Medical Technologist Test Medical Technologist General Information 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which blood collection tube additive is used for coagulation studies such as PT and aPTT?
- EDTA (lavender top)
- Sodium citrate (light blue top) (Correct answer)
- Heparin (green top)
- Serum separator gel (gold top)
Correct answer: Sodium citrate (light blue top)
Sodium citrate (light blue top) chelates calcium to prevent clotting and is the required anticoagulant for coagulation factor studies.
Question 2: When a urine specific gravity reading is 1.030, this indicates:
- Dilute urine with low solute concentration
- Highly concentrated urine with high solute load (Correct answer)
- Isosthenuria consistent with renal failure
- Normal hydration status
Correct answer: Highly concentrated urine with high solute load
A specific gravity of 1.030 is at the high end of the reference range, indicating highly concentrated urine with a significant solute load.
Question 3: What is the purpose of using an internal standard in mass spectrometry-based laboratory testing?
- To calibrate the instrument's detector sensitivity daily
- To correct for matrix effects and variations in sample preparation (Correct answer)
- To identify unknown compounds by molecular weight
- To prevent ion suppression from occurring
Correct answer: To correct for matrix effects and variations in sample preparation
An internal standard, added to each sample, corrects for variability in extraction efficiency, matrix effects, and instrument response.
Question 4: A laboratory receives a hemolyzed specimen for a potassium assay. The correct action is to:
- Run the test and flag the result as hemolyzed
- Reject the specimen and request a new collection (Correct answer)
- Centrifuge and remove the hemolyzed layer before testing
- Add a correction factor to the result
Correct answer: Reject the specimen and request a new collection
Hemolysis falsely elevates potassium (RBCs contain high intracellular K+), so the specimen must be rejected and recollected to ensure accurate results.
Question 5: Which organization is responsible for certifying medical technologists in the United States with the MT(ASCP) credential?
- American Medical Association (AMA)
- American Society for Clinical Pathology Board of Certification (ASCP BOC) (Correct answer)
- College of American Pathologists (CAP)
- National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS)
Correct answer: American Society for Clinical Pathology Board of Certification (ASCP BOC)
The ASCP Board of Certification administers the Medical Technologist (MT) certification examination and issues the MT(ASCP) credential.
Question 6: The Beer-Lambert Law, used in spectrophotometry, relates absorbance to:
- Wavelength and temperature of the solution
- Concentration and path length of the analyte (Correct answer)
- Refractive index and viscosity of the sample
- Ionic strength and pH of the buffer
Correct answer: Concentration and path length of the analyte
Beer-Lambert Law states that absorbance equals the product of molar absorptivity, path length, and concentration (A = εlc).
Question 7: Standard precautions in the clinical laboratory require that:
- Gloves are only needed when handling visibly bloody specimens
- All human blood and body fluids are treated as potentially infectious (Correct answer)
- N95 respirators must be worn during all specimen processing
- Biohazard labels are required only on known HIV-positive specimens
Correct answer: All human blood and body fluids are treated as potentially infectious
Standard precautions assume all blood and body fluids may be infectious regardless of the patient's known diagnosis, protecting staff universally.
Medical Technologist Test Medical Technologist General Information 3
Which blood collection tube additive is used for coagulation studies such as PT and aPTT?