Your BOC exam

What you need to know

to be ready
Renee Sutton, MLS(ASCP)cm, CPhT
Objectives

At the end of this session, participants will:

 Know the requirements for eligibility for the
BOC exam
 Understand the registration process, test
format, and test day procedure
 Be familiar with published exam content
guidelines
One quick note:

This presentation will only cover the US

procedures for the MLS/MLT exams. If you are
an international candidate or taking a different
certification exam, please refer to ASCP.org for
specific information.
Who is the BOC?

“The ASCP Board of Certification is an administratively

independent certification agency that prepares relevant
standards and develops procedures that will assure the
competence of non-physician medical laboratory
personnel. The ASCP BOC certifies those individuals
who meet the academic and clinical prerequisites and
who achieve acceptable performance levels on
examinations.”

From ASCP.org/Board-of-Certification
A little BOC history

 Founded in 1928
 Most influential leader in certification of
laboratory professionals
 Has certified over 500,000 individuals
 Impartiality and objectivity are maintained by
having representative members from many
organizations
What does it mean to be certified?

“Certification is the process by which a non-governmental

agency or association grants recognition of competence to
an individual who has met certain predetermined
qualifications, as specified by the agency or association.

The ASCP BOC provides a mechanism (called certification)

for these individuals to be recognized as having the
necessary competence to perform the medical laboratory
roles they seek.”
From ASCP.org/Board-of-Certification
There’s a time limit!

Your BOC certification is for 3 years. To

maintain your certification, you must complete
the Credential Maintenance Program (CMP) as
outlined by ASCP.
Am I eligible (MLT)?

 Route 1: Associate degree or at least 60

semester hours of academic credit AND
completion of accredited MLT program in last
5 years
 Route 2: Associate degree/60 credit hours
including 6 hours each of chemistry and
biology AND CLA(ASCP) certification
 Route 3: Associate degree/60 credit hours
including 6 hours each of chem and bio AND
completion of US military medical laboratory
training course in last 10 years
 Route 4: Associate degree/60 credit hours
including 6 hours each of chem and bio AND
3 years full-time acceptable clinical
laboratory experience in last 10 years
Am I eligible (MLS)?

 Route 1: Baccalaureate degree including

courses in biological science, chemistry, and
mathematics AND completion of NAACLS
accredited MLS program in last 5 years
 Route 2: MLT(ASCP) certification AND
baccalaureate degree including 16 semester
hours of biological sciences (1 microbiology),
16 hours chemistry (1 organic or
biochemistry), 1 hour math AND 2 years full-
time clinical laboratory experience within last
10 years
 Route 3: CLA(ASCP) certification AND
baccalaureate degree including 16 hours
biological science (1 microbiology), 16 hours
chemistry (1 organic or biochemistry), 1 hour
math AND 4 years full-time experience within
last 10 years
 Route 4: Baccalaureate degree AND 5 years
full-time experience in last 10 years
Official documents

 Applicants from NAACLS/CAAHEP/ABHES

programs must submit an official transcript
bearing the seal of the college/university,
signature of the Registrar, and the date your
degree was awarded
– Continuing education courses are NOT
acceptable to fulfill academic requirements and all
courses must be completed before exam
 Verification of experience (if required)
– Download forms at www.ascp.org/certification
– Must be completed by immediate supervisor or
laboratory director and attached to signed letter of
authenticity printed on original letterhead
– Some forms may be audited and verified with
employer
– Full-time experience is defined as minimum 35
hours/week; part-time can be prorated
 Verification of training
– Education received from
NAACLS/CAAHEP/ABHES program is acceptable
for 5 years
Application

 http://ascp.org/pdf/BOC-PDFs/procedures/General-application-form.aspx

– You must submit transcripts and specify route

completed at this time
– You must also request testing modifications IN
WRITING at this time if you have a disability
 Suggested guidelines: Apply approximately 6
weeks before the date you want to take your
exam
 Fees: MLS $215, MLT $240*
Application, cont.

 You’ll get an email from ASCP that your

application has been received and whenever
the status changes
– Will be processed within 45 days
 Go to www.ascp.org/login
– Scroll down to BOC Activities icon
– Click View Application Status link
– Click Show Details to view current status
Go Forth and Schedule

 Once ASCP has verified your eligibility, you’ll get an

email Admission Notification
 Contact Pearson Professional Centers to make your
appointment
– Centers in Ann Arbor, Southfield, Troy, Grand Rapids,
Lansing, and Marquette
 YOU MUST MAKE YOUR APPOINTMENT WITHIN
THE 3 MONTHS FOLLOWING THE DATE ON
YOUR LETTER OR YOU HAVE TO START THIS
PROCESS OVER, INCLUDING PAYING ANOTHER
REGISTRATION FEE!!
Not that you’ll need it…

 …but your application materials are good for

a total of 5 attempts

 If you cancel your application, or skip/miss

your scheduled date (you can reschedule as
long as you do it more than one business
day before) you have to pay the fee again
and reapply… SO SHOW UP!
Test day: What to bring

 Valid driver’s license, state/military ID, passport, or

green card/visa and secondary ID with signature
– your name must match what’s on your admission letter or
you have to reapply – are you sensing the pattern here?
– expired ID won’t be accepted
 Non-programmable calculator (they will make you
put the cover in a locker)
– No cell phone, purse, etc. You should have access to a
locker, but leave it in the car just in case.
 They will supply you with a white board for taking
notes – don’t bring your own writing materials
What the test looks like

 100 Multiple choice questions. Read the

directions thoroughly to make sure you don’t
have any questions before you start.
 You have 2 hours 30 minutes
 Computer-Adaptive Test adjusts difficulty of
questions
 You can flag questions for review
 Questions test recall, application, or analysis
 Each question is multiple choice
– Any visuals will be on-screen with the question
– Press letter key or use mouse to answer
– Change answers as many times as you want
 Click ‘next’ to record answer and next question will
appear
 You must answer each question
 The last screen will have an END EXAM button…If
you answer yes, your answers are recorded, so be
SURE you don’t want to go back and look at
anything again before you hit it! Once you hit YES,
the test is over!
Did I pass??

 Of course you did!

– You will see a preliminary result on the screen
once you submit your exam
– Notification to view your score at www.ASCP.org
will be emailed to you a few days later (you will
see only a total)
– Your program director will get your score broken
down into categories
Uh, oh. I didn’t pass.

 If you don’t pass, you’ll get info on re-testing from

ASCP with your exam score
 Don’t reapply until you’ve received it
 You can’t apply to test again until the next 3-month
period
 You can take the exam up to 5 times, but if you still
haven’t passed after your last try, you are NO
LONGER ELIGIBLE FOR FURTHER
EXAMINATION VIA THE SAME ROUTE. So pass
before you get to this point!!
– You can try again under a different route
I’m CERTIFIED!

 You’ll get your

certificate in the
mail 3 to 5 weeks
after your exam. It
will include
information about
CMP requirements.
That’s the HOW, here’s the WHAT

 http://ascp.org/PDF/BOC-
PDFs/Guidelines/ExaminationContentGuidelineMLS.aspx
 A total scaled score of 400 is required to pass (999 maximum)
Blood Bank (BBNK) 17-22%
Chemistry (CHEM) 17-22%
Hematology (HEMA) 17-22%
Immunology (IMMU) 5-10%
Laboratory Operations (LO) 5-10%
Microbiology (MICR) 17-22%
Urinalysis and Other Body Fluids (UA) 5-10%
 http://ascp.org/PDF/BOC-
PDFs/Guidelines/ExaminationContentGuidelineMLT.aspx
 A total scaled score of 400 is required to pass (999 maximum)
Blood Bank (BBNK) 15-20%
Chemistry (CHEM) 20-25%
Hematology (HEMA) 20-25%
Immunology (IMMU) 5-10%
Laboratory Operations (LO) 5-10%
Microbiology (MICR) 15-20%
Urinalysis and Other Body Fluids (UA) 5-10%
Download the content outlines

 They break down every subject into the exact

topics you might encounter
 GREAT STUDY TOOL!!
 Go through this before you study anything
else
– You can see your weaknesses and where to
focus your time
– You’ll see what you don’t need to waste time on
Tips for studying
 Get a review book
– This is the one I used ($90
on Amazon)
– Great overview of each
subject
– Questions have full
explanations of correct
answers

– FYI: I found I could

correctly answer about 70%
of the questions in this book
and I scored well on my
http://www.amazon.com/SUCCESS-Clinical- exam
Laboratory-Science-
4th/dp/0135126487/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF
8&qid=1393154259&sr=1-
4&keywords=clinical+lab+science
 ASCP book also
available
– Can buy book alone
($85) or with app ($109)
 This book uses
mnemonics and tables
to help you remember
– $200 on Amazon
– $60 from LSU
http://alliedhealth.lsuhsc.edu/cl/reviewbook.
aspx
Be confident!!

 Remember, you’ve been training for this

exam for at least 3 years. You know more
than you think you do! Go slow, read the
questions, and TRUST YOURSELF!!
Exam statistics
MLS
Year Mean SD Score RangeTotal taking exam Pass Fail
2015 469 119 100 942 4918 3533 72% 1385 28%
2014 486 111 100 894 4635 3613 78% 1022 22%
2013 485 108 101 867 4473 3504 78% 969 22%
2012 485 109 100 898 4298 3370 78% 928 22%
2011 487 105 121 978 3892 3078 79% 814 21%
2010 477 106 100 948 3960 3016 76% 944 24%
2009 473 103 120 935 3577 2712 76% 865 24%
MLT
Year Mean SD Score RangeTotal taking exam Pass Fail
2015 499 129 107 999 3445 2656 77% 789 23%
2014 485 124 100 919 3861 2833 73% 1028 27%
2013 485 120 100 960 3422 2537 74% 885 26%
2012 483 122 100 896 3244 2385 74% 859 26%
2011 485 119 139 956 2991 2219 74% 772 26%
2010 477 123 119 885 2644 1868 71% 776 29%
2009 479 121 159 968 2352 1700 72% 652 28%
My contact info

 Please don’t hesitate to email me if you have

any questions (or if you want to get more
involved with ASCLS!)

[email protected]