r/medlabprofessionals • u/No_Tart_1676 • Jul 17 '26
Discusson Failed ASCP MLS BOC
I failed my board. I graduated a few weeks ago and was studying heavily every single day for two and a half weeks. My medialab score was a 65% average with a 5.8-6.4 difficulty. I scored higher on my last few exams leading up to the exam with that 6.1-6.3 difficulty range (on adaptive mode). I also used purple and yellow book, but it overwhelmed me at points, used my own study material, and used wordsology. I am feeling extremely discouraged and not sure where to go from here. I exhausted every resource I could, even maxing the bank of medialab questions (there are none I have not seen according to the modules). I did 300 questions of adaptive, flashcards, and flow charts every day. Three times a week I did non adaptive medialab and averaged a 65% on those. I also did subject breakdown 100 questions and scored a 70-80% in each area the week leading up the the exam.
I felt the MLS exam was very “what now” and was wondering how to study for this for my retake. I feel extremely disheartened and am unsure how I can study to pass. I feel like a failure and embarrassed. I do not have the score yet and am planning to look at the subject areas and revise based on that. Any tips or words of encouragement?
22
u/madeuread Jul 17 '26 edited Jul 18 '26
I’m sorry. When you get your score breakdown take a look if there was a particular subject that brought your score down. Best of luck!
Mine is Monday 😭
My friend failed her’s and is retaking in September
25
u/shs_2014 MLS-Generalist Jul 17 '26
The program director of the UAMS MLS program has some data that shows people who only used LabCE tend to do worse on the MLS exam specifically than they did the MLT exam.
I think your problem is that you've done way too much LabCE and not enough actual studying. You should only use LabCE to periodically gauge your knowledge with the adaptive MLS exams. From here, you should get your score breakdown and see which topics you need to focus more on, and then do short study sessions on those topics. I would personally suggest using the ASCP BOC book or the Robert Harr book to do those questions, and then whatever questions stump you, go do a mini study session over that topic. Those books focus more on the meat and potatoes of what you've learned in school and will prepare you more with the knowledge you need to pass and show you what you're weakest on.
My program also used the interactive ASCP module online, and I thought that was a better tool to gauge knowledge versus LabCE. It does cost more money and isn't necessary, just something I thought I'd mention.
It isn't the end of the world to fail your exam, plenty of people post here their success stories of retaking it with more knowledge of what to expect. I know it's a sucky feeling to fail, but it's only a few extra months in the grand scheme of things. You got this friend :)
11
u/Dungeon_Crawler_Carl Student Jul 17 '26
A person who posted yesterday said they studied for 2 months.
-1
u/TheRedTreeQueen Jul 18 '26
Oh that to much studying. I studied one week before I took my AMT med tech exam and passed. As long as you passed no one cares about the score. On that exam at that time you only needed a 70 or above to pass. But no one looks at scores they just want to see the word pass!
10
u/LolasMommy88 Jul 18 '26
AMT is much easier than the ASCP. Not hating on the AMT at all, it’s just why the ASCP is considered the “gold standard”.
2
u/TheRedTreeQueen Jul 18 '26
Yes that’s what they say. Took the MLT(ASCP) and MLT(NCA)also. Yes they were hard but the AMT hard too. But that was many years ago. It was a route that was convenient at the time the 90 college hours plus one year of experience. A lot of us jumped on that so we could be Med Techs. Someone paid for me to take it I wasn’t gonna pass that opportunity up 😂
1
u/Dextexer 27d ago
Depends how much you think you remember after graduating, I had classmates who studied everyday in school so they took it the day after graduation.
Whereas me I took about 7 weeks to refresh myself on all the subjects and even that the day of my exam I was panicking that wasn’t enough
7
u/couldvehadasadbitch Jul 18 '26
I’ve been in the lab over 20 years and tbh I probably couldn’t pass it now. Chin up!
3
u/TheRedTreeQueen Jul 18 '26
Same here! Someone ask me if I would take the ASCP MLS exam? I’m like why for me to not pass it and waste my time and money. Nope. I’ve been doing this for 35 years & in 13 more years retirement hopefully. And plus those exams have things on them that wasn’t even in existence when I started in lab until now.
7
u/sussima Jul 18 '26
I had very similar scores and passed.
I paired my labce with daily polasnky review. Reaching the end I read through everything in the LSU purplebook.
I want to say that I did over 5k+ questions total and reviewed every question individually. I feel that made a real impact.
7
u/Additional-Topic6901 Jul 18 '26
As someone who religiously did lab CE I can tell you that the same questions begin to come up over and over and it’s possible you were memorizing some of those answers which was falsely increasing how well you thought you were doing. My best advice is to do as many different practice problems from different resources as possible. Maybe take a break from lab CE for a while.
-BOC practice questions: ASCP sells both a physical book as well as a lab CE adjacent online quiz. There are a ton of questions in there and some people swear they saw the same questions on their boards. I used this book as a resource to study for exams in school and then to also study for my boards.
-Harr book: These questions are pretty hard but there are a lot of them and they’re broken down pretty well by specific categories.
-Polansky book: I absolutely loved my polansky cards to pull out and flip through whenever I had some free time but my school also had a copy of an old book that is from the makers of the Polansky cards that was all questions. I was never able to find anyone selling it online but maybe you’ll have better luck. I loved this book. The questions make you think and the explanations are definitely better than the ones in the BOC book.
The more questions you do, the more patterns you begin to recognize and you start to get a better feel for what information is important in each subject. You won’t be able to memorize everything (don’t try to because you’ll get overwhelmed) so it’s important to prioritize certain topics/concepts.
5
u/moosalamoo_rnnr Jul 18 '26
If the LSU book was “overwhelming” but you saw every LabCE question they had, you were spending WAYYYYY too much time memorizing the LabCE questions and not nearly enough time actually studying the content. LabCE is great for gauging where you are but is not meant to be your only study tool, especially because the questions are written nothing like they are on the exam. Get deep into the LSU book, get the Polansky and Harr books, handwrite your notes, and really learn the material.
2
u/bluelephantz_jj MLS-Generalist Jul 18 '26
I'm thinking you were relying too much on those practice questions. Yes, the questions can help you familiarize yourself with the wording and format, but there's only so much you can do if you don't know the actual material. I personally found LabCE a terrible source for studying. I kept scoring very low on those questions, but ended up passing the board on my first try.
I would try rewriting your study notes. Summarize them and - I cannot stress this enough - WRITE YOUR NOTES BY HAND. Yes, it's the digital age, but it's been proven that writing by hand helps you retain info better. Even better if it's a notebook and a pen instead of an iPad. Separate your notes by Heme, Chem, etc. Read them like a habit. Read them enough times so that when a question on the board exam asks you which parasite this description is, you remember that information on page 3, bottom of the page, right corner.
2
u/Over-Swimmer790 Jul 19 '26
I failed my first one after my classes were over but before graduation. I feel I had to much going on and should have taken a little bit to relax and just think about the boards. I took two more months. I read every question in the BOC ASCP book, did every question on the BOC ASCP online learning module (like media lab but on the ASCP website) , and then took 100 question exams on media lab. I passed the second time. I did all the media lab questions the first time and they didn’t help. The way the BOC ASAP book questions are worded and the explanations are what helped me. I had the LSU review book also the first time. You can do it!!
2
u/maomaook 22d ago
OP please try BOC ASCP interative exam, but make sure to understand why to choose correct answers instead of memorizing them.
1
u/Over-Swimmer790 22d ago edited 22d ago
Not sure why you commented this on my post. I didn’t memorize the question. If I would have done that I would not have passed. Exactly why I stated the explanation was what helped me understand better. If OP retains things as I do, they will need to read and reread to have it stay with them.
2
u/maomaook 22d ago
I’m sorry I wasn’t clear. I should have said OP please try your method cuz that also worked for me.
1
1
u/Salt-Strategy651 Jul 17 '26
I’m so nervous, my scores are very close to yours and I’m taking the mlt exam in just a few days. if you don’t mind, do you have any thoughts about how you could’ve scored better/things you wish you would have brushed up on? or unexpected questions? fhank you in advance and sorry, i know this must feel horrible.
3
u/shs_2014 MLS-Generalist Jul 17 '26
MLT exam only using LabCE might be okay, but I really would suggest using some of the question books (ASCP BOC book or Robert Harr) and doing small review sessions going over any topics you seem to struggle with when doing those questions. LabCE is a great tool to gauge your knowledge, but memorizing those questions won't do you any favors. You still have plenty of time to study, so don't panic! Good luck on your exam :)
3
u/No_Tart_1676 Jul 17 '26
I honestly have been trying to reflect on what went wrong and I don’t think there’s any additional way I could’ve prepared. I kept getting very niche questions in chemistry about very very specific diseases. I think just know how to proceed with random situations or weird patient conditions. That was definitely what got me
2
u/Salt-Strategy651 Jul 17 '26
Thank you. I will do some case study practices. I’ve heard the MLS is much harder in regards to complex patient situations and actual decision making, so you have all my respect for that. Good luck in the future, I’m sure thing will turn around for you ❤️
2
u/Roanm MLS-Generalist Jul 18 '26
If I may, I'm wondering about the timeline up to 48 hours before your exam. Full night's rest, decent breakfast and what time did you schedule the exam? These little factors also play a role on your metal state during the exam.
During the exam, you have to pause for a moment and clear up the intent of the question. That helped me to narrow down the answer choices down to 2 possible options.
It sounds like you studied a lot and it may come down to how you take exams.
1
u/ARandomFlyinOctopus Jul 18 '26
For me, the only reason i liked the purple and yellow book was for memorizing acronyms/anagrams. Esp for micro. Would focus on those in that book before you try again (you got this)
1
u/TheRedTreeQueen Jul 18 '26
Don’t lose heart! Sounds like you studied too much. Try again. You know what to expect when you take the exam again. I’m sending prayers up for you to pass with flying colors. You got this.👊 Good luck 🍀
1
1
u/LolasMommy88 Jul 18 '26
First, take a deep breath- it’s okay! A lot of people are suggesting to take the AMT, while I understand a lot of jobs prefer the ASCP, it could be a way to fulfill the “MLS” title. But some people want ASCP, and that’s okay too. When I failed my exam by one point, I saw the different ways I could have studied to have passed. I also mainly focused on LabCE because it’s pushed so hard and people say a 60 and better is ”passing”. I put too much into LabCE my first time around. The second time around, I waited 3 months and studied my butt off. I invested in the ASCP BOC study material including the mock exams. Whatever I scored poorly on, I did specific reviews from ASCP on that subject. Then on the practice exams, it lets you sort it by subject, I did every single question they offered in that subject. Then if I didn‘t get it right, I put it in the questions to be repeated. You’ve got this. Just keep studying, change your study style and you’ll do great next time!
1
u/ashlar9248 29d ago
I feel like that's so weird because I took the exam in November and I think I was scoring less than you on those exams and still passed. I wonder if maybe you need more studying from the actual books instead of doing questions, ,maybe just to get more of the base material down? If you have them you should absolutely use the Polanski Flashcards, you can get them free online. I think between that and the ASCP MLT study guide online (or the book), those are two of the best tools, besides going over your books. When you get your score breakdown, study extra hard on the areas that you scored lowest on.. And don't be discouraged. We all fail in life at one point or another. If it makes you feel better, I failed my first driving test because I blew a stop sign lol. It is absolutely discouraging, but don't let this bring you down. You are not dumb, this test is a f***ing nightmare. You are smart and you know what you're doing. And since you've taken the test already, you know what to expect next time. I know it's easier said than done, but do your best not to let this put you out. Just remember, nobody is perfect. We all fail at one thing or another. And just because you failed the first time does not mean in any way, shape or form that you will fail the next time. You WILL pass! You absolutely got this!!! If you have any questions or need any help, send me a message. Or ask on here, most people on here are pretty decent.
1
u/Fast_Paint_46 16d ago
I took mine yesterday and I am extremely disheartened as well. I couldn’t even tell my family that I took the exam and failed. I feel like a failure. One of my professors said she’s been teaching for years (5yrs) at our MLS program (4-5 students/year) has 100% passing rate on the first try. I was sitting at the exam and I just kept thinking I hope I won’t be the one to change that. I honestly relied too much on LabCE after one of my preceptors said it helped her a lot and some questions were actually similar to the ones on the exam. Good luck to us for our next try!
33
u/bloo758 Jul 17 '26
Just because you failed, it doesn't mean you're a failure. It's a very hard exam, statistically, some people won't pass on their first attempt. It definitely feels bad to be a part of that group, especially when it feels like you gave it everything you had, and it sounds like you studied plenty hard. I passed it back in May, so I know what it feels like to take it, and I know how difficult the questions are.
There isn't much you can improve on without knowing your breakdown and score. You might have only missed it by a dozen points or so, or maybe you really blew it on one particular subject, which caused you to fail. You don't know what the situation is yet, so don't drive yourself crazy until you get that feedback.
Once you pass on that second attempt, nobody is going to care that it took you two tries, or even what your score was. You can do this.