🩸 Hematology Review for the MedTech Board Exam

What the Hematology course covers

1. Unit 1: Blood Counts & Instruments

   The CBC, red cell indices, histograms and flow cytometry.

   The automated CBC · Red cell indices & RDW · Histograms & flags · Flow cytometry & QC

2. Unit 2: Where Blood Is Made

   Hematopoiesis through life, the spleen and lymphoid tissues, and bone marrow examination.

   Hematopoiesis through life · Spleen & lymphoid tissues · Bone marrow examination

3. Unit 3: Hemoglobin

   How hemoglobin is built, how it carries oxygen, and abnormal hemoglobin pigments.

   Building hemoglobin · How hemoglobin carries oxygen · Abnormal hemoglobin pigments

4. Unit 4: The Red Cell’s Life

   Erythropoiesis, the red cell membrane and metabolism, red cell death, and reticulocytes.

   Erythropoiesis · Membrane & metabolism · How red cells die · Reticulocytes & production

5. Unit 5: Reading the Red Cells

   Red cell size, color, shape and inclusions on the blood smear.

   Size & color · Shape changes · Inclusions & arrangements

6. Unit 6: Anemia & Polycythemia

   Classifying anemia, polycythemias, and anemias from marrow that under-produces.

   What is anemia? · Polycythemia · When the marrow under-produces · Aplastic & red cell aplasia

7. Unit 7: Heme & Iron Disorders

   Porphyrias, lead, iron metabolism, iron deficiency, iron overload and sideroblastic anemia.

   Porphyrias & lead · Iron in the body · Iron deficiency anemia · Too much iron & look-alikes

8. Unit 8: Hemoglobinopathies

   Sickle cell disease and trait, Hb C, D and E, and hemoglobins with altered behavior.

   Sickle cell disease · Sickle trait & testing · Hb C, D, E & friends

9. Unit 9: Thalassemias

   β- and α-thalassemias, their genotypes and lab patterns.

   β-Thalassemia · α-Thalassemia & variants

10. Unit 10: Megaloblastic & Hemolytic Anemias

    B₁₂ and folate deficiency, then red cells destroyed early by membrane, enzyme or outside causes.

    B₁₂ & folate deficiency · Membrane defects · Enzyme defects · Outside attacks & blood loss

11. Unit 11: White Blood Cells

    Staining, granulocyte and monocyte maturation and function, counts, and abnormal appearances.

    Staining & maturation · Phagocytes at work · Counts up & down · Abnormal-looking white cells

12. Unit 12: Myeloid Neoplasms

    Leukemia basics, cytochemical stains, CML and other myeloproliferative disorders, MDS and AML.

    Leukemia basics · Cytochemical stains · CML & its cousins · Myelodysplastic syndromes · Acute myeloid leukemia

13. Unit 13: Lymphocytes & Lymphoid Neoplasms

    Lymphocyte types and counts, immunodeficiency, reactive lymphocytosis, plasma cell disorders, CLL, ALL and lymphomas.

    Lymphocytes & plasma cells · Too few lymphocytes · Reactive lymphocytosis · Plasma cell disorders · CLL & its variants · Acute lymphoblastic leukemia · Lymphomas

Sample Hematology board exam questions

A few practice questions from the course, with explanations. Thousands more are in the app.

1. 1. A microhematocrit tube is spun for too short a time. The hematocrit will read:

   1. Unchanged
   2. Falsely low only in anemia
   3. Falsely low
   4. Falsely high, from trapped plasma
   Show answer

   Answer: D. Falsely high, from trapped plasma

   If the tube is not spun long enough, the red cells are not fully packed and plasma stays trapped between them. The red cell column is taller than it should be, so the hematocrit reads falsely high.

2. 2. The preferred site for adult bone marrow aspiration and biopsy is the:

   1. Tibia
   2. Spinous process
   3. Femoral head
   4. Posterior iliac crest
   Show answer

   Answer: D. Posterior iliac crest

   The posterior iliac crest has plenty of active marrow in adults, lies away from major vessels and organs, and allows both aspiration and core biopsy safely. The sternum is used only for aspiration; the tibia only in infants.

3. 3. Which change shifts the oxygen dissociation curve to the right?

   1. Acidosis, fever and more 2,3-BPG
   2. Alkalosis
   3. Hypothermia
   4. More Hb F
   Show answer

   Answer: A. Acidosis, fever and more 2,3-BPG

   A right shift means hemoglobin holds oxygen less tightly and releases more to tissues. Acid (Bohr effect), higher temperature, more CO₂ and more 2,3-BPG all do this, as happens in working muscle. Alkalosis, cold and Hb F shift it left.

4. 4. Retic 7% and Hct 20%. The corrected reticulocyte count is:

   1. 7%
   2. 15.8%
   3. 1.4%
   4. 3.1%
   Show answer

   Answer: D. 3.1%

   The raw retic % looks high when there are fewer red cells, so it is corrected for anemia: retic % × patient Hct ÷ 45 = 7 × 20 ÷ 45 = 3.1%.

5. 5. Variation in red cell size is called:

   1. Hypochromia
   2. Anisocytosis
   3. Polychromasia
   4. Poikilocytosis
   Show answer

   Answer: B. Anisocytosis

   Anisocytosis means variation in red cell size (aniso = unequal). It is measured by the RDW. Poikilocytosis is variation in shape; polychromasia means bluish young cells.

6. 6. The morphologic classification of anemia uses:

   1. The M:E ratio
   2. The reticulocyte count
   3. The red cell indices
   4. Prussian blue staining
   Show answer

   Answer: C. The red cell indices

   Morphologic classification uses the red cell indices: MCV (size: micro-, normo- or macrocytic) and MCHC/MCH (color: hypo- or normochromic). The reticulocyte count is used for the kinetic (production vs destruction) approach.

7. 7. Iron deficiency anemia shows:

   1. Low iron and low TIBC
   2. High ferritin
   3. Low iron, low ferritin, high TIBC and low saturation
   4. High saturation
   Show answer

   Answer: C. Low iron, low ferritin, high TIBC and low saturation

   As iron stores run out, ferritin falls first. Serum iron then falls, the liver makes more transferrin (high TIBC) to capture scarce iron, and transferrin saturation drops (often below 15%).

8. 8. The sickle cell mutation is:

   1. Lysine replacing glutamic acid at β6
   2. Valine replacing glutamic acid at α6
   3. Glutamine replacing glutamic acid at β6
   4. Valine replacing glutamic acid at β6
   Show answer

   Answer: D. Valine replacing glutamic acid at β6

   In Hb S, valine replaces glutamic acid at position 6 of the β chain. The hydrophobic valine makes deoxygenated Hb S molecules stick together into polymers that distort red cells into sickles. Lysine at β6 is Hb C.

Practice more Hematology questions

How you review in MedTech Reviewer

• Learning path: short lessons, each followed by questions, with a checkpoint at the end of every unit.
• Spaced repetition: questions you miss come back sooner, so key facts stick for exam day.
• Flashcards and timed quizzes in exam style, with an explanation for every answer.
• Board-readiness score per subject, so you know where to focus.
• Arcade games, PvP battles and Guilds to keep reviewing fun with classmates.

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