10 exam-style questions with answers and explanations, straight from our 1,050-question bank. Tap an answer to check yourself. When you're ready, take the scored version in the free practice test.
The M(ASCP) exam has 100 questions and runs 2 hours 30 minutes.
These 10 free M(ASCP) questions are organized by exam domain, so you can see how each part of the Scientist in Microbiology (M(ASCP)) blueprint is tested. Reveal the answer and explanation under each question.
A sputum specimen from a 58-year-old with suspected pneumonia has a Gram stain showing 28 squamous epithelial cells and 6 WBCs per low-power field. The specimen was collected 40 minutes ago and the patient has already received the first dose of antibiotics. The MOST appropriate action is to:
Correct answer: B - Reject the specimen and request recollection
Two sets of blood cultures are collected from an adult with suspected endocarditis. Each of the four bottles receives approximately 3 mL of blood instead of the recommended 8-10 mL. The MOST significant consequence is:
Correct answer: B - Reduced sensitivity for detecting bacteremia
A Staphylococcus aureus wound isolate tests erythromycin resistant and clindamycin susceptible. A D-zone test produces flattening of the clindamycin zone adjacent to the erythromycin disk. Clindamycin should be reported as:
Correct answer: A - Resistant
A multidrug-resistant gram-negative rod from a ventilated ICU patient is oxidase negative, DNase positive, and lysine decarboxylase positive. Susceptibility results report meropenem as susceptible. The MOST appropriate action is to:
Correct answer: D - Suppress the meropenem result and investigate the identification and testing
Enterobacter cloacae isolated from a wound tests susceptible to ceftriaxone. The patient is treated with ceftriaxone and initially improves, but the infection worsens after five days. A repeat isolate is now ceftriaxone resistant. The MOST likely explanation is:
Correct answer: C - Derepression of a chromosomal AmpC β-lactamase
Four blood culture bottles (two sets) are collected from a patient with a fever and no indwelling devices. One bottle signals positive at 71 hours and grows a catalase-positive, coagulase-negative, gram-positive coccus. The remaining three bottles are negative at five days. This MOST likely represents:
Correct answer: D - Skin flora contamination
A technologist incubates Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion plates in 5% CO₂ to improve growth of a slow-growing isolate. Compared with correct incubation conditions, this would MOST likely cause:
Correct answer: A - Falsely resistant aminoglycoside results
A stool culture from a child with bloody diarrhea is plated on sorbitol-MacConkey agar. Which colony appearance should be worked up for Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O157:H7?
Correct answer: C - Colorless colonies
A gram-negative rod from a urine culture gives the following results: TSI A/A with gas, indole positive, methyl red positive, Voges-Proskauer negative, citrate negative, urease negative, motile. The MOST likely organism is:
Correct answer: C - Escherichia coli
A gram-positive coccus isolated from blood is vancomycin resistant, catalase negative, and PYR negative. Gas is produced from glucose. The MOST likely organism is:
Correct answer: A - Leuconostoc species
The M(ASCP) exam also covers these domains. Drill them in the full free practice test:
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