ASCP Exam Study Schedule: 5 Tips to Ace Your Exam
To make 100% success sure, you must create an actionable ASCP exam study schedule. This schedule should mirror your study habits.
- Set your study schedule for specific hours that really suit your mood (late night or early morning).
- Focus on subjects in which you are weak. Set extra time for them.
- Concentration on your areas of command. Fix little time for them
- Keep some time for body and mind refreshments
- Fix specific time for practice, practice and practice on your learning
The American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) Board of Certification (BOC) is very straightforward regarding its exam process.
It explains all, including the application process, eligibility requirements, scheduling exam and much more.
The ASCP BOC conducts many exams for medical lab professionals.
These professionals belong to different field of medical laboratory.
They may scientist, specialist, technologist, and, technician.
All these certifications have a deep impact on their owners’ personal and professional lives.
Career development, ongoing education, double salaries, a perfect working environment, an honorable position among peers, and learning advanced knowledge opportunities are some prominent benefits of ASCP certification.
In this article, we will concentrate on the ASCP exam study schedule for preparation that will pay you a lot to get ASCP certification if you stick with it patiently.
Understanding the ASCP Exam
To get certification from ASCP BOC, you have to choose your relevant certificate and meet its eligibility requirements.
The ASCP Board of Certification present following certificates:
- MLS ASCP
- MLT ASCP
- PBT ASCP
- HT ASCP
- MLA ASCP
- BB ASCP
- C ASCP
- CG ASCP
- CT ASCP
- H ASCP
- HTL ASCP
- M ASCP
- MB ASCP
- SBB ASCP
- SC ASCP
- SCT ASCP
- SCYM ASCP
- SH ASCP
- SM ASCP
- SMB ASCP
- PA ASCP
The eligibility requirements (eligibility routes) are different for each certificate.
However, following are some common requirements for all ASCP certification.
- You must have a bachelor’s degree in your area of interest.
- For some certificates, you have to get a master’s degree or doctorate in the relevant field.
- Clinical experience must come from an approved laboratory (ASCP BOC recommends some labs for clinical experience). You have to submit clinical experience with a letter of authenticity.
- Training programs must be obtained from board-recommended agencies + letter of authenticity also attach with.
The ASCP Board of Certification also determines the exam syllabus for each certification.
You must check the exam content area of your specific certificate.
You will find detail information about the syllabus “Content Guidelines”.
The information which you will get from content guidelines.
- Subject name with question percentage
- Main topics
- Sub-topics
Designing Your ASCP Exam Study Schedule
The ASCP exam study schedule helps you in time management when you want to keep a balance between your studies and life activities.
An effective study plan helps you achieve your study goal.
Accessing Your Available Time
Something you must keep in mind when scheduling your time.
- Your free hours when you have no disturbance
- Consider about your day or night job, set your time according to its
- Rest time because proper rest assists you perform better
- Other responsibilities, like personal or family-related
- Make sure to avoid activities that can disturb you when you sit for your study.
Creating a Study Calendar
You must have a separate study calendar that only describes hours for study with the ASCP exam study schedule.
Your study calendar must be like this:
- Fix 5-6 hours for study on a daily basis.
- The consistent study of 5-6 hours may harm your health, so take time for rest, food, or entertainment.
- One hour or little more time must be fixed for practice
- Utilize time for other study material, including flashcards, practice tests, or online review course.
- Your study calendar must be flexible and allow you to add any tools that you consider necessary for preparation.
Utilizing the Study Materials
Following are some study materials that are provided by the board.
- Study Guide (For each subject of every certification)
- BOCStudyGuide Question of the Week on Social Media
- MLS Online Review Course
- Practice Exam
- Exam Video Interviews
Besides this, you can get study material from online prep programs like MLSI Academy.
MLSIA Services
- Study Guide for each certification
- Live online classes
- Recordings are available, you can get if you miss your live session
- Practice Questions & Answers
- Flashcards
- Mock Tests
Tips to Implement the Study Material into Study Schedule
- Study Guide: Explain all content effectively. Try to use the study guide for each subject and set your time according to its topics.
- Practice exam: Try to participate in every section of practice exam. Organize your study schedule in this way that it allows you to participate in practice exam.
- Online Review Course: If you subscribe to an online review course like the MLSIA ASCP preparation course by MLSi Academy, It offers flexibility in its study plan that easily adjust with your ASCP exam study schedule.
- Flashcards: Flashcards can be read anytime or anywhere.
- Recorded Classes: MLSiAcademy.com offers you recorded classes you can watch them during your flexible time.
Implement Effective Study Strategies
ASCP exam study strategies are equally important, as is the ASCP exam study schedule.
Your implemented study techniques for ASCP exam preparation must be actionable.
Active Learning Techniques
You must employ the active learning techniques like concept mapping, flashcards, and mnemonics.
Why Use Flashcards
- Help you memorize the little piece of information, definitions, facts, etc.
- Helps understand the concepts deeply
- You can learn large volume of information in short period of time
- Always fall at an affordable price
- Can be read anywhere
- Refresh the information in mind
Why Mnemonics
- Mnemonics is a beneficial technique that helps recall and retain information.
- Very shortcut ways to cover the large volume of information
- Store information into long-term memory.
- Help you learn new concepts by utilizing your previous knowledge
Concept Mapping
Concept mapping is a technique that establishes your big concepts into maps, tables, or graphs.
- Concept mapping helps you understand and review the concepts easily.
- It is a complete sketch of concepts that exposes main topics, key topics, and little more information.
- It condenses a large volume of information into maps or graphs to make it easily digestible.
Reviewing Exam Content
The most beneficial technique that is always workable regarding reviewing exam content is using practice exams.
- You will see improvement in your progress after participating in the practice exam.
- Practice exam help you understand the conditions of exam
- Boost your confidence to sit the exam
- Overcome the exam content area faster even a little piece of information
MLSi Academy presents you with sections of practice tests to help you review exam content.
You will receive.
- Practice question on every topics.
- Practice question on every subjects
- Practice question on entire syllabus
Maximizing Study Efficiency
If you stick with your ASCP exam study schedule, you can maximize your study efficiency.
For extraordinary performance, you must learn time management techniques.
Time Management Technique
- Participate in practice exam to learn time management’s techniques
- Never spend your ASCP exam study plan time on other activities
- Always give priority to your ASCP exam goal
- If you have to miss your schedules for any reason try to save time from other activities to meet your study plan.
- Join study session that courage you about the time management skills like mock test.
Create a Distraction-Free Environment
- Comfortable location is the first condition of a distraction-free environment; make sure to get it for peaceful study.
- A noise-free environment is perfect, but if you cannot get it, make sure to use headphones, etc., to fully focus on studying.
- Your study location must have adequate lighting because if you study with low light, it can increase strain on your eyes.
- Always stay organized.
- Set a space to keep your study materials or create a gallery on your computer if you are using it, so you have not spent your time to finding them.
Adapting Your Schedule Needed
Remember, your purpose in establishing the ASCP exam study schedule is to improve your learning and get preparation done for ASCP exam certification.
If you feel that now you should change your study schedule according to your current position, make sure to change it.
Monitoring Progress
- Before you change your study schedule, you should monitor your progress.
- Realize your weakness and strengths
- Add some advanced study tools, digital applications, like MLSIA app.
Seeking Supports and Guidance
Sometimes it may happen that your study schedule does not work for you.
Then you should not change it by yourself; try to get support and guidance from ASCP-certified experts.
But, if are new and do not have a company with any ASCP-certified professionals, do not overwhelm yourself and join the ASCP exam study groups.
Here are some ASCP exam study groups;
- ASCP Prep group created by MLSi Academy on Facebook
- ASCP Center for Global
- ASCP Pathology Ambassadors
- ASCP Immunology
- ASCP Career Ambassadors 2.0
- ASCP BOC Program Directors
- ASCP BOC International
All these groups are enough to seek all kinds of help related to ASCP.
You can join them and get advice from experts about their ASCP exam study schedule and strategies that they used to pass the Ascp.
Try to implement their recommended schedule and techniques into your study schedule.
Final Thought for ASCP Exam Study Schedule
The ASCP exam study schedule is a technique that tells you what you should do to achieve your goal.
The success or failure of your study schedule directly depends on you, so try to stick with it to make it successful.
Your successful study schedule guarantees the achievement of ASCP certification.
For 100% success, you must subscribe to the MLSIA ASCP exam prep course and the ASCP Certification FB Group of MLSi Academy.
On this platform, you will see a lot of blessings that will push you toward your goal of becoming a ASCP-certified medical lab professional within your minimum efforts and investment.
FAQs for ASCP Exam Study Schedule
Why is the ASCP exam study schedule important to create?
With an ASCP exam study schedule, all things remain under control, and you get your ASCP certificate with great scores.
What should I do if my ASCP exam study schedule is not working?
You should get help from ASCP-certified professionals. To seek guidance, you can join the “ASCP Certification Prep” group.
What are the features of the best study plan to ace the ASCP exam content area?
Your study plan must fix time for all your ASCP exam subjects and for other study tools. It is also flexible enough to add any new study strategy.
Abdelhalim Elshawadfy is an ASCP certified Medical Laboratory Scientist (MLS ASCP), Specialist in Microbiology (SM ASCP), and Molecular Biology Technologist (MB ASCP) with a distinguished career marked by expertise, continuous learning, and a commitment to elevating the standards of clinical laboratory science. As an ASCP Certification Expert and American Board Certification Expert, Abdelhalim Elshawadfy continues to make invaluable contributions to the field, leaving a lasting impact on the medical community.