ASCP MLS study guide
ASCP MLS · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The MLS(ASCP) credential - the Medical Laboratory Scientist certification - is administered through the ASCP Board of Certification and is the entry-level professional credential most U.S. clinical laboratories look for when hiring generalist medical laboratory scientists. The ASCP MLS study guide has 8 sections and about 2,027 words.
01Blood Bank / Immunohematology
ABO antigens are carbohydrates; Rh, Kell, Duffy, and Kidd antigens are proteins. Forward (cell) typing detects RBC antigens with reagent antisera; reverse (serum) typing detects plasma antibodies against A1 and B cells.
295 words, about 1 min02Clinical Chemistry
Photometric methods obey Beer-Lambert (A = εbc), so linearity and reagent blanks matter. Levey-Jennings charts and Westgard rules (1-3s, 2-2s, R-4s, 4-1s, 10x) separate random from systematic error.
266 words, about 1 min03Hematology
Analyzers use impedance and light scatter; MCV = Hct/RBC × 10, MCH = Hb/RBC × 10, MCHC = Hb/Hct. Anemia is classified morphologically: microcytic (iron deficiency, thalassemia, anemia of chronic disease, sideroblastic), normocytic (hemolysis, renal disease, marrow failure), macrocytic (B12/folate, reticulocytosis, liver disease, MDS).
266 words, about 1 min04Immunology
Innate immunity (neutrophils, macrophages, NK cells, complement, TLRs) responds within hours without memory. Adaptive immunity is antigen-specific, clonal, and memory-forming.
244 words, about 1 min05Microbiology
Specimen quality determines result quality: sputum is acceptable for culture when it shows 25 neutrophils and <10 squamous epithelial cells per low-power field. Gram stain classifies organisms and guides preliminary therapy.
226 words, about 1 min06Molecular Biology / Molecular Diagnostics
DNA is double-stranded with A-T and G-C pairing; RNA is single-stranded with uracil. PCR requires template, primers, dNTPs, thermostable polymerase, and buffer; cycling involves denaturation, annealing, and extension.
244 words, about 1 min07Urinalysis and Body Fluids
First-morning midstream specimens concentrate solutes. Assess color, clarity, and specific gravity (roughly 1.003–1.030), which reflects hydration and concentrating ability.
229 words, about 1 min08Laboratory Operations / Management and Education
Quality assurance is the umbrella (policies, processes, audits); quality control is the statistical monitoring of each analytical run. Levey-Jennings charts with Westgard multirules detect random (1-3s) and systematic (2-2s, 4-1s, 10x) error.
257 words, about 1 min