Medical Lab Tech ASCP Exam Questions & Answers 2026 (21–30)

Question 1

Howell-Jolly bodies on a peripheral smear are nuclear remnants most commonly seen after which event?

TheoryPractice · Accepted Answer

Splenectomy or hyposplenism. The spleen normally pits these DNA remnants from red cells, so Howell-Jolly bodies appear after splenectomy or in functional asplenia.

Question 2

Target cells (codocytes) are classically increased in all of the following EXCEPT:

TheoryPractice · Accepted Answer

Hereditary spherocytosis. Hereditary spherocytosis produces spherocytes with no central pallor, the opposite of target cells; targets occur in liver disease, thalassemia, and Hgb C.

Question 3

Hypersegmented neutrophils and oval macrocytes on a smear, with an elevated MCV, point toward which deficiency?

TheoryPractice · Accepted Answer

Vitamin B12 or folate deficiency. Megaloblastic anemia from B12 or folate deficiency impairs DNA synthesis, producing macro-ovalocytes and neutrophils with six or more nuclear lobes.

Question 4

Reactive (atypical) lymphocytes with abundant basophilic cytoplasm are most characteristic of which infection?

TheoryPractice · Accepted Answer

Infectious mononucleosis (EBV). Epstein-Barr virus infection classically produces large reactive lymphocytes (Downey cells) and a positive heterophile antibody test in infectious mononucleosis.

Question 5

A Prussian blue stain of a bone marrow aspirate is used primarily to evaluate which of the following?

TheoryPractice · Accepted Answer

Storage iron and ring sideroblasts. Prussian blue (Perls) stain reveals hemosiderin iron stores and identifies ring sideroblasts, iron-laden mitochondria encircling the nucleus.

Question 6

When 25 nucleated red cells are seen per 100 WBCs and the automated WBC count is 12.0 x 10^9/L, what is the corrected WBC count?

TheoryPractice · Accepted Answer

9.6 x 10^9/L. Corrected WBC = uncorrected x 100/(100 + NRBC) = 12.0 x 100/125 = 9.6 x 10^9/L; nucleated red cells are otherwise miscounted as leukocytes.

Question 7

Von Willebrand factor serves which two principal functions in hemostasis?

TheoryPractice · Accepted Answer

Mediates platelet adhesion and carries factor VIII. VWF bridges platelets to subendothelial collagen and stabilizes circulating factor VIII; its deficiency causes von Willebrand disease, the most common inherited bleeding disorder.

Question 8

Which anticoagulant is the standard for routine CBC and morphology specimens?

TheoryPractice · Accepted Answer

EDTA (K2 or K3). EDTA (lavender top) chelates calcium and best preserves cellular morphology and counts; citrate is for coagulation and heparin for chemistry/special tests.

Question 9

Disseminated intravascular coagulation is typically associated with which laboratory pattern?

TheoryPractice · Accepted Answer

Prolonged PT and aPTT, low platelets, low fibrinogen, high D-dimer. DIC consumes platelets and clotting factors while generating fibrin degradation products, giving long PT/aPTT, low platelets, low fibrinogen, and elevated D-dimer.

Question 10

Thick and thin blood films for malaria are best used in which way?

TheoryPractice · Accepted Answer

Thick film to detect parasites, thin film to identify species. The thick film concentrates parasites for sensitive detection, while the thin film preserves red cell and parasite morphology needed to speciate Plasmodium.

Medical Lab Tech ASCP Exam Questions & Answers 2026 (21–30)

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