Ensuring Safety at Exam Sites Amid COVID-19

To help ensure everyone’s safety at brick-and-mortar testing sites, exam candidates will be required to adhere to the following requirements for the upcoming June exam session.

Prior to entering the test center building, exam candidates will be required to do the following:

• Bring and wear a mask during the entirety of their time at the test center.
  Both medical masks and cloth face coverings are acceptable. 
• Any test taker that comes to the test center without a mask will not be allowed to test. They will be marked as a “no show” and will not be eligible for a free reschedule.
• Comply with any other local or federal mandates and guidelines.

If exam candidates fall into any of the following categories, they will not be permitted to test until they no longer fit the criteria:

• Have been diagnosed with COVID-19 in the past 14 days;
• *Have been exposed to someone diagnosed with COVID-19 in the past 14 days;
• Are experiencing flu- or cold-like symptoms;
• Have travelled to a highly infected area in the past 14 days.

*Medical and health care professionals who have been practicing safe and preventative measures using personal protective equipment with their patients are an exception.

See Prometric’s website for the latest details.

Scratchpads for Remote Proctor Testing

Prometric is currently working on providing a "virtual scratch pad" for remote proctor testing (RPT) candidates. This feature may not yet be available for the June exam session. However, each question in the computer platform has a "Notes/Comments" section where candidates can jot down anything for which they would normally use scrap paper or a white board. Each question comment section has a 300-character limit. Candidates can use more than one comment section to jot down notes.

If the “scratch pad” feature is not yet available for the June exam session, we suggest exam candidates start their exam by recording their notes in the comment section of question #1 so that they can easily find them again while completing the test.

Remote Proctoring Q&A Held for All MLT Regulators

On Thursday, June 4th, 2020, the CSMLS hosted a remote proctoring Q&A webinar for all MLT regulators and invited guests, which included all Offices of the Fairness Commissioners, for the provinces that we have Exam and PLA contracts with.

The meeting was held to address questions regulators had about remote proctor testing as well as explain how the process helps provide a more flexible option to students during this difficult time while still upholding our rigorous testing and security standards.

Educator Committee Summary Report

The Educator Committee met on May 11, 2020. The committee discussed training program updates in light of COVID-19, the process behind updating reference textbooks, and more. Check out their summary report here.

Simulation in MLA Education Programs

CSMLS created a guidance document to help educators in medical laboratory assistant programs navigate a shift to increased simulation for training and evaluation. The guidance document lists certain competencies and whether each can or cannot be assessed by simulation. You can find more details and view the full guidance document here.

Student Exam Preparation Presentations

The CSMLS Certification Department is happy to answer questions your students may have regarding the Certification Exam. We provide online sessions for medical laboratory technologist and assistant programs looking to help their students be better prepared. For more information or to schedule a session, please email Lorna Zilic, Manager of Certification and Prior Learning Assessment, at LornaZ@csmls.org 

You can also find more information about presentations we offer for students on our website. Please note that not all services listed on this web page are currently available due to pandemic safety precautions.

MLA Practice Test Package

CSMLS offers Practice Tests for MLT and MLA students challenging the Exams. The tests are designed to help students get a better understanding of how the exam questions are structured as well as the pacing needed to complete the exam within the given time limits.

We are now offering the MLA Practice Test Package to help students save money as they prepare for the exam. Students can purchase this bundle to have 3 Practice Test attempts while saving 40% of the individual practice test cost.

You can find more information and register here.

Certification Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

An extensive list of FAQs is available on our website. They include such topics as general certification information, certification requirements, applying for the exam, accommodations, preparing for the exam, taking the exam, learning plans, recertification and other miscellaneous topics.