Tips & Tricks for Taking the CSMLS CMLA Exam | Exam Edge

Preparing for an exam can be stressful. That's especially true when you've got the weight of your future career riding on the results of your test. Aspiring medical laboratory assistants in Canada must take and pass qualifying exams before they can formally enter the workforce. The CSMLS CMLA exam is one of those tests.

What is the CMLA Test?

Designed to measure the skills, knowledge, and experience of aspiring medical laboratory assistants in Canada, the Certified Medical Laboratory Assistant exam aims to qualify healthcare professionals for long, successful careers. The test was created by the Canadian Society for Medical Laboratory Science, a professional organization dedicated to the training, certification, and ongoing professional development of medical laboratory workers.

While the CSMLS CMLA exam is just one of many qualifying tests offered by the group, it's certainly one of the most demanding. The CSMLS CMLA test consists of 150 multiple choice questions to be answered over the span of a 150 minute exam period. Expect the exam to cover important topics like safe work practices, data entry, pre-analytical procedures, specimen processing, communication, interaction, and professionalism.

Why Take the CMLA Exam

Before diving into CSMLS CMLA tips, let's discuss why it's so important to pursue this certification. For starters, you'll need this certification if you hope to work as a medical laboratory assistant in Canada. It's a requirement that helps ensure that only the most qualified professionals work with patients and their labs. Employers will be looking for this certification on the resumes they receive during the hiring process, and without it listed, you may be passed over in favor of more viable candidates.

The benefits of passing the CSMLS CMLA exam don't stop there, of course. Once certified, you may see an increase in your rate of pay. Qualified healthcare professionals are more in demand than ever, and employers will be eager to offer competitive salaries to candidates. Certification can boost your career prospects while also adding to your bank account.

Of course, not everyone is eligible to register for the CSMLS CMLA exam. In order to sign up, you'll need to successfully complete an EQual accredited Canadian medical laboratory educational program within the last year, or complete the CSLMS Prior Learning Assessment process. Both options ensure that only the most qualified of candidates write the exam. For more information on eligibility, see the official CSLMS website.

Study Strategies

If you're eager to learn how to pass the CSMLS CLMA exam, we've got you covered. There are a number of helpful study strategies you can try.

For starters, take a look at when you plan to take the exam. Using that date as your end goal, work backward to create a study calendar. Research shows that distributed practice - or the act of studying in frequent bursts – is more effective than all-night cram sessions. That's because the act of revisiting the material over and over again helps train your brain to retrieve important details, facts, and figures more quickly.

It's also a good idea to familiarize yourself with CSMLS CMLA test questions and how they're formatted. While it's impossible to anticipate the exact kinds of questions you'll be asked on test day, you can review the format and pacing of the exam ahead of time. This helps boost your confidence by giving you much-needed insight into what to expect on test day. Of course, practice testing is the best way to do so.

The Importance of Practice Testing

Time and time again, science shows the benefits of practice testing. The act of retrieving information over and over again helps form pathways in the brain, allowing you to answer questions more quickly and correctly. While you might be tempted to throw yourself into marathon study sessions and endless note-taking, your efforts will be far more effective if you incorporate a CSMLS CMLA practice test into your routine.

In addition to flexing your retrieval muscles, the act of practice testing can also give you a serious psychological boost on exam day. You'll walk into the testing center confident in your abilities because you've already essentially taken the exam in question. By practicing with the pace and structure of the CSMLS CMLA exam, you'll feel more relaxed and ready to take on any question that comes your way.

When you take a CSMLS CMLA practice quiz, you'll also receive a detailed report of the answers you got wrong. Use these explanations to build a custom study guide that's tailored to your strengths and weaknesses. By highlighting any content area blindspots, you'll be more prepared to address any gaps in your knowledge ahead of the real exam.

Prepare for Your CSMLS CMLA Test Now

If you're eager to kick your CSMLS CMLA exam prep into high gear, Exam Edge has you covered. Our resources can help you understand what to expect on the exam, train you to retrieve correct answers more quickly, and boost your confidence on test day. Best of all, our CSMLS CMLA practice tests are accessible anywhere – who needs late nights in the library when you can take practice exams from your couch? Get started now!