American Medical Certification Association (AMCA) Phlebotomy Practice Exam

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Prepare for the AMCA Phlebotomy Test. Use flashcards and multiple choice questions, each with hints and explanations. Ace the exam and become a certified phlebotomy technician!

Each practice test/flash card set has 50 randomly selected questions from a bank of over 500. You'll get a new set of questions each time!

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How long should a sample stand before being loaded into a centrifuge?

10 minutes
20 minutes
30 minutes
60 minutes

The correct answer is: 30 minutes

The recommendation for allowing a sample to stand before being loaded into a centrifuge is typically 30 minutes. This standing time is important because it allows the blood to clot, which is essential for the proper separation of serum during centrifugation. When blood is drawn, it contains cells, plasma, and clotting factors. Allowing it to sit enables the clotting process to occur, ensuring that after centrifugation, the liquid portion (serum) can be easily separated from the cellular components of the blood. If samples are not allowed the full standing time, there may be incomplete clot formation, leading to the need for additional processing steps, or worse, interference in test results. The other options suggested shorter or longer standing times, which may not align with best practices for preparing samples for testing.