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Frequently asked questions
How many NHA Phlebotomy Technician (CPT) practice questions are here?+
A full bank of original NHA Phlebotomy Technician (CPT) practice questions across the official content areas, weighted like the real exam, with explanations. Free, no signup.
What is the NHA Phlebotomy Technician (CPT) exam like?+
About 100 questions, 130 minutes. Practice by topic here, then take the full timed mock exam to gauge readiness.
Are these the real exam questions?+
No. Every question is 100% original, written from public primary sources with explanations. We never copy real exam questions or paid prep material.
Can I study in Chinese or Spanish?+
PrepPass practice is in English, 中文 and Español. The official exam is in English — switch the question language to English any time to rehearse the exact terminology you'll see on test day.
Sample practice questions
A few real questions from this free bank, with full explanations. Use the practice tool above for the whole set.
- 1. Collection Procedures
A phlebotomist must collect a blood culture set, a PT/INR, a basic metabolic panel on a gel serum tube, and a CBC. Which collection sequence follows the standard order of draw?
- a.Light blue, blood culture, lavender, gel serum tube
- b.Blood culture, light blue, gel serum tube, lavender
- c.Gel serum tube, blood culture, light blue, lavender
- d.Lavender, light blue, blood culture, gel serum tube
Answer: b
Explanation: The standard order of draw is blood culture (sterile) first, then the light blue sodium citrate coagulation tube, then serum tubes with or without gel, then heparin, then EDTA, then glycolytic inhibitor tubes. Drawing the blood culture first protects it from skin-flora contamination introduced by non-sterile tube handling. Every other sequence listed allows additive carryover into a tube where that additive causes error, most notably EDTA carried into a chemistry or coagulation tube.
Source: CLSI GP41
- 2. Collection Procedures
Which group of tests is collected in the lavender EDTA tube?
- a.PT, aPTT and fibrinogen
- b.CBC, hemoglobin A1c and ESR
- c.Comprehensive metabolic panel and lipid panel
- d.Glucose, lactate and blood alcohol
Answer: b
Explanation: EDTA preserves cell morphology and prevents platelet clumping, so it is the tube of choice for the CBC, hemoglobin A1c and the erythrocyte sedimentation rate. Coagulation tests require citrate, glucose and alcohol require a fluoride tube, and chemistry panels require serum or heparinized plasma. Substituting EDTA for a chemistry tube falsely raises potassium and falsely lowers calcium.
Source: CLSI GP41
- 3. Collection Procedures
How should an EDTA tube be mixed immediately after collection?
- a.Shake vigorously five times
- b.Invert once and place upright in the rack
- c.Invert gently 8 to 10 times
- d.Do not mix; the additive dissolves on its own
Answer: c
Explanation: EDTA tubes require roughly 8 to 10 gentle inversions so the anticoagulant coats all the blood and microclots do not form. Vigorous shaking introduces mechanical trauma and hemolysis, which invalidates many tests. A single inversion or no mixing at all leaves clotted or clumped specimens that the laboratory must reject.
Source: CLSI GP41
- 4. Collection Procedures
A phlebotomist has attempted venipuncture twice on the same patient without obtaining blood. What is the correct next step?
- a.Attempt a third and fourth time on the same arm
- b.Probe laterally with the needle already in place until blood appears
- c.Stop and ask another qualified phlebotomist to attempt the draw
- d.Send the patient home and cancel the tests
Answer: c
Explanation: Standard practice limits a phlebotomist to two attempts before handing the patient to another qualified collector, which protects the patient from repeated trauma. Blind lateral probing risks nerve damage and arterial puncture and is never acceptable. Canceling ordered tests without escalation deprives the provider of needed results.
Source: CLSI GP41
- 5. Safety & Compliance
Which removal sequence for personal protective equipment best limits self-contamination?
- a.Gloves, goggles or face shield, gown, mask
- b.Mask, gown, gloves, goggles
- c.Gown, gloves, mask, goggles
- d.Goggles, mask, gloves, gown
Answer: a
Explanation: Gloves are the most contaminated item and come off first, followed by eye protection, then the gown, and finally the mask, which is removed last and outside the patient room. Removing the mask early exposes the face while the hands are still contaminated. Hand hygiene is performed after glove removal and again after all PPE is off.
Source: CDC Guideline for Isolation Precautions
- 6. Safety & Compliance
Which labeling is required on a container used to transport blood specimens off the collection floor?
- a.A biohazard symbol or red color coding identifying the contents as infectious
- b.The phlebotomist's name only
- c.No labeling is required if the lid is closed
- d.A handwritten note that says fragile
Answer: a
Explanation: Containers holding blood or other potentially infectious material must carry the biohazard label or be red color coded so anyone handling them knows the risk. A fragile note or a staff name conveys nothing about infectious hazard. A closed lid contains the specimen but does not warn the next handler.
Source: OSHA 29 CFR 1910.1030
- 7. Specimen Handling
A neonatal bilirubin is collected. How must the specimen be handled during transport?
- a.Frozen immediately at minus 20 degrees Celsius
- b.Left uncovered at room temperature to allow clotting
- c.Kept in an ice slurry for at least 30 minutes
- d.Protected from light, for example with an amber tube or foil wrap
Answer: d
Explanation: Bilirubin is photosensitive and degrades within minutes of light exposure, so an amber microtube or foil wrapping is used. Vitamin B12, folate, carotene and vitamin A require the same protection. Freezing whole blood hemolyzes it, chilling is not the required protection here, and leaving the tube exposed causes falsely low results.
Source: CLSI GP44
- 8. Specimen Handling
Unless a test specifies otherwise, at what temperature are routine blood specimens transported?
- a.Frozen at minus 20 degrees Celsius
- b.Refrigerated at 2 to 8 degrees Celsius
- c.Warmed to 37 degrees Celsius
- d.At ambient room temperature, roughly 15 to 30 degrees Celsius
Answer: d
Explanation: Most routine specimens travel at ambient room temperature unless the test specifically calls for chilling, freezing or warming. Routine refrigeration of unseparated blood raises potassium as it leaks from red cells. Freezing whole blood causes hemolysis, and warming is reserved for cold-sensitive analytes such as cryoglobulins.
Source: CLSI GP44
- 9. Patient Preparation
During a 3-hour glucose tolerance test the patient vomits 20 minutes after drinking the glucose solution. What is the correct action?
- a.Give a second glucose drink and restart the timing
- b.Notify the provider or laboratory immediately, since the test usually must be discontinued and rescheduled
- c.Continue the collections and note the vomiting on the last tube
- d.Shorten the test to one hour
Answer: b
Explanation: Vomiting means the glucose load was not absorbed, so the remaining timed results are meaningless and the provider or laboratory decides whether to stop and reschedule. Repeating the drink is not the phlebotomist's decision and doubles the dose risk. Continuing the draws or arbitrarily shortening the protocol produces uninterpretable data.
- 10. Anatomy & Terminology
Which description of antecubital vein anatomy is correct?
- a.The basilic vein lies on the lateral or thumb side of the arm
- b.The cephalic vein lies laterally and the basilic vein medially, with the median cubital between them
- c.The median cubital vein lies deep to the brachial artery
- d.The cephalic vein lies on the medial or little finger side
Answer: b
Explanation: In the antecubital fossa the cephalic vein runs along the lateral thumb side, the basilic vein along the medial little finger side, and the median cubital connects them across the middle. The median cubital is superficial and lies above, not beneath, the brachial artery. Reversing the cephalic and basilic positions would put the phlebotomist next to the artery and nerve without realizing it.