Hi Marilyn, I am driving in traffic from leaving the testing sit, but before I get home I wanted to let you know I passed! I felt like the questions were pretty tricky, and I feel as though I will get like, a 405 score, but I did study a lot and it is what it is. I wish I didn’t feel so confused while taking the exam, but thankfully it was enough to get me over the edge for a win! This is my second time taking the exam, I took it back in 2008 and let my certification lapse in 2024 🫣. Anyway, I’m recertified again and can now qualify to work on a speciality license like Hematology (not SBB) in the near future. One thing I would say is I felt confident with Blood bank questions surprisingly. Anyway, I will now go clean my house and do all my laundry, then put away all the books, printouts from the SKOOL community, the index cards, and pens/highlighters that are all over my house! Thanks for all the help!

Greetings Gang 😈😜 I gotta be honest... biochemicals are the WORST. Even now after 10 years of being in the field and over a year of teaching them... Catalase, coagulase, oxidase, bile esculin, PYR, CAMP, novobiocin... it starts to feel like a lost cause. The problem isn’t your memory. It’s how most of us study them: as long lists. Your brain doesn’t store lists well. It stores stories, pictures and decisions. Here’s how to switch. 1. Every biochemical answers ONE question. Stop memorizing “S. aureus: catalase +, coagulase +, DNase +, mannitol +...” Instead, ask: “𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴?” - Catalase: Staph (+) vs. Strep/Enterococcus (−) - Coagulase: S. aureus (+) vs. all other Staph (−) - Novobiocin: S. epidermidis (sensitive) vs. S. saprophyticus (resistant) - Bacitracin / PYR: Group A Strep, S. pyogenes (sensitive / +) - CAMP / hippurate: Group B Strep, S. agalactiae (+) - Optochin / bile solubility: S. pneumoniae (sensitive / soluble) vs. viridans strep - Bile esculin + 6.5% NaCl: Enterococcus (+ / +) vs. group D strep (+ / −) - Oxidase: Pseudomonas, Neisseria, Vibrio, Campylobacter, Helicobacter (+) vs. Enterobacterales (−) If you know what each test splits, you can work out the answer even when you blank on the details. 2. Learn flowcharts, not facts. The exam gives you clues one step at a time, like a flowchart: Gram stain → morphology → arrangement → first test → second test. Study the same way. Example: Gram-positive cocci in clusters → catalase + → coagulase − → novobiocin resistant → UTI in a young woman = S. saprophyticus. Action step: Draw the gram-positive cocci flowchart from memory on a blank page every day this week. Day 1 will be hella messy, but by Day 5 you’ll be doing it in 2 minutes. 3. Give every organism a “personality card," and a gender LOL. Make one card per organism with: - Gram stain + shape: what it looks like under the scope - Plate: what the colony looks like (color, hemolysis, smell) - 1–2 key biochemicals: only the ones that separate it from look-alikes - The disease: the clinical story

So apparently I got a job. I’m not even sure how because everything happened so ridiculously fast. Honestly, I think I dissociated through that interview and just happened to say the right combination of words because they sent me an offer the next day. It at a cancer hospital, with the exact hours I wanted. Which is actually really cool and slightly terrifying. I’m still kind of in shock because, if I’m being honest, I wasn’t even planning on going into this field. But apparently the universe laughing in my face, and saying, “Cute. Anyway…” This has been a LONG road, and maybe one day I’ll be able to look back and say, “Wow, that was totally worth it.” 🫩For now, I’ll be over here trying to process the fact that I accidentally built a career while mentally buffering for the last walk At this point my therapy is now call "professional development."

Hellloooo…My name is LaJade…I graduated last May in MLT…This is my second time getting ready to take the ASCP…I’m nervous and wants to know the best route to study?!

I recently took my ascp for the 3rd time. But it’s strictly in Heme. I’ve been trying to pass for 2 years. I’m very sad bout it and don’t want to give up! I’ve used all resources.