2024 Edition

Phlebotomy Practice Test

Take this free Phlebotomy practice exam to test your knowledge of phlebotomy subjects.

While certification is not required to work as a phlebotomist in most states, certification can be required by an employer and be essential for promotion. Those working as certified nursing aides, medical assistants, registered nurses and emergency medical technicians can find the phlebotomy certifciaiton essential to their career.

A number of organizations offer certification as a phlebotomist or phlebotomy technician: The American Society of Clinical Pathology, the National Healthcareer Association, the American Medical Technologists, The National Phlebotomy Association and The National Center for Competency Testing.

The phlebotomy certification exams cover subjects such as the Circulatory System, Infection Control and Safety, Orders and Equipment Selection, Patient ID and Site Preparation, Specimen Collections, Processing and Transport, Problems and Corrections and Professional Issues.

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Circulatory System

1.	What is the main function of the circulatory system?
		a. To pump blood
		b. Receives blood supply from the body
		c. Carries oxygen and food to the cells of the body
		d. Returns deoxygenated blood from tissues
The circulatory system carries all the necessary nutrients to the parts of the body. The heart receives and pumps the blood out. Veins return deoxygenated blood from the tissues back to the heart. Incorrect answer. Please choose another answer.

2.	Which of the following are the two main functions of the circulatory system?
		a. Lymphatic vessels and Lymph nodes
		b. Heart and Blood vessels
		c. Pulmonary circulation and systemic circulation
		d. Cardiovascular system and lymphatic system
The circulatory system is responsible for circulating nutrients throughout the body to help the other organs do their job. The cardiovascular system (the heart) pumps the blood throughout the body and the lymphatic system is responsible for cleaning the blood. Incorrect answer. Please choose another answer.

3.	How much blood (on average) does the human body hold?
		a. 10 Liters
		b. 5 Liters
		c. 8 Liters
		d. 2 Liters
The average person has about 5 Liters (5.3 quarts) of blood in their body. Incorrect answer. Please choose another answer.

Specimen Collection

4.	There are multiple ways to get blood from a patient. What is the most common type of blood collection process?
		a. Arterial
		b. Venous
		c. Foot
		d. Hand
Venous blood is the most common way to collect blood from a patient. Capillary blood is commonly used for finger sticks (glucose) or heel sticks of an infant (bilirubin). Arterial blood is used for certain tests such as Arterial Blood Gas. Incorrect answer. Please choose another answer.

5.	Specimen integrity is very important. Which of the following can affect the specimen integrity?
		a. Time of collection
		b. Method of transport
		c. Hemolyzed specimens
		d. Initials of specimen collector
The method of transport is a main factor that can impact the integrity of a blood specimen. Incorrect answer. Please choose another answer.

6.	Each type of blood draw has its own description. What best describes a Venus blood draw?
		a. Flow is slow and even, easily controlled.
		b. Blood is dark red, flow is steady and easily controlled.
		c. Blood is bright red, pulsating flow, and harder to control.
		d. Blood is bright red, flow is pulsating, and easily controlled.
With a Venous blood draw, the flow of the blood is steady, and easily controlled when done. The blood is also dark red. Incorrect answer. Please choose another answer.

7.	Blood samples can easily be hemolyzed. What describes a hemolyzed sample?
		a. Improper phlebotomy techniques
		b. When RBCs are lysed
		c. Increased fats and lipids
		d. Increased WBC's
Hemolyzed samples are when the Red Blood Cells (RBCs) are lysed and release hemoglobin into the serum. The serum will become pink or red in color. Incorrect answer. Please choose another answer.

8.	Due to a patient's health, specimens can also be lipemic. What describes a lipemic sample?
		a. A thickened buffy coat
		b. Pink or red in color
		c. Hazy, opaque, or milky white
		d. Deep yellow, brown, or green
A lipemic specimen means that there is an increase of fats or lipids in the blood. After centrifuging the specimen (sometimes before) the serum will be a milky white, and hazy. The level of haziness is determined by the amount of fats in the blood. Incorrect answer. Please choose another answer.

Specimen Handling, Processing and Transport

9.	When collecting a specimen, there is a correct order to draw in order to not contaminate the next tube. What is the order of draw?
		a. Pink, green, gray, blue, red, yellow, orange, white
		b. Yellow, red, pink, white, gray, orange, blue, green
		c. Green, yellow, red, pink, blue, orange, white, gray
		d. Yellow, blue, red, orange, green, pink, white, gray
Yellow (blood cultures) will always go first due to their sensitivity. Blue, red (SST), orange, green, pink, white, and gray are the remaining order. Contamination of the tubes can drastically determine the results of the test. Incorrect answer. Please choose another answer.

10.	Each tube has to be inverted. How many times does a lavender (EDTA) tube need to be inverted?
		a. 8-10
		b. 3-5
		c. 4
		d. 5-6
The lavender tubes must be inverted 8-10 times to properly mix the blood and the EDTA (ethylenediamine tetra acetic acid) to prevent clotting. Clotting in these tubes can affect the specimen integrity and may result in a redraw. Incorrect answer. Please choose another answer.

11.	All SST (Serum Separator Tube) tubes have to be spun. How long must these tubes sit before being spun?
		a. 5 minutes
		b. 60 minutes
		c. 30 minutes
		d. 10 minutes
The specimen must be placed in a vertical position for a minimum of 30 minutes to allow for clotting. If the specimen is not fully-clotted before spinning, it can affect the integrity of the specimen. Incorrect answer. Please choose another answer.

12.	Tourniquets are an integral part of the phlebotomy process. What is the longest a tourniquet can remain on the patient's arm?
		a. 5 days
		b. 1 hour
		c. 1 minute
		d. 30 seconds
1 minute is the maximum amount of time a tourniquet can remain on a patient's arm. Any longer and it can affect the integrity of the specimen. Incorrect answer. Please choose another answer.

13.	The improper order of draw can lead to _____________.
		a. Expired tubes.
		b. Contamination.
		c. Filled tubes.
		d. Waste tubes.
Incorrect order of draw can result in contamination of the tubes. Contaminated tubes can lead to inaccurate results. Inaccurate results can lead to incorrect treatment. Incorrect answer. Please choose another answer.

14.	Inversion of the tubes is very important. How many times must a Blue tube be inverted?
		a. 3-4 times
		b. 8-10 times
		c. 4 times
		d. 5-6 times
Citrate tubes are always blue or light-blue and must be inverted 3-4 times for the proper mix. These tubes help determine coagulation in the patient's blood and must not clot. Incorrect answer. Please choose another answer.

15.	Centrifugation separates the blood into two parts. What are the two parts that are centrifuged out to test?
		a. Aliquot and aerosol
		b. Serum and lactic acid
		c. Cryoglobulin and plasma
		d. Serum and plasma
After being spun, an SST (Serum Separator Tube) produces serum and Lavender tubes produce plasma. Serum and plasma are the part of the specimen that is actually being tested. Incorrect answer. Please choose another answer.

16.	When inverting specimen tubes, what are you preventing?
		a. Hemolysis
		b. Ratios
		c. Contamination
		d. Aliquots
You are preventing hemolysis. A hemolyzed specimen may mean that the sample cannot be tested and a redraw is necessary. Hemolysis means that the red blood cells have burst and released hemoglobin into the serum or plasma, turning it a pink or red color. Incorrect answer. Please choose another answer.

17.	Different specimens require different and very specific transportation. When there is no special requirement for a tube, they are called ______________?
		a. Refrigerated
		b. Room temp
		c. Frozen
		d. Biohazard
Some tests require frozen or refrigerated transportation. Room temp samples are samples that do not require specific methods or conditions for transportation. Incorrect answer. Please choose another answer.

18.	Specimens must have clear labeling on each tube to help identify who it came from. What are the two main specimen identifiers?
		a. Name and date of birth
		b. Name and room number
		c. Date of birth and room number
		d. Year and name
A specimen must have two main patient identifiers. Patient name and date of birth are the two main identifiers. Incorrect answer. Please choose another answer.

Waived and Point-of-Care Testing (POCT)

19.	What is waived testing?
		a. Moderately low-risk testing.
		b. Test that can be performed bedside.
		c. High risk test producing incorrect results.
		d. Low risk test that produces incorrect results.
Waived testing produces no reasonable harm to the patient when the test is performed incorrectly. An example of this testing is glucometers for diabetic patients that can be performed bedside or at home. Incorrect answer. Please choose another answer.

20.	What is POCT?
		a. Testing that can be done at the lab.
		b. Testing that can be done at home.
		c. Testing that can be done at the park.
		d. Testing that can be done near the site of treatment.
POCT stands for Point of Care Testing, meaning that the test can be done near the site of treatment. POCT is usually done in a hospital setting and is done at bedside. Incorrect answer. Please choose another answer.

21.	What is an advantage of Point of Care Testing?
		a. Convenient, lower wait times, requires small samples.
		b. Reduces wait times, reduces stress.
		c. Requires a small sample.
		d. Reduces stress, produces incorrect results.
Point of Care Testing has been proven to reduce hospital stays because results are monitored in real time instead of waiting for results. It is convenient for the patient and requires small samples. Incorrect answer. Please choose another answer.

Non-blood Specimens

22.	Urine collections are a daily occurrence. Which of the following list two types of urine collection?
		a. Physical and chemical.
		b. Physical and random.
		c. First morning and clean catch.
		d. Timed and chemical.
The types of urine collection are random, first morning, clean catch, mid-stream, and timed. Each type has its own purpose. Incorrect answer. Please choose another answer.

23.	Home collections from patients is a daily occurrence. A patient brings in a sputum sample to turn in for testing. Where is a sputum sample from?
		a. Urine
		b. Fecal
		c. Cerebral
		d. Lungs
A sputum sample is fluid from the lungs. It is usually collected first thing in the morning by the patient at home. Incorrect answer. Please choose another answer.

24.	A patient comes in for an Occult Blood order. What does an Occult Blood test look for?
		a. Bacteria
		b. Fat
		c. Blood
		d. Stool
The patient must come to the lab to get a stool card. Fecal Occult Blood Tests (FOBTs) are done at home and test for blood in the stool. Results from this test can detect lesions or cancer in the GI tract. Incorrect answer. Please choose another answer.

25.	There are many different tests other than blood samples that come through a lab daily. When testing for Streptococcal infections, where is the sample obtained from?
		a. Nose
		b. Throat
		c. Ear
		d. Stool
Streptococcal infections are in the throat. The patient is to open the mouth wide and the inflamed area is swabbed. Incorrect answer. Please choose another answer.

26.	Thousands of samples are sent to a lab daily. When handling the samples, each specimen should be treated with what?
		a. Universal precautions
		b. Goggles
		c. Gloves
		d. Gowns
Universal precautions is an approach to infection control. Gloves, gowns, and goggles are all a part of universal precautions. They help to protect people from blood borne pathogens in human body fluids. Incorrect answer. Please choose another answer.

Laboratory Operations

27.	Which of the following agencies reviews and regulates clinical laboratories?
		a. NAACLS
		b. AUL
		c. OSHA
		d. CAP
NAACLS is the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Science. This agency does peer reviews to grant public recognition to educational agencies, and holds those agencies to defined educational standards. Incorrect answer. Please choose another answer.

28.	Hazardous chemicals are used in every lab. Where can you find all the information on every chemical kept in the lab?
		a. Online
		b. Safety data sheets
		c. Hazcom
		d. Safety binders
Safety data sheets (SDS)include everything you need to know about a specific chemical. They list properties of each chemical, environmental health hazards, and safety precautions for handling, storing, and transportation. Incorrect answer. Please choose another answer.

29.	The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) is responsible for which of the following?
		a. Setting legal limits for safe work practices.
		b. Setting comprehensive standards for inspecting clinical labs.
		c. Having labs comply with federal, state, and local mandates.
		d. Implementing and enforcing environmental laws.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is a federal government agency whose mission is to protect the health and the environment by implementing and enforcing environmental laws. They also sponsor and conduct research on environmental issues. Incorrect answer. Please choose another answer.

30.	What is the role of a phlebotomist in non-blood specimen collection?
		a. Accepting specimen, adding patient identifiers, retrieving specimen.
		b. Accepting specimen, collection instructions, labeling, test administration.
		c. Labeling, retrieving specimen, transportation.
		d. Labeling, transportation, retrieving specimen.
When collecting a non-blood specimen, the Phlebotomist is responsible for accepting the specimen when it is dropped off, describing collection instructions when the patient comes in to collect the containers, labeling and transportation, as well as administration of the test. Incorrect answer. Please choose another answer.

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