• 60 questions

ASCP HT Exam

Unofficial practice for the histotechnician exam: fixation, processing, embedding and microtomy, staining and laboratory operations, with sources.

About how much formaldehyde does 10% neutral buffered formalin contain?

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Exam mode: 50 questions, 75 minutes.

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Unofficial practice questions, not affiliated with the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) Board of Certification. Bank checked October 15, 2026.

The real exam, as the Board of Certification describes it

Questions
100
Time limit
150 minutes
Format
Multiple choice, four options
Method
Computer adaptive (CAT)
Score
Scaled, 100 to 999; 400 to pass
Skipping
Not allowed
Calculator
On screen
Where
A Pearson testing center

Checked October 15, 2026 against HT(ASCP) Examination Content Guideline, ASCP Board of Certification, for testing dates from November 1, 2026 (revised July 10, 2026), and its page About the Examination. Rules change, so confirm with the agency itself before your test.

The Board of Certification's own HT page

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All 60 questions

Fixation 11

  • A specimen is fixed by immersion. At least how much fixative should the container hold? Wikipedia, "Fixation (histology)", section "Immersion"
  • About how much formaldehyde does 10% neutral buffered formalin contain? Wikipedia, "Fixation (histology)", section "Crosslinking fixatives – aldehydes"
  • Bouin solution contains formaldehyde, acetic acid and which third ingredient? Wikipedia, "Bouin solution", introduction
  • Ethanol and methanol belong to which group of fixatives? Wikipedia, "Fixation (histology)", section "Precipitating fixatives – alcohols"
  • Fixation preserves tissue from decay caused by which two processes? Wikipedia, "Fixation (histology)", introduction
  • Formalin can leave a brown to black pigment in tissue under which condition? Wikipedia, "Histology", section "Artifacts"
  • How does formaldehyde fix tissue? Wikipedia, "Fixation (histology)", section "Crosslinking fixatives – aldehydes"
  • What can prolonged fixation do to tissue that will be stained by immunohistochemistry? Wikipedia, "Fixation (histology)", section "Choosing a fixative procedure"
  • Which chemical is often used as a secondary fixative when samples are prepared for electron microscopy? Wikipedia, "Fixation (histology)", section "Oxidizing agents"
  • Which fixative is made of ethanol, chloroform and glacial acetic acid? Wikipedia, "Carnoy's solution", introduction
  • Which fixative is the most commonly used for electron microscopy? Wikipedia, "Histology", section "Fixation"
Show all 60 questions (49 more)

Processing 8

  • EDTA removes calcium from bone by which action? Wikipedia, "Bone decalcification", section "Histology"
  • In routine paraffin processing, in which order do the three steps come? Wikipedia, "Histology", section "Paraffin wax"
  • What does the clearing agent do in tissue processing? Wikipedia, "Histology", section "Paraffin wax"
  • Which of these is a strong acid decalcifier? Wikipedia, "Bone decalcification", section "Histology"
  • Which of these is a way to test that decalcification of a bone specimen is complete? Wikipedia, "Bone decalcification", section "Histology"
  • Which reagent, in baths of rising strength, usually dehydrates tissue during processing? Wikipedia, "Histology", section "Paraffin wax"
  • Which three steps does an automated tissue processor carry out? Wikipedia, "Histology", section "Paraffin wax"
  • Why must tissue be dehydrated before paraffin wax can infiltrate it? Wikipedia, "Histology", section "Paraffin wax"

Embedding and microtomy 11

  • A cryostat is best described as what? Wikipedia, "Frozen section procedure", section "Procedure"
  • About how thick are tissue sections cut for light microscopy? Wikipedia, "Histology", section "Sectioning"
  • After each cut on a rotary microtome, how far does the specimen holder advance? Wikipedia, "Microtome", section "Rotary"
  • At the embedding center, what is done with infiltrated tissue before the wax in the mold is cooled? Wikipedia, "Histology", section "Paraffin wax"
  • Compared with most tissue, at what temperature is fatty tissue usually cut in the cryostat? Wikipedia, "Frozen section procedure", section "Procedure"
  • For light microscopy, which embedding material is used most often? Wikipedia, "Histology", section "Paraffin wax"
  • In which medium is a specimen usually embedded for frozen sectioning? Wikipedia, "Frozen section procedure", section "Procedure"
  • On a rotary microtome, what moves to make the cut? Wikipedia, "Microtome", section "Rotary"
  • Which embedding medium is the most commonly employed for electron microscopy? Wikipedia, "Histology", section "Other materials"
  • Which slide coating is used to help sections and cells adhere? Wikipedia, "Microscope slide", section "Dimensions and types"
  • Why is tissue embedded in a harder medium before it is cut? Wikipedia, "Histology", section "Embedding"

Staining 22

  • A Congo red slide shows apple-green birefringence under polarized light. What does that indicate? Wikipedia, "Congo red", section "Diagnostic use"
  • Cresyl violet is the usual counterstain for Luxol fast blue. What does it bind? Wikipedia, "Luxol fast blue stain", section "Procedure"
  • Formalin-fixed sections are usually pre-treated with which solution to get correct trichrome staining? Wikipedia, "Bouin solution", introduction
  • How does the Kinyoun acid-fast method differ from the Ziehl-Neelsen method? Wikipedia, "Kinyoun stain", introduction
  • In immunohistochemistry, what is an epitope? Wikipedia, "Immunohistochemistry", section "Antigen retrieval"
  • In the H&E method, bluing is carried out in what kind of solution? Wikipedia, "H&E stain", section "Method of application"
  • In the PAS stain, what does the periodic acid do? Wikipedia, "Periodic acid–Schiff stain", introduction
  • In the von Kossa method for mineral deposits, the silver ions react with what? Wikipedia, "Von Kossa stain", section "Method"
  • On a Masson trichrome stain, what color is collagen? Wikipedia, "Masson's trichrome stain", introduction
  • On a Verhoeff-van Gieson stain, what color are elastic fibers? Wikipedia, "Verhoeff's stain", introduction
  • On which kind of section is Oil red O used to show neutral lipids? Wikipedia, "Oil Red O", introduction
  • The periodic acid-methenamine silver (Jones) stain is used mainly to show which structure? Wikipedia, "Jones' stain", introduction
  • The Perls Prussian blue reaction mostly shows iron in which state? Wikipedia, "Perls Prussian blue", introduction
  • Toluidine blue, a blue dye, colors mast cell granules red. What is this effect called? Wikipedia, "Toluidine blue", section "Histological uses"
  • What does diastase digestion remove from a section before the PAS stain? Wikipedia, "Periodic acid–Schiff stain", introduction
  • What is regressive hematoxylin staining? Wikipedia, "Haematoxylin", section "Stain formulations"
  • What is the active colorant in a hematoxylin stain? Wikipedia, "H&E stain", section "Mode of action"
  • Which chemical is commonly used to oxidize (ripen) commercial hematoxylin solutions? Wikipedia, "Haematoxylin", section "Stain formulations"
  • Which dye is part of the EA counterstain of the Papanicolaou stain? Wikipedia, "Papanicolaou stain", section "Generalized staining method"
  • Which oxidizer is used first in the Grocott methenamine silver (GMS) stain? Wikipedia, "Grocott's methenamine silver stain", introduction
  • Which solution typically differentiates an overstained hematoxylin? Wikipedia, "Haematoxylin", section "Stain formulations"
  • Which yellow-brown pigment is known as the wear-and-tear pigment? Wikipedia, "Lipofuscin", introduction

Laboratory operations 8

  • A fire in a flammable liquid belongs to which fire class? Wikipedia, "Fire class", section "Flammable liquids"
  • A histology laboratory keeps a written Chemical Hygiene Plan. How often must the employer review and evaluate how well it works? 29 CFR 1910.1450, paragraph (e)(4)
  • How much 95% alcohol is needed to make 500 mL of 70% alcohol? Own question; the answer is arithmetic on the numbers in the question. Outline: Laboratory Operations, laboratory mathematics
  • On the NFPA 704 hazard diamond, what does the blue section rate? Wikipedia, "NFPA 704", section "Codes"
  • Under the CLIA histopathology standard, what must be stained with each patient slide or group of slides for a special stain? 42 CFR 493.1273, paragraph (a)
  • Under the CLIA rules, for at least how long must a laboratory keep histopathology slides? 42 CFR 493.1105, paragraph (a)(7)
  • What is OSHA's permissible exposure limit for formaldehyde as an 8-hour time-weighted average? 29 CFR 1910.1048, paragraph (c)(1)
  • Which section of a safety data sheet gives exposure controls and personal protection? 29 CFR 1910.1200, paragraph (g)(2)

How this list was compiled: Our own questions, written to the five content areas of the Histotechnician, HT(ASCP) and HT(ASCPi), Examination Content Guideline of the American Society for Clinical Pathology Board of Certification, the edition valid for testing dates beginning November 1, 2026 (revised July 10, 2026; https://ascpcontentwebsite.blob.core.windows.net/boccontent/docs/default-source/explore-credentials/content-guidelines/interim_ascp_ascpi_ht_htl_content_guideline_6-26.pdf, linked as "Content Guideline" from https://www.ascp.org/boc/explore-credentials/view-all-credentials/HT, read 2026-10-15). Its content areas and their shares of the 100-question examination: Fixation 15 to 25%, Processing 10 to 20%, Embedding/Microtomy 15 to 25%, Staining 30 to 40%, Laboratory Operations 10 to 15%. The bank holds 11, 8, 11, 22 and 8 questions in that order. Every fact was read on 2026-10-15 in the public source the question names: Wikipedia articles on fixatives, tissue processing, microtomy and the stains of the guideline's list, and the Code of Federal Regulations on ecfr.gov (29 CFR 1910.1048, 1910.1200 and 1910.1450; 42 CFR 493.1105 and 493.1273). Licence: Questions, choices and explanations are original work of this site.

How it works

This free ASCP HT exam practice test has 60 questions of our own in the five content areas of the histotechnician guideline. Unofficial: not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) Board of Certification.

Read the full guide

What the exam covers

The HT content guideline for testing dates from November 1, 2026, read October 15, 2026, weights fixation 15 to 25%, processing 10 to 20%, embedding and microtomy 15 to 25%, staining 30 to 40% and laboratory operations 10 to 15%. The edition for earlier dates gives the same shares.

Where the answers come from

Each answer names a public page: Wikipedia articles on the fixatives and stains of the guideline's list, and federal rules on ecfr.gov, among them the OSHA formaldehyde standard and the CLIA rules on slides and stain controls.

Timing

Exam mode asks 50 questions in 75 minutes, the pace of the real exam: 100 questions in 2 hours 30 minutes.

  • The guideline lists the fixatives and stains that may appear. Staining questions on enzyme histochemistry and in situ hybridization are on the HTL exam only.

Questions and answers

Is this ASCP HT practice test free?

Yes. There is no charge and no sign-up. Each question shows the right answer with a short reason and the page it was read on.

How many questions are on the ASCP HT exam?

100, in 2 hours 30 minutes. Each is multiple choice with four options and one best answer, and the exam is computer adaptive, by the Board of Certification's content guideline and its About the Examination page.

What score do you need to pass the ASCP HT exam?

The Board of Certification reports a scaled score from 100 to 999, and 400 is the minimum passing score. A result here is the number right only.

Is this an ASCP HT study guide?

It is a question bank, not a guide. Each answer names its source, so you can open that page and study the topic you missed. The Board of Certification publishes its own content guideline and reading list.

Does it cover the histotechnologist (HTL) exam?

Partly. HT and HTL, which the guideline titles Scientist in Histotechnology, share one guideline and the same five content areas. HTL adds topics marked HTL only, such as immunohistochemistry staining theory, antigen retrieval and management principles, which are not in this bank.

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