MLT (AMT) - Medical Laboratory Technician

American Medical Technologists (AMT) is a national agency that certifies healthcare personnel. Its Medical Laboratory Technician (MLT) certification exam evaluates the competence of entry-level medical laboratory techs. AMT is an accredited member of the National Commission for Certifying Agencies, a division of the Institute for Credentialing Excellence.

Eligibility

There are four paths to become eligible for certification as an MLT. Applicants must meet all requirements for one of these pathways. 

Path 1: Education

• Must possess and present transcripts of an associate degree in medical laboratory technology (or equivalent) from a program or institution accredited by a regional agency approved by the U.S. Department of Education, Council for Higher Education Accreditation or AMT

  • Programs must include clinical rotations through laboratory sections that include blood banking, microbiology, chemistry and hematology testing

  • Programs that don’t include an experiential component require applicants to obtain and document evidence of 6 months of approved laboratory experience covering all required rotations listed above

• Must present documentation of 6 months of full-time, 40-hour weekly work experience or its equivalent within the last five years if graduation was more than five years prior MLT exam application

Path 2: Alternate Education

• Must complete at least 2 years (60 semester hours) of courses 

• Program/institution must be accredited by a regional agency approved by the U.S. Department of Education, Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) or AMT

• Foreign institutions must provide an equivalent degree as certified by a foreign transcript evaluation agency approved by AMT

• Documentation of completion required

• Must complete at least 25 semester hours of coursework across various subjects related to the clinical laboratory sciences, such as chemical or biological science, mathematics and/or computer science

  • No more than 6 semester hours of mathematics and/or computer science may be used toward requirement

• Must complete at least 6 months of clinical rotation through laboratory sections that include blood banking, microbiology, chemistry and hematology testing

Path 3: Military

• Must have completed and produced transcripts of the 50-week U.S. military medical lab training program

  • Training credits must have been earned or accepted for transfer to an accredited college/university leading to an appropriate degree

  • If graduation was 5 or more years ago, applicants must also prove:

    • Six months of relevant, documented, full-time experience in the last five years in a laboratory that performs chemical, physical or biological examinations of human tissues and fluids

    • Full-time work requirement is 40 hours per week, but may be met by equal hours of part-time work

Path 4: Other recognized program completion

• Must have passed a generalist MLT examination given by another certification organization or state licensure agency approved by AMT

• Hold an active certification or state license 

• Must document recent education (within the last five years) or employment (six months within the previous five years), as defined by AMT eligibility criteria

• No exam required

• Applicants who completed an accredited program in medical laboratory technology within the last 5 years must provide:

  • Documentation confirming a passing result in the assessment

  • Original exam score and current certificate card from another certification agency or issuing agency

  • College transcripts

• If laboratory experience or completion of an accredited training program was more than 5 years ago, candidates must possess:

  • Official documentation indicating a passing result on the assessment

  • Copy of the examination score 

  • Current certification card from another certification organization or current state licensure card

  • 6 months relevant, documented, full-time laboratory experience in the last 5 years in a laboratory performing chemical, physical or biological examinations of human tissues and fluids

    • Full-time work requirement is 40 hours per week, but may be met by equal hours of part-time work

Completion Time: Candidates have 3 hours to complete the MLT exam

Cost

• Exam fee: $200

• Exam fee if residing outside of North America: $225

• Retake fee: $125

Exam Format

The MLT exam includes 210 multiple-choice questions. Exam topics include:

• General Laboratory (14.3%)

  • Quality

  • Laws and regulations

  • Safety

  • Instrumentation, maintenance, and principles of operation

  • Laboratory Mathematics

  • Microscopy

  • Phlebotomy and specimen collection, handling, and integrity

  • Patient identification

  • Waived testing

• Chemistry (19.5%)

  • General knowledge

  • Instrumentation

  • Renal and hepatic function tests

  • Carbohydrate metabolism

  • Protein analysis

  • Enzymology

  • Endocrinology

  • Lipids

  • Water and electrolytes

  • Acid-base balance

  • Cerebrospinal fluid

  • Other chemistry procedures

• Hematology (18.1%)

  • General knowledge

  • Erythrocyte, leukocyte, and thrombocyte procedures

  • Special procedures

  • Automated instrumentation

• Coagulation and Hemostasis (5.2%)

  • General knowledge

  • Coagulation procedures

• Immunology and Serology (3.8%)

  • General knowledge

  • Serological tests for syphilis

  • Analytic procedures

  • Special procedures

• Immunohematology (10.5%)

  • General knowledge

  • Blood typing

  • Immune response

  • Compatibility testing principles and procedures

  • Rh immune globulin

  • Special tests

• Blood Banking and Transfusion Services (8.1%)

  • General knowledge   

  • Blood banking practices

• Microbiology (9.5%)

  • Bacteriology

  • Media quality control, techniques, and cultures

  • Bacterial identification

  • Special tests

  • Virology

  • Parasitology

  • Mycology

• Urinalysis and Body Fluids (11%)

  • General knowledge

  • Renal function

  • Urinalysis procedures

  • Special tests

Test Dates

Pearson VUE administers the MLT certification exam for AMT. Applicants may schedule to take their test any day of the year, excluding Sundays and national holidays at Pearson VUE test sites nationwide.

• Satisfy prerequisites

• Submit application to AMT along with $200 exam fee

• Provide supporting documents

• Schedule the examination after Authorization to Test arrives

• Take the MLT exam
  

To maintain their MLT, applicants must: 

• Pay annual renewal fees of $110

• Submit required information for any state licenses or governmental agency privileges

• Accumulate and document 45 Certification Continuation Program (CCP) points every 3 years.

Renewal Fee

• Annual Membership Fee: $110 annually

• Recertification by Exam: $310

• Recertification by CCP: $310

MLTs that choose to recertify by earning 45 CCP points every 3 years may use the following questions to evaluate whether an activity qualifies for CCP: 

Does the activity do one or more of the following:

• Relate to an item on the exam content outline

• Enable MLTs to do their jobs better 

• Increase MLTs’ knowledge in the healthcare field

• Prepare MLTs for a degree in advanced management, healthcare administration or another program of study in healthcare

Categories for CCP include:

• Professional Education (No maximum points)

• AMT Online Continuing Education Courses

• Inservice education

• CPR training

• Seminars and conferences

• Volunteer work

• EPIC courses

• Formal education (45 points maximum)

• College courses related to healthcare and care management

• Professional Authorship (No maximum points)

• Professional Presentations (No maximum points)

• Professional organizational activities (9 points maximum)

Refer to the CCP Guidance Document for complete information on accepted activities.

AMT offers various resources to help candidates prepare for the MLT exam, including:

• AMT Learning Center

• Reference list 

• Online MLT Practice Exam - $40 (2 attempts)

• AMT Candidate Handbook

• AMT Medical Technologist (MT)

• Molecular Diagnostics Technologist (MDT)

• ASCP Medical Laboratory Assistant (MLA)

• AMT Certified Medical Laboratory Assistant (CMLA)

• Certified Laboratory Consultant (CLC)

• ASCP Technologist in Blood Banking (BB) 

• Clinical Laboratory Scientist (CLS)

• Clinical Laboratory Scientist-California DPH (CLS)

• ASCP Cytotechnologist (CT)

• ASCP Diplomate in Laboratory Management (DLM)

• ASCP Technologist in Hematology (H)

• ASCP Histotechnician (HT)

• ASCP Histotechnologist (HTL)

• ASCP Technologist in Microbiology (M)

• ASCP Technologist in Molecular Biology (MB)

• AMT Molecular Diagnostic Technician (MDT)

• ASCP Medical Laboratory Scientist (MLS)

• ASCP Medical Laboratory Technician (MLT)

• ASCP Pathology Assistant (PA)

• ASCP Specialist in Blood Banking (SBB)

• ASCP Specialist in Chemistry (SC)

• ASCP Specialist in Cytotechnology (SCT)

• ASCP Specialist in Hematology (SH)

• ASCP Specialist in Microbiology (SM)

• ASCP Specialist in Molecular Biology (SMB)