AMT MEDICAL LABORATORY SCIENTIST (MLS) CERTIFICATION
EXAM STUDY GUIDE 2026–2027 | COMPLETE MEDICAL
LABORATORY SCIENTIST PRACTICE QUESTIONS, DETAILED
RATIONALES & VERIFIED ANSWERS
WHICH IMMUNOASSAY METHODOLOGY IS THE EMISSION OF LIGHT BY MOLECULES IN AN
EXCITED STATE WITH A LIMITED AMOUNT OF HEAT AS THE RESULT OF A CHEMICAL REACTION?
QUESTION
A. CHEMILUMINESCENCE
B. IMMUNOCHROMATOGRAPHY
C. PHOTOMETRY
D. SPECTROPHOTOMETRY
ANSWER>> A. CHEMILUMINESCENCE
CHEMILUMINESCENCE IS THE EMISSION OF LIGHT BY MOLECULES IN AN EXCITED STATE WITH A
LIMITED AMOUNT OF HEAT (LUMINESCENCE) AS THE RESULT OF A CHEMICAL REACTION.
CHEMILUMINESCENT ASSAYS ARE ULTRASENSITIVE AND ARE WIDELY USED IN AUTOMATED
IMMUNOASSAYS AND DNA PROBE ASSAY SYSTEMS. CHEMILUMINESCENCE HAS EXCELLENT
SENSITIVITY AND DYNAMIC RANGE. CHEMILUMINESCENT LABELS CAN BE ATTACHED TO AN
ANTIGEN OR AN ANTIBODY. MOST CHEMILUMINESCENT REAGENTS AND CONJUGATES ARE
STABLE AND RELATIVELY NONTOXIC.
WHAT CHARACTERISTICS/FUNCTIONS DO CALIBRATORS HAVE?
QUESTION
A. CONTAINS A KNOWN AMOUNT OF ANALYTE BEING TESTED
,B. MONITORS THE QUALITY OF REAGENTS
C. MONITORS THE QUALITY OF THE SAMPLE
D. PREVENTS EQUIPMENT FAILURE
ANSWER>> A. CONTAINS A KNOWN AMOUNT OF ANALYTE BEING TESTED
CALIBRATORS ARE USED TO ESTABLISH A CORRELATION BETWEEN THE MEASUREMENT
RESPONSE AND THE CONCENTRATION OR AMOUNT OF THE SUBSTANCE THAT IS BEING
MEASURED BY THE TEST PROCEDURE.
ABSORBANCE CAN BE CALCULATED EASILY FROM PERCENT TRANSMISSION USING WHICH
CALCULATION?
A.2 - LOG10 %T
B.2 + LOG10 %T
C.LOG10 %T - 2
D.LOG10 %T + 2
ANSWER>> A. 2 - LOG10 %T
ABSORBANCE CAN BE CALCULATED EASILY FROM PERCENT TRANSMISSION USING 2 - LOG10 %T.
IF ALL THE LIGHT PASSES THROUGH A SOLUTION WITHOUT ANY ABSORPTION, ABSORBANCE IS
ZERO AND THE %T IS 100%. IF ALL THE LIGHT IS ABSORBED, %T IS ZERO, AND ABSORPTION IS
INFINITE.
WHAT IS A SUBSTANCE OR CONSTITUENT IN WHICH THE LABORATORY CONDUCTS TESTING?
,A. A SOLUTION
B. AN ADDITIVE
C. AN ANALYTE
D. AN ANTICOAGULANT
ANSWER>> C. AN ANALYTE
IN THE TESTING PROCESS, ANALYTES OR CONSTITUENTS ARE MEASURED.
WHAT DOES A COMMON APPLICATION OF THE POLARIZED LIGHT MICROSCOPE IN THE CLINICAL
LABORATORY DO?
DETERMINE FANAS WITH FLUORESCENCE
B. DETERMINE NEUTROPHILIC FROM LYMPHOCYTIC LEUKEMIA
C. EXAMINE HISTOCHEMICAL REACTIONS
D. STUDY CRYSTALS IN URINE AND IN CELLS
ANSWER>> D. STUDY CRYSTALS IN URINE AND CELLS
WHAT IS THE CHELATION OF CALCIUM IN THE EDTA TUBE?
A. MAINTAINS A CONSTANT TEMPERATURE FOR COMPONENTS
B. PREVENTS COAGULATION BY INHIBITING COAGULATION
C. PREVENTS THE SEPARATION OF BLOOD COMPONENTS
D. STOPS THE LYSING OF THE RED BLOOD CELLS
ANSWER>> B. PREVENTS COAGULATION BY INHIBITING COAGULATION
, CLSI RECOMMENDS THE SALTS OF THE CHELATING (CALCIUM BINDING) AGENT EDTA AS THE
ANTICOAGULANT OF CHOICE FOR BLOOD CELL COUNTING AND SIZING.
HOW MUST A LABORATORY OPERATE TO HANDLE TB SPUTUM AND TM MATERIALS?
A. BIOSAFETY LEVEL OF 2+ OR 3
B. BIOSAFETY LEVEL 4
C. LOCATION WHERE AIR EXCHANGE IS CONTINUOUS
D. LOCATION WHERE FUME HOOD EXHAUSTS ARE MONITORED DAILY
ANSWER>> A. BIOSAFETY LEVEL OF 2+ OR 3
BSL-3 BUILDS UPON THE REQUIREMENTS OF BSL-2. ORGANISMS THAT CAN CAUSE SERIOUS OR
POTENTIALLY LETHAL DISEASE THROUGH RESPIRATORY TRANSMISSION ARE TYPICALLY WORKED
WITH IN A BSL-3 LABORATORY. EXAMPLE: MYCOBACTERIUM TUBERCULOSIS.
WHAT ARE CLASS A FIRE EXTINGUISHERS USED FOR?
A. ELECTRIC EQUIPMENT
B. FLAMMABLE LIQUIDS
C. ORDINARY COMBUSTIBLES
D. POWDERED METAL (COMBUSTIBLE) MATERIAL
ANSWER>> ORDINARY COMBUSTIBLES.
EXAM STUDY GUIDE 2026–2027 | COMPLETE MEDICAL
LABORATORY SCIENTIST PRACTICE QUESTIONS, DETAILED
RATIONALES & VERIFIED ANSWERS
WHICH IMMUNOASSAY METHODOLOGY IS THE EMISSION OF LIGHT BY MOLECULES IN AN
EXCITED STATE WITH A LIMITED AMOUNT OF HEAT AS THE RESULT OF A CHEMICAL REACTION?
QUESTION
A. CHEMILUMINESCENCE
B. IMMUNOCHROMATOGRAPHY
C. PHOTOMETRY
D. SPECTROPHOTOMETRY
ANSWER>> A. CHEMILUMINESCENCE
CHEMILUMINESCENCE IS THE EMISSION OF LIGHT BY MOLECULES IN AN EXCITED STATE WITH A
LIMITED AMOUNT OF HEAT (LUMINESCENCE) AS THE RESULT OF A CHEMICAL REACTION.
CHEMILUMINESCENT ASSAYS ARE ULTRASENSITIVE AND ARE WIDELY USED IN AUTOMATED
IMMUNOASSAYS AND DNA PROBE ASSAY SYSTEMS. CHEMILUMINESCENCE HAS EXCELLENT
SENSITIVITY AND DYNAMIC RANGE. CHEMILUMINESCENT LABELS CAN BE ATTACHED TO AN
ANTIGEN OR AN ANTIBODY. MOST CHEMILUMINESCENT REAGENTS AND CONJUGATES ARE
STABLE AND RELATIVELY NONTOXIC.
WHAT CHARACTERISTICS/FUNCTIONS DO CALIBRATORS HAVE?
QUESTION
A. CONTAINS A KNOWN AMOUNT OF ANALYTE BEING TESTED
,B. MONITORS THE QUALITY OF REAGENTS
C. MONITORS THE QUALITY OF THE SAMPLE
D. PREVENTS EQUIPMENT FAILURE
ANSWER>> A. CONTAINS A KNOWN AMOUNT OF ANALYTE BEING TESTED
CALIBRATORS ARE USED TO ESTABLISH A CORRELATION BETWEEN THE MEASUREMENT
RESPONSE AND THE CONCENTRATION OR AMOUNT OF THE SUBSTANCE THAT IS BEING
MEASURED BY THE TEST PROCEDURE.
ABSORBANCE CAN BE CALCULATED EASILY FROM PERCENT TRANSMISSION USING WHICH
CALCULATION?
A.2 - LOG10 %T
B.2 + LOG10 %T
C.LOG10 %T - 2
D.LOG10 %T + 2
ANSWER>> A. 2 - LOG10 %T
ABSORBANCE CAN BE CALCULATED EASILY FROM PERCENT TRANSMISSION USING 2 - LOG10 %T.
IF ALL THE LIGHT PASSES THROUGH A SOLUTION WITHOUT ANY ABSORPTION, ABSORBANCE IS
ZERO AND THE %T IS 100%. IF ALL THE LIGHT IS ABSORBED, %T IS ZERO, AND ABSORPTION IS
INFINITE.
WHAT IS A SUBSTANCE OR CONSTITUENT IN WHICH THE LABORATORY CONDUCTS TESTING?
,A. A SOLUTION
B. AN ADDITIVE
C. AN ANALYTE
D. AN ANTICOAGULANT
ANSWER>> C. AN ANALYTE
IN THE TESTING PROCESS, ANALYTES OR CONSTITUENTS ARE MEASURED.
WHAT DOES A COMMON APPLICATION OF THE POLARIZED LIGHT MICROSCOPE IN THE CLINICAL
LABORATORY DO?
DETERMINE FANAS WITH FLUORESCENCE
B. DETERMINE NEUTROPHILIC FROM LYMPHOCYTIC LEUKEMIA
C. EXAMINE HISTOCHEMICAL REACTIONS
D. STUDY CRYSTALS IN URINE AND IN CELLS
ANSWER>> D. STUDY CRYSTALS IN URINE AND CELLS
WHAT IS THE CHELATION OF CALCIUM IN THE EDTA TUBE?
A. MAINTAINS A CONSTANT TEMPERATURE FOR COMPONENTS
B. PREVENTS COAGULATION BY INHIBITING COAGULATION
C. PREVENTS THE SEPARATION OF BLOOD COMPONENTS
D. STOPS THE LYSING OF THE RED BLOOD CELLS
ANSWER>> B. PREVENTS COAGULATION BY INHIBITING COAGULATION
, CLSI RECOMMENDS THE SALTS OF THE CHELATING (CALCIUM BINDING) AGENT EDTA AS THE
ANTICOAGULANT OF CHOICE FOR BLOOD CELL COUNTING AND SIZING.
HOW MUST A LABORATORY OPERATE TO HANDLE TB SPUTUM AND TM MATERIALS?
A. BIOSAFETY LEVEL OF 2+ OR 3
B. BIOSAFETY LEVEL 4
C. LOCATION WHERE AIR EXCHANGE IS CONTINUOUS
D. LOCATION WHERE FUME HOOD EXHAUSTS ARE MONITORED DAILY
ANSWER>> A. BIOSAFETY LEVEL OF 2+ OR 3
BSL-3 BUILDS UPON THE REQUIREMENTS OF BSL-2. ORGANISMS THAT CAN CAUSE SERIOUS OR
POTENTIALLY LETHAL DISEASE THROUGH RESPIRATORY TRANSMISSION ARE TYPICALLY WORKED
WITH IN A BSL-3 LABORATORY. EXAMPLE: MYCOBACTERIUM TUBERCULOSIS.
WHAT ARE CLASS A FIRE EXTINGUISHERS USED FOR?
A. ELECTRIC EQUIPMENT
B. FLAMMABLE LIQUIDS
C. ORDINARY COMBUSTIBLES
D. POWDERED METAL (COMBUSTIBLE) MATERIAL
ANSWER>> ORDINARY COMBUSTIBLES.
