OpenExamsFREE PRACTICE — ANY EXAM

Scientist in Cytogenetics – CG(ASCP) — Requirements & Free Practice

US · License preparation

100 free questions · Answer explanations · No signup required

Loading selected examination banks…

Choose what to practice

Start with an exam below. Your examination requirements depend on your application pathway. View licensing requirements

Licenses, application pathways and examination requirements

Each license and applicant pathway has its own requirements and exemptions. Choosing practice questions does not determine your eligibility.

Scientist in Cytogenetics – CG(ASCP)

ASCP BOC certification in cytogenetics requiring eligibility verification and successful completion of the certification examination.

Licensing authority: American Society for Clinical Pathology Board of Certification · Application information

Initial by examination
ASCP BOC Scientist in Cytogenetics (CG) Examination
Acceptable Clinical Laboratory
{"anyOf":["CMS CLIA certificate of registration, compliance or accreditation","DoD CLIP certificate of registration, compliance or accreditation","JCI accreditation","Accreditation under ISO 15189"]}
Admission
ASCP BOC first evaluates eligibility. Once made Eligible, the applicant receives Admission Notification instructions and schedules at a Pearson Testing Center within the individual eligibility period; failure to test within that period requires reapplication.
Assessment Boundary
All three eligibility routes lead to the same identified CG certification examination. Laboratory training, documented technical experience and competency verification are applicant qualifications; they are not represented as invented additional independent examinations.
Cytogenetics Laboratory
A laboratory capable of providing knowledge and practical experience in clinical cytogenetics, including the official examples of primary cell culture and harvest, slide preparation and staining, chromosome analysis, microscopic and image analysis, and molecular techniques such as FISH and microarray.
Documentation
Upload applicable training/experience documentation and submit an acceptable transcript or transcript evaluation. Routes 2 and 3 require supervisor verification of technical experience and competency in moderate- and high-complexity testing; on-the-job training may count. The submitted two-page experience form also requires a supervisor letter of authenticity on institutional letterhead, stating the form was completed, signed and dated by the supervisor, with a wet signature.
Education
Education need not be obtained in the United States; the stated degree or higher and acceptable transcripts or transcript evaluations are required.
Eligibility
{"anyOf":[{"allOf":["Baccalaureate degree or higher from a regionally or nationally accredited college/university.","Successful completion of a NAACLS-accredited Cytogenetic Technologist program within the last five years; program education is acceptable for five years after completion."],"route":"Route 1"},{"allOf":[{"anyOf":["Baccalaureate degree or higher from a regionally or nationally accredited college/university with a major in biological science or chemistry.","Baccalaureate degree or higher from a regionally or nationally accredited college/university with 30 semester hours (45 quarter hours) in biology and chemistry, within or in addition to the degree."]},"One year of full-time acceptable clinical experience in an acceptable cytogenetics laboratory within the last three years, documented on the official Experience Documentation Form."],"route":"Route 2"},{"allOf":["Master's degree or higher in genetics or molecular biology from a regionally or nationally accredited college/university.","Six months of full-time acceptable clinical experience in an acceptable cytogenetics laboratory within the last three years, documented on the official Experience Documentation Form."],"route":"Route 3"}]}
Population
ASCP United States credential applicants; ASCPi is excluded.
Source Claim Ids
["cg-us-requires-r1","cg-us-registration-r1"]

ASCP BOC Scientist in Cytogenetics (CG) Examination

Provider
Pearson Testing Center
Format
Computer adaptive testing (CAT); multiple-choice questions with four answer options and one best answer.
Exam questions
Total questions: 100; The total includes the scored and unscored questions.
Time limit
2 hours 30 minutes
Passing score
400 on the ASCP BOC scaled-score range of 100 to 999.
Exam fee
US CG(ASCP) application fee: $260, non-refundable.
Examination outline

The authority publishes percentage ranges for each content area. The practice percentages below use the midpoint of each range, normalized to 100%; they are not exact percentages published by the authority. Practice question counts may differ slightly because of rounding.

  • Specimen Preparation, Culture, and Harvest — Official range: 20–25% (Practice allocation: 21.95%)
    • Specimen Preparation
    • Specimen Culture
    • Culture Harvest
    • Chromosome Banding and Staining Techniques
  • Molecular Cytogenetic Testing — Official range: 15–25% (Practice allocation: 19.51%)
    • Prepare Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization (FISH) Slides
    • Analyze FISH Slides
    • FISH Quality Control
    • Microarray
  • Chromosome Analysis and Imaging — Official range: 45–50% (Practice allocation: 46.34%)
    • Microscope and Imaging Equipment
    • Chromosome Selection, Analysis, and Documentation
    • Chromosome Identification and Karyogram Review
  • Laboratory Operations — Official range: 10–15% (Practice allocation: 12.2%)
    • Laboratory Practice
    • Laboratory Safety
    • Quality Management and Continuous Quality Improvement
    • Professional Standards
Examination sources