Question 1
Mrs. Dunn's ID band shows a birth date of 03/14/1956, but the requisition shows 03/14/1965. What should the phlebotomist do?
Which phlebotomy exam should you take?
Start with eligibility and with what employers near you ask for. The NHA CPT exam needs a high school diploma or equivalent plus a training program or supervised work, and a set number of live draws. The ASCP PBT exam has seven eligibility routes.
| Questions | CPT: 120 items. PBT: 80 questions, computer adaptive. |
|---|---|
| Time | 2 hours for each |
| Passing score | CPT: 390 of 500. PBT: 400 of 999. |
| Retakes | CPT: three, 30 days apart. PBT: five under one route, 30 days apart. |
Who can sit each
- CPT: a high school diploma or equivalent, plus either a phlebotomy training program or supervised phlebotomy work (1 year within the last 3 years, or 2 years within the last 5). Both routes need evidence of at least 30 venipunctures and 10 capillary sticks on live people.
- PBT: seven routes, named on the ASCP page as NAACLS Program, Structured Program, Experience (Clinical), RN, LPN, or Other, Certification, Blood Collections, and California-Approved Program.
How the content differs
Both test safety, patient preparation, collection and processing. The CPT exam gives its largest share to routine blood collection and safety. The PBT exam puts 45 to 50% into specimen collection and has separate areas for point-of-care testing, non-blood specimens and the circulatory system.
Practicing for either
This course has one bank written to both outlines. Pick your exam on the course home page, and your full practice exam, timed sets and study plan follow it.
Try 3 questions
Question 2
Which of these vessels carries deoxygenated blood?
Question 3
On a urine pregnancy test cassette, no control line appears by the read time. How is the test handled?
Next step
Questions people ask
Is the CPT or the PBT exam harder?
Neither owner publishes a comparison. The PBT exam adapts to you and covers the circulatory system and lab operations in more depth; the CPT exam is longer, with 120 items.
Can I take the CPT exam without a training program?
Yes, with a high school diploma or equivalent and supervised phlebotomy work: 1 year within the last 3 years, or 2 years within the last 5. You still need evidence of 30 venipunctures and 10 capillary sticks.
How many routes are there to the PBT exam?
Seven, from an accredited program to clinical experience, nursing or allied health education, another ASCP certification, or a California-approved program.