check out all the practice tests in this series: Practice Test 1, Practice Test 2, and Practice Test 3.

Sections

  1. Standards of Practice
  2. Medical Terminology
  3. Basic Biology, Anatomy and Physiology
  4. Laboratory Mathematics and Quality Management
  5. Specimen Procurement, Processing and Data Collection
  6. Laboratory Safety
  7. Laboratory Equipment
  8. Histology and Cytology
  9. Clinical Microbiology
  10. Clinical Chemistry
  11. Clinical Hematology
  12. Transfusion Medicine
  13. Electrocardiograms

Section 1: Standards of Practice

1.1) Which of these status designations has the same priority as stat?
  1. ASAP
  2. Med Emerg
  3. Postop
  4. Preop
  5. Timed
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1.2) You must collect specimens from three patients: a fasting specimen, a pre-op specimen, and a routine specimen. What is the correct order of priority for collecting these specimens?
  1. Fasting, Pre-op, Routine
  2. Fasting, Routine, Pre-op
  3. Pre-op, Fasting, Routine
  4. Pre-op, Routine, Fasting
  5. Routine, Fasting, Pre-op
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1.3) A phlebotomist has a requisition to draw a peak antibiotic level at 8 AM for a patient receiving antibiotic therapy. However, when the phlebotomist arrives at the patient's bedside at 8 AM, they discover the patient has not yet received the antibiotic dose. What should the phlebotomist do?
  1. Administer the antibiotic dose
  2. Ask the nurse for the best time to draw the specimen
  3. Draw a trough level
  4. Draw the peak level immediately
  5. Wait 30 minutes before drawing the peak level
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1.4) A phlebotomist has several collections scheduled at the same time. How should the phlebotomist determine the order in which to collect the specimens?
  1. By easiest patient first
  2. By patient number
  3. By patient surname, in alphabetical order
  4. By priority status
  5. By room number order
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1.5) You are halfway through a routine collection when a nurse calls with an urgent request. What should you do?
  1. Finish the current procedure first
  2. Postpone the urgent request by 30 minutes
  3. Proceed immediately to the urgent request
  4. Restart the current procedure from the beginning
  5. Tell the nurse to collect it herself
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1.6) According to the Pareto principle, roughly _____ of effects come from _____ of causes.
  1. 60%, 40%
  2. 70%, 30%
  3. 80%, 20%
  4. 90%, 10%
  5. 99%, 1%
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1.7) Which of these laws primarily concerns data privacy?
  1. Canada Health Act
  2. HCCA
  3. Ontario Regulation 107/96 Controlled Act
  4. PIPEDA
  5. RHPA
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1.8) What is the term for mechanisms and processes protecting health information from unauthorized access?
  1. Accountability
  2. Confidentiality
  3. Privacy
  4. Secrecy
  5. Security
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1.9) What is the term for the obligation to keep health information private?
  1. Accountability
  2. Confidentiality
  3. Privacy
  4. Secrecy
  5. Security
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1.10) A patient asks a lab assistant for test results. What should the lab assistant do?
  1. Agree to call the patient at home
  2. Give the results to the patient
  3. Let the patient check their results on the lab computer
  4. Print a copy of the results for the patient, but keep the original results in the patient's file
  5. Refer the request to the supervisor
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1.11) Which of these is an example of constructive feedback?
  1. "I really enjoy working with you."
  2. "Please remember to mix the tubes after collection."
  3. "Thanks for all your help."
  4. "You have no idea what you're doing. Why can't you do your job properly?"
  5. “You need to do better.”
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1.12) What should you do first when entering a patient’s room?
  1. Ask the patient if they know why you’re there
  2. Ask the patient's name
  3. Close the curtains and dim the lights
  4. Introduce yourself and explain the purpose of the visit
  5. Prepare the equipment
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1.13) What should you do if a patient asks why a test has been ordered?
  1. Give a simple explanation
  2. Give a thorough explanation
  3. Guess based on the most likely diagnosis
  4. Refer them to their physician
  5. Tell the patient you are not allowed to answer
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1.14) A colleague is wearing sandals in the laboratory. What action should you take?
  1. Give your colleague your own shoes to wear
  2. Ignore it
  3. Inform your colleague that they should be wearing closed-toe shoes
  4. Make a complaint to the supervisor
  5. Recommend that your colleague receives a continuous learning plan
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1.15) What is the best way to confirm a patient has understood your instructions?
  1. Ask the patient to repeat the instructions back to you
  2. Ask the patient's family member if the patient understood the instructions
  3. Ask, "Did you understand the instructions?"
  4. Ask, "Do you have any questions?"
  5. Have the patient sign a form stating they understood the instructions
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1.16) A patient says she is afraid of needles and that she is scared the needle will hurt. What should the phlebotomist reply?
  1. “Don’t worry, it won’t hurt at all.”
  2. “I’ll explain what I’m doing, and we’ll go slowly, okay?”
  3. “You need to calm down so I can draw your blood.”
  4. "It's easy. Even children can do it."
  5. "There is no reason to be afraid."
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1.17) A laboratory technician overhears two nurses making inappropriate sexual remarks about an unconscious patient. What should the laboratory technician do?
  1. Discuss the incident with the patient's family members
  2. Do nothing since the patient is unconscious and unaware of what is being said
  3. Report the nurses' behaviour to the manager
  4. Share the incident on social media
  5. Tell the nurses that their behaviour is inappropriate
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1.18) The ten fair information principles are the core principles of:
  1. CHIMA
  2. CIHI
  3. Canada's Drug Agency
  4. Health Canada
  5. PIPEDA
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1.19) Which term means failure to take proper care in performing a task?
  1. Abuse
  2. Culpability
  3. Fraud
  4. Negligence
  5. Restitution
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Section 2: Medical Terminology

Section 3: Basic Biology, Anatomy and Physiology

Section 4: Laboratory Mathematics and Quality Management

Section 5: Specimen Procurement, Processing and Data Collection

Section 6: Laboratory Safety

Section 7: Laboratory Equipment

Section 8: Histology and Cytology

Section 9: Clinical Microbiology

Section 10: Clinical Chemistry

Section 11: Clinical Hematology

Section 12: Transfusion Medicine

Section 13: Electrocardiograms

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