There is information about the CAT , (computer adapted testing format) and the
scaling of question difficulty on the ASCP site that is helpful to know for
your test taking strategy and preparation. The general gist is that they
present on the topics and questions in a category randomly, and if you answer
correctly the questions increase in difficulty until you answer incorrectly. It
starts over with this process through the topics in random presentation order.
Sometimes they put in "test questions" they are trying out for future exams
that do not count towards your scaled score. I think it is helpful to
understand how this works going in.
If you do not take a lot of multiple choice tests, I think it is also worth the
time to do some research on how to approach the mostly multiple choice question
format and how to use a good strategy for arriving at the "best" answer from
the provided choices. This helps when you hit a question you are unsure about,
and do not want to use too much of your time on working through one question.
The other thing I would suggest, is that you have to keep in mind not to filter
through your own particular laboratory, but general practices and the theory as
outlined in the recommended references on the reading list. Sometimes people
have said they have been frustrated when they answered a question based on
their own direct experiences with their lab's procedures and they did not
consider this correct. Just keep in mind, they are using a broad perspective
when crafting the questions , not how it is applied in a particular lab. They
also ask about the whole spectrum and not just standard clinical
histotechnology, so review the EM, neuro stains and some of the specialty type
things too on the study list that they consider part of histology practice,
especially if you do not perform and so have limited direct experience to the
technique in your lab. Other than the ideas above, try to be as rested and as
relaxed as you can on test day, and you should feel prepared to perform your
best on the exam. Good luck!
Joelle Weaver MAOM, HTL (ASCP) QIHC
> Date: Fri, 3 Oct 2014 12:06:24 -0400
> From: bszpu...@umail.iu.edu
> To: histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu
> Subject: [Histonet] Re: HT Certification
>
> Hi Jessica,
>
> When I sat for the exam ~4 years ago, there were quite a lot of special
> stain related questions. My main study guide was Carson, so if you are very
> familiar with her text you should be pretty well off. Being able to
> identify stains, tissue types, and troubleshoot a given stain I would say
> are all valuable.
>
> Also, remember to heed the "adaptive" nature of the test (you can find more
> on that by searching the archives). From speaking to others, there is
> generally a consensus that an inverse relationship exists between how hard
> one felt the test was and a passing score. Those who felt like the
> questions were extremely difficult, tend to pass because they are answering
> higher level questions.
>
> Good luck! I think you'll be fine...
>
> -Bryan
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