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MLPAO MLA/T Certification Exam: Practice Test 1

Number of questions: 500

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About the MLPAO MLA/T exam

The MLPAO MLA/T Certification Exam, or simply the MLPAO MLA/T exam, is an exam for medical laboratory assistants/technicians (MLA/Ts) in Ontario, Canada. It tests the basic knowledge and skills needed to work as a lab assistant or lab technician.

If you pass the exam, you become certified by the MLPAO. This can help show employers that you have the knowledge to work as an MLA or MLT. The exam is not required by law, but many employers in Ontario may ask for it or prefer it.

The exam is administered by the Medical Laboratory Professionals Association of Ontario (MLPAO).

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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
Answers are locked. Please click here to buy them. 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
Answers are locked. Please click here to buy them. 1.3) A phlebotomist is scheduled to collect a peak antibiotic level at 8 AM, but the patient has not yet received the dose. What should the phlebotomist do?
  1. Administer the antibiotic dose
  2. Ask the nurse when the dose will be given
  3. Draw a trough level
  4. Draw the peak level immediately
  5. Wait 30 minutes before drawing the peak level
Answers are locked. Please click here to buy them. 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
Answers are locked. Please click here to buy them. 1.5) A phlebotomist is drawing blood for a routine collection when a nurse calls with an urgent request. What should the phlebotomist 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
Answers are locked. Please click here to buy them. 1.6) Which of these actions demonstrates professionalism in clinical laboratories?
  1. Accepting gifts from patients
  2. Calling patients by their first name
  3. Discussing a patient's results with a colleague in a public area
  4. Following standard operating procedures
  5. Offering a patient advice based on their preliminary lab results
Answers are locked. Please click here to buy them. 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
Answers are locked. Please click here to buy them. 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
Answers are locked. Please click here to buy them. 1.9) A lab assistant notices that an unauthorized staff member has been accessing blood bank records. What should she do?
  1. Contact the patients involved
  2. Delete the records immediately
  3. Log out of your terminal
  4. Monitor the staff member's activity for a week to gather evidence
  5. Report it to a supervisor
Answers are locked. Please click here to buy them. 1.10) What is the term for the obligation to keep health information private?
  1. Accountability
  2. Confidentiality
  3. Privacy
  4. Secrecy
  5. Security
Answers are locked. Please click here to buy them. 1.11) A lab assistant talks about a patient’s biopsy result in the hospital cafeteria. Which professional expectation is not being met?
  1. Adaptability
  2. Confidentiality
  3. Continuing education
  4. Cultural humility
  5. Time management
Answers are locked. Please click here to buy them. 1.12) A patient asks a lab assistant for test results. What should the lab assistant do?
  1. Arrange to call the patient at home
  2. Give a general idea if the results are good or bad
  3. Give the results to the patient
  4. Let the patient check their results on the computer
  5. Refer the request to the supervisor
Answers are locked. Please click here to buy them. 1.13) Which of these is an example of constructive feedback?
  1. "I enjoy working with you."
  2. "Please remember to mix the tubes after collection."
  3. "Thanks for all your help."
  4. "Why can't you do your job properly?"
  5. “You need to do better.”
Answers are locked. Please click here to buy them. 1.14) 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
Answers are locked. Please click here to buy them. 1.15) A patient asks a lab assistant why a test has been ordered. What should the lab assistant do?
  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. Refuse to speak to the patient
Answers are locked. Please click here to buy them. 1.16) A colleague is wearing sandals in the laboratory. What action should you take?
  1. Ask your colleague to leave the laboratory immediately
  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
Answers are locked. Please click here to buy them. 1.17) 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
Answers are locked. Please click here to buy them. 1.18) A patient says she is afraid of needles and that she is scared the needle will hurt. What should the phlebotomist reply?
  1. "It's easy. Even children can do it."
  2. "There is no reason to be afraid."
  3. “Don’t worry, it won’t hurt at all.”
  4. “I’ll explain what I’m doing, and we’ll go slowly, okay?”
  5. “You need to calm down so I can draw your blood.”
Answers are locked. Please click here to buy them. 1.19) A patient wants a same-gender staff member to draw their blood. What is the best response?
  1. Ask the patient to sign a release of liability
  2. Inform the patient that staff are not assigned by gender
  3. Inform the patient that their request is discriminatory
  4. Refer the patient to the manager
  5. Try to accommodate the request
Answers are locked. Please click here to buy them.

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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