MEDICAL LAB ASSISTANT EXAM STUDY GUIDE WITH VERIFIED
QUESTIONS CORRECT ANSWERS | 2026/2027 LATEST UPDATE |
ALREADY GRADED A+
To correctly report a colony count in a urine culture plated using a calibrated 0.001 mL loop, the
observed colony count must be multiplied by which of the following?
a. 1
b. 100
c. 1000
d. 2000 -
ANSWER
c. 1000
Examination of peripheral blood smear revealed 12 nucleated erythrocytes per 100 leukocytes.
Which histogram observation correlates with this finding?
a. Failure of the granulocyte population to return to baseline on the leukocyte histogram
b. Shift to the left of the erythrocyte population on the erythrocyte histogram
c. Failure of the lymphocyte population to begin at baseline on the leukocyte histogram
d. Shift to the right of the platelet population on the platelet histogram -
ANSWER
c. Failure of the lymphocyte population to begin at baseline on the leukocyte histogram
A specimen for anaerobic culture is place in an anaerobic holding jar in order to:
a. Minimize exposure to oxygen
b. Maximize spore formation
c. Increase the growth rate of the sample
d. Decrease the exposure to UV light -
ANSWER
a. Minimize the exposure to oxygen
A clinical laboratory technician wishes to examine an unstained, wet preparation of cells or organism
prior to dehydration. Which of the following types of microscopes would be best to use in this
scenario?
, a. Phase Contrast
b. Fluorescence
c. Brightfield
d. Electron -
ANSWER
a. Phase Contrast
An organism gives the following reactions: TSI and KIA alkaline slant over an acid butt, H2S positive
ferments glucose. Based on these reactions, what is the most likely identification of the organism?
a. Proteus mirabilis
b. Esherichia coli
c. Pseudomonas aeruginosa
d. Salmonella sp. -
ANSWER
a. Proteus mirabilis
A pregnant woman who has active syphillis and a RPR of 1:32 is being treated with penicillin. She
gives birth to a baby boy. When the cord blood from the baby is tested, the RPR is 1:2. Based on the
above data, the most likely interpretation is:
a. The baby has congenital syphillis
b. The baby does not have syphillis. A titer this low represents passive acquisition of the antibody
from the mother
c. The baby does not have syphillis. A titer this low represents a biological false positive
d. No definitive conclusion can be made from this data. Further testing is necessary -
ANSWER
D.No definitive conclusion can be made from this data. Further testing is necessary
Which of the following potential donors would be acceptable for donation of whole blood?
a. An individual who had a tattoo applied
b. A phlebotomist with a reported needle stick injury 10 months ago
c. An individual who has just immigrated to U.S. from Great Britain
d. An 18-year old male taking antibiotics for a severe case of acne -
ANSWER
QUESTIONS CORRECT ANSWERS | 2026/2027 LATEST UPDATE |
ALREADY GRADED A+
To correctly report a colony count in a urine culture plated using a calibrated 0.001 mL loop, the
observed colony count must be multiplied by which of the following?
a. 1
b. 100
c. 1000
d. 2000 -
ANSWER
c. 1000
Examination of peripheral blood smear revealed 12 nucleated erythrocytes per 100 leukocytes.
Which histogram observation correlates with this finding?
a. Failure of the granulocyte population to return to baseline on the leukocyte histogram
b. Shift to the left of the erythrocyte population on the erythrocyte histogram
c. Failure of the lymphocyte population to begin at baseline on the leukocyte histogram
d. Shift to the right of the platelet population on the platelet histogram -
ANSWER
c. Failure of the lymphocyte population to begin at baseline on the leukocyte histogram
A specimen for anaerobic culture is place in an anaerobic holding jar in order to:
a. Minimize exposure to oxygen
b. Maximize spore formation
c. Increase the growth rate of the sample
d. Decrease the exposure to UV light -
ANSWER
a. Minimize the exposure to oxygen
A clinical laboratory technician wishes to examine an unstained, wet preparation of cells or organism
prior to dehydration. Which of the following types of microscopes would be best to use in this
scenario?
, a. Phase Contrast
b. Fluorescence
c. Brightfield
d. Electron -
ANSWER
a. Phase Contrast
An organism gives the following reactions: TSI and KIA alkaline slant over an acid butt, H2S positive
ferments glucose. Based on these reactions, what is the most likely identification of the organism?
a. Proteus mirabilis
b. Esherichia coli
c. Pseudomonas aeruginosa
d. Salmonella sp. -
ANSWER
a. Proteus mirabilis
A pregnant woman who has active syphillis and a RPR of 1:32 is being treated with penicillin. She
gives birth to a baby boy. When the cord blood from the baby is tested, the RPR is 1:2. Based on the
above data, the most likely interpretation is:
a. The baby has congenital syphillis
b. The baby does not have syphillis. A titer this low represents passive acquisition of the antibody
from the mother
c. The baby does not have syphillis. A titer this low represents a biological false positive
d. No definitive conclusion can be made from this data. Further testing is necessary -
ANSWER
D.No definitive conclusion can be made from this data. Further testing is necessary
Which of the following potential donors would be acceptable for donation of whole blood?
a. An individual who had a tattoo applied
b. A phlebotomist with a reported needle stick injury 10 months ago
c. An individual who has just immigrated to U.S. from Great Britain
d. An 18-year old male taking antibiotics for a severe case of acne -
ANSWER
