Medical Technologist Test Medical Technologist Knowledge 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which anticoagulant is used in the light blue (sodium citrate) tube and what is the correct blood-to-anticoagulant ratio?
- EDTA at 10:1
- Sodium citrate at 9:1 (Correct answer)
- Heparin at 8:1
- Sodium fluoride at 5:1
Correct answer: Sodium citrate at 9:1
Light blue tubes contain sodium citrate at a 9:1 blood-to-anticoagulant ratio, critical for accurate coagulation testing.
Question 2: A patient's peripheral blood smear shows hypersegmented neutrophils (>5 lobes). Which deficiency is most likely?
- Iron deficiency
- Vitamin B12 or folate deficiency (Correct answer)
- Vitamin C deficiency
- Copper deficiency
Correct answer: Vitamin B12 or folate deficiency
Hypersegmented neutrophils are a classic hallmark of megaloblastic anemia caused by vitamin B12 or folate deficiency.
Question 3: In urinalysis, a positive nitrite result on a dipstick indicates:
- Renal tubular acidosis
- Gram-negative bacterial infection (Correct answer)
- Proteinuria
- Presence of red blood cells
Correct answer: Gram-negative bacterial infection
Nitrite is produced when gram-negative bacteria reduce dietary nitrate to nitrite in the bladder.
Question 4: The QC rule that flags a run when two consecutive control values exceed the same 2s limit on the same side of the mean is:
- 1-3s Westgard rule
- 2-2s Westgard rule (Correct answer)
- R-4s Westgard rule
- 10x Westgard rule
Correct answer: 2-2s Westgard rule
The 2-2s rule is a warning rule indicating systematic error when two consecutive controls fall beyond ±2s on the same side.
Question 5: Which hepatitis B serologic marker is FIRST to appear after acute infection and is used to detect the window period?
- Anti-HBs
- HBeAg
- HBsAg
- Anti-HBc IgM (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Anti-HBc IgM
Anti-HBc IgM appears early and persists through the window period when HBsAg has cleared but Anti-HBs is not yet detectable.
Question 6: A sample showing hemolysis would most likely cause a falsely ELEVATED result for which analyte?
- Sodium
- Potassium (Correct answer)
- Calcium
- Glucose
Correct answer: Potassium
Hemolysis releases intracellular potassium from red blood cells into serum, causing spuriously elevated potassium results.
Question 7: The Gram stain procedure step that differentiates gram-positive from gram-negative bacteria is:
- Crystal violet application
- Iodine mordant step
- Decolorization with acetone-alcohol (Correct answer)
- Safranin counterstain
Correct answer: Decolorization with acetone-alcohol
Acetone-alcohol decolorization removes crystal violet from gram-negative organisms (thin peptidoglycan) but not gram-positive ones (thick peptidoglycan).
Medical Technologist Test Medical Technologist Knowledge 2
Which anticoagulant is used in the light blue (sodium citrate) tube and what is the correct blood-to-anticoagulant ratio?