Phlebotomy Tech Prep: CPT Coming soon

Processing practice questions for the CPT exam

Processing is 14 of the 100 scored questions (14%) on the CPT exam. Try 8 free questions below: tap an answer to check it, then read why the other options are wrong and the sources.

8 questions. Tap an answer to check it, or open the explanation under each one.

Question 1

On her first day in a hospital lab, a phlebotomist hears a technologist call a result a "panic value." Which description fits that term?

  1. A result showing a possibly life-threatening state
  2. A result reported after the expected turnaround time
  3. A result from a test the provider ordered STAT
  4. A result just outside the reference interval
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: A. A result showing a possibly life-threatening state

Panic, alert or critical values are results that point to an imminently life-threatening condition; CLIA requires the lab to alert the person who ordered the test immediately (42 CFR 493.1291(g)), and CDC describes them as results that need immediate treatment or evaluation by the physician.

Why the other options are wrong

  • B. A result reported after the expected turnaround time: A late result is a delay, not a panic value.
  • C. A result from a test the provider ordered STAT: STAT describes the priority of the order, not the meaning of the result.
  • D. A result just outside the reference interval: Most out-of-range results are abnormal but not dangerous.

Sources

Question 2

A clinic's example policy calls a POC glucose below 50 mg/dL critical and says to repeat a critical result once before calling. The first result is 47 mg/dL and the repeat is 46 mg/dL. What should the phlebotomist do?

  1. Keep repeating until a value of 50 or more appears
  2. Call the provider now with the confirmed value
  3. Wait for a venous specimen before telling anyone
  4. Report only the first value as a routine result
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: B. Call the provider now with the confirmed value

Both results are below the site's 50 mg/dL limit, so the confirmed critical value is called to the provider at once and documented with when and to whom it was reported (CDC Ready? Set? Test!). The 50 mg/dL cutoff is an example; low glucose limits on U.S. hospital lists range from 40 to 70 mg/dL (Osher and Kost 2026).

Why the other options are wrong

  • A. Keep repeating until a value of 50 or more appears: Retesting until a normal number appears is choosing a result, not confirming one.
  • C. Wait for a venous specimen before telling anyone: The confirmed critical value is reported now; any further testing is the provider's decision.
  • D. Report only the first value as a routine result: Both values are below the limit, so the result is reported as critical, not routinely.

Sources

Question 3

While filing a reference lab's printed report, a phlebotomist at a hospital outpatient lab sees she keyed a hemoglobin of 8.1 g/dL into the LIS; the report reads 11.8 g/dL. The wrong value has already posted to the provider's inbox. What should she do?

  1. Delete the result and ask the lab for a redraw
  2. Leave 8.1 in place since the report is on file
  3. Have a corrected report issued and the provider told
  4. Edit the LIS value to 11.8 and close the entry
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: C. Have a corrected report issued and the provider told

CLIA covers results manually transcribed from referral laboratories (42 CFR 493.1291(a)(3)). When a reporting error is found, the lab must promptly notify the person who ordered the test, issue a corrected report and keep both the original and the corrected report (493.1291(k)).

Why the other options are wrong

  • A. Delete the result and ask the lab for a redraw: Deleting erases a reported value, and the correct result already exists on the reference lab's report.
  • B. Leave 8.1 in place since the report is on file: The posted value is wrong and could lead to wrong care, so it must be corrected.
  • D. Edit the LIS value to 11.8 and close the entry: A silent overwrite leaves the provider unaware that a wrong value was reported and loses the original report.

Sources

Question 4

A clinic sends a specimen to a reference lab to confirm a waived test result. What should the clinic's records link?

  1. Nothing, because the reference lab keeps all the records for it
  2. The referral to the patient's billing statement
  3. The referred sample to the courier's personal phone
  4. The referred sample to the original, lab, test and date
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: D. The referred sample to the original, lab, test and date

CDC advises keeping referral records that link the referred sample to the original patient sample, document the referral lab, test name and date referred, and record when results are received (CDC Ready? Set? Test!).

Why the other options are wrong

  • A. Nothing, because the reference lab keeps all the records for it: The referring site must keep its own referral records.
  • B. The referral to the patient's billing statement: Billing does not show when the result came back.
  • C. The referred sample to the courier's personal phone: Courier contact data does not track the sample to its result.

Sources

Question 5

Why should a blood tube for a chilled test never be placed directly on dry ice?

  1. It slows the clotting of plasma tubes
  2. The blood can freeze and the cells can hemolyze
  3. Dry ice makes the label ink run
  4. Dry ice adds carbon dioxide gas to the specimen inside
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: B. The blood can freeze and the cells can hemolyze

The Croatian recommendations say not to put specimens in direct contact with ice or dry ice, to avoid hemolysis; a chilled specimen goes in an ice-and-water slurry.

Why the other options are wrong

  • A. It slows the clotting of plasma tubes: Plasma tubes do not clot; freezing is the problem.
  • C. Dry ice makes the label ink run: Label damage is not the reason given.
  • D. Dry ice adds carbon dioxide gas to the specimen inside: The concern is freezing and hemolysis, not gas entering a capped tube.

Sources

Question 6

A home-draw phlebotomist needs to leave specimens in a temporary storage area at a long-term care facility for courier pickup. Where should they be kept?

  1. In a labeled biohazard container or refrigerator
  2. In the nurses' break-room refrigerator next to lunches
  3. In the patient's room until the courier arrives
  4. On the reception desk for the courier to find
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: A. In a labeled biohazard container or refrigerator

OSHA requires specimens to be stored in closed, leakproof containers labeled or color-coded as biohazard, and refrigerators holding blood must carry warning labels and hold no food or drink.

Why the other options are wrong

  • B. In the nurses' break-room refrigerator next to lunches: Food may not share a refrigerator with blood specimens.
  • C. In the patient's room until the courier arrives: A patient room is not a specimen storage area.
  • D. On the reception desk for the courier to find: An open desk leaves specimens unprotected and unlabeled in a public area.

Sources

Question 7

A phlebotomist's POC result falls outside the reference range but does not reach any limit on the clinic's critical value list. How should it be handled?

  1. Record and report it through the routine process
  2. Leave it out of the record because it is minor
  3. Phone it to the provider as a critical value
  4. Explain to the patient what the result means
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: A. Record and report it through the routine process

Critical values are those that need immediate treatment or evaluation; other results are recorded and reported per site policy, and a result outside the reference range may or may not mean a health problem (CDC Ready? Set? Test!; MedlinePlus).

Why the other options are wrong

  • B. Leave it out of the record because it is minor: Every result is recorded.
  • C. Phone it to the provider as a critical value: It does not meet the site's critical definition.
  • D. Explain to the patient what the result means: Interpreting results for the patient is the provider's role.

Sources

Question 8

At a clinic whose policy lists a point-of-care glucose below 50 mg/dL as critical, a phlebotomist gets 38 mg/dL on an adult. What should she do?

  1. Alert the provider now and document who was told, when
  2. Repeat the test tomorrow before telling anyone
  3. Record the value and let the provider see it at day's end
  4. Tell the patient to eat and send him home
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: A. Alert the provider now and document who was told, when

CDC tells testing sites to define critical values, make sure staff know how to alert the physician promptly, and document when and to whom each critical value is reported (CDC Ready? Set? Test!). The 50 mg/dL cutoff is an example; each facility sets its own.

Why the other options are wrong

  • B. Repeat the test tomorrow before telling anyone: Waiting a day delays urgent care for a possibly life-threatening result.
  • C. Record the value and let the provider see it at day's end: A critical value needs immediate attention, not routine review.
  • D. Tell the patient to eat and send him home: Treatment advice is outside the phlebotomist's scope.

Sources

Cheat sheets for this domain

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