Free AMT Medical Laboratory Assistant (CMLA) Certification Examination Practice Questions

Sample Practice Questions

Try these 10 sample questions from the AMT Medical Laboratory Assistant (CMLA) Certification Examination practice bank. Each includes the answer and explanation. Continue with the interactive practice above to review the full question set.

1. 1Which patients are covered by Standard Precautions in a healthcare setting?

   1. A. Only patients with confirmed infection
   2. B. All patients regardless of known infection status
   3. C. Only patients with respiratory symptoms
   4. D. Patients who require an isolation room

   Answer: B

   Explanation: "Standard Precautions include a group of infection prevention practices that apply to all patients, regardless of suspected or confirmed infection status, in any setting in which healthcare is delivered (Table 4)." Standard Precautions apply to every patient; a confirmed diagnosis is not a prerequisite.

   Reference: CDC Guideline for Isolation Precautions — III.A. Standard Precautions

2. 2Before drawing blood from a conscious adult, how should the collector verify identity?

   1. A. Ask the patient to state full name and match it to the laboratory form
   2. B. Read the room number and match it to the laboratory form
   3. C. Ask a nearby patient to supply a name for the laboratory form
   4. D. Read the first name on a tube and match it to the laboratory form

   Answer: A

   Explanation: "Introduce yourself to the patient, and ask the patient to state their full name." The patient's stated name is checked against the laboratory request rather than inferred from a room or a label.

   Reference: WHO Guidelines on Drawing Blood: Best Practices in Phlebotomy — Chapter 2, Step 2: Identify and prepare the patient

3. 3What broad information does a comprehensive metabolic panel provide?

   1. A. The body's chemical balance and metabolism
   2. B. Only red-cell morphology
   3. C. Only blood group antigens
   4. D. Only microscopic urine sediment

   Answer: A

   Explanation: "It provides important information about your metabolism (how your body uses food and energy) and the balance of certain chemicals in your body." A CMP groups chemistry measurements that reflect metabolism and chemical balance.

   Reference: MedlinePlus Comprehensive Metabolic Panel (CMP) — What is a CMP?

4. 4A covered laboratory has a paper report that identifies a patient and describes a test result. Which HIPAA category applies to the report?

   1. A. Protected health information
   2. B. De-identified information
   3. C. Employment record
   4. D. Public directory information

   Answer: A

   Explanation: "The Privacy Rule protects all "individually identifiable health information" held or transmitted by a covered entity or its business associate, in any form or media, whether electronic, paper, or oral." The identifiable paper result is PHI.

   Reference: Summary of the HIPAA Privacy Rule — What Information is Protected — Protected Health Information

5. 5When are Transmission-Based Precautions used in addition to Standard Precautions?

   1. A. For all patients instead of Standard Precautions
   2. B. Only after a pathogen is confirmed by culture
   3. C. When suspected infection needs extra controls
   4. D. Only when an infection spreads through blood

   Answer: C

   Explanation: "Transmission-Based Precautions are for patients who are known or suspected to be infected or colonized with infectious agents, including certain epidemiologically important pathogens, which require additional control measures to effectively prevent transmission." Known or suspected infection can trigger the additional tier; confirmation is not always required.

   Reference: CDC Guideline for Isolation Precautions — Overview

6. 6Which venipuncture site is usually easiest to puncture according to WHO guidance?

   1. A. A visible vein directly over the basilic artery
   2. B. The median cubital vein
   3. C. A vein where it divides sharply
   4. D. An existing peripheral IV site

   Answer: B

   Explanation: "The median cubital vein lies between muscles and is usually the most easy to puncture." The median cubital vein is generally preferred; a vein near an artery or a branching site brings additional risk.

   Reference: WHO Guidelines on Drawing Blood: Best Practices in Phlebotomy — Chapter 2, Step 3: Select the site

7. 7Which analyte is measured by a blood glucose test?

   1. A. Bilirubin
   2. B. Glucose
   3. C. Creatinine
   4. D. Albumin

   Answer: B

   Explanation: "A blood glucose test measures the glucose levels in your blood." The test measures blood glucose, the body's main energy-source sugar.

   Reference: MedlinePlus Blood Glucose Test — What is a blood glucose test?

8. 8Which fact makes health information 'individually identifiable' under the HIPAA Privacy Rule?

   1. A. It appears only on paper
   2. B. It identifies the person or can reasonably be used to do so
   3. C. It contains a laboratory abbreviation
   4. D. It was generated by a microscope

   Answer: B

   Explanation: "and that identifies the individual or for which there is a reasonable basis to believe it can be used to identify the individual." Identifiability controls the classification.

   Reference: Summary of the HIPAA Privacy Rule — What Information is Protected

9. 9Which route of spread is Contact Precautions designed to interrupt?

   1. A. Direct or indirect patient or environmental contact
   2. B. Long-range airborne spread of suspended particles
   3. C. Percutaneous exposure to contaminated sharps
   4. D. Close-range spread of respiratory droplets

   Answer: A

   Explanation: "Contact Precautions are intended to prevent transmission of infectious agents, including epidemiologically important microorganisms, which are spread by direct or indirect contact with the patient or the patient's environment as described in I.B.3.a." The control target is direct or indirect contact, including contaminated surroundings.

   Reference: CDC Guideline for Isolation Precautions — III.B.1. Contact precautions

10. 10Why should blood generally not be drawn from an existing peripheral venous access site in a hospitalized patient?

    1. A. It always causes a needlestick injury
    2. B. It prevents the laboratory from identifying the patient
    3. C. It can yield false results from hemolysis, contamination, or IV fluid
    4. D. It turns every test into a capillary specimen

    Answer: C

    Explanation: "Haemolysis, contamination and presence of intravenous fluid and medication can all alter the results (39)." An existing IV site can compromise specimen integrity and thus the test result.

    Reference: WHO Guidelines on Drawing Blood: Best Practices in Phlebotomy — Chapter 2, Step 3: Hospitalized patients