[Histonet] Re: HT Certification

[Joelle Weaver]

There is information about the CAT , (computer adapted testing format) and the scaling of question difficulty on the ASCP site that is helpful to know for your test taking strategy and preparation. The general gist is that they present on the topics and questions in a category randomly, and if you answer correctly the questions increase in difficulty until you answer incorrectly. It starts over with this process through the topics in random presentation order. Sometimes they put in "test questions" they are trying out for future exams that do not count towards your scaled score. I think it is helpful to understand how this works going in.
If you do not take a lot of multiple choice tests, I think it is also worth the time to do some research on how to approach the mostly multiple choice question format and how to use a good strategy for arriving at the "best" answer from the provided choices. This helps when you hit a question you are unsure about, and do not want to use too much of your time on working through one question. The other thing I would suggest, is that you have to keep in mind not to filter through your own particular laboratory, but general practices and the theory as outlined in the recommended references on the reading list. Sometimes people have said they have been frustrated when they answered a question based on their own direct experiences with their lab's procedures and they did not consider this correct. Just keep in mind, they are using a broad perspective when crafting the questions , not how it is applied in a particular lab. They also ask about the whole spectrum and not just standard clinical histotechnology, so review the EM, neuro stains and some of the specialty type things too on the study list that they consider part of histology practice, especially if you do not perform and so have limited direct experience to the technique in your lab. Other than the ideas above, try to be as rested and as relaxed as you can on test day, and you should feel prepared to perform your best on the exam. Good luck! 


Joelle Weaver MAOM, HTL (ASCP) QIHC

        
  

 
> Date: Fri, 3 Oct 2014 12:06:24 -0400
> From: bszpunar <@t> umail.iu.edu
> To: histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu
> Subject: [Histonet] Re: HT Certification
> 
> Hi Jessica,
> 
> When I sat for the exam ~4 years ago, there were quite a lot of special
> stain related questions. My main study guide was Carson, so if you are very
> familiar with her text you should be pretty well off. Being able to
> identify stains, tissue types, and troubleshoot a given stain I would say
> are all valuable.
> 
> Also, remember to heed the "adaptive" nature of the test (you can find more
> on that by searching the archives). From speaking to others, there is
> generally a consensus that an inverse relationship exists between how hard
> one felt the test was and a passing score. Those who felt like the
> questions were extremely difficult, tend to pass because they are answering
> higher level questions.
> 
> Good luck! I think you'll be fine...
> 
> -Bryan
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