NHA CPT · Free practice test
NHA Phlebotomy Practice Test 2026 (CPT)
Free phlebotomy practice questions with every answer explained, built on NHA’s test plan.
120 questions · 2 hours · 390 of 500 to pass
Written and checked by the QuizCram editorial team · Updated November 10, 2026
NHA CPT exam format and scoring
The NHA Certified Phlebotomy Technician (CPT) exam has 120 multiple-choice questions, 100 of them scored, and 2 hours to finish. NHA scores it on a scale, and 390 out of 500 passes. In 2022, 77.31% of 47,313 CPT exams were passes. The questions cover five areas: safety and compliance (26%), patient preparation (20%), routine blood collections (28%), special collections (12%), and processing (14%).
Sources: NHA CPT test plan · NHA Annual Pass Rates report
Practice
Free NHA phlebotomy practice questions with answers
Ten questions from the free set, one at a time. Tap an answer to see if you are right and why.
Order of draw
Which order of draw is correct for a routine venipuncture using evacuated tubes?
Venipuncture technique
What is the primary purpose of applying a tourniquet before venipuncture?
Patient preparation
A phlebotomist finds that the physician's order is for a fasting lipid panel, but the patient ate breakfast. What should the phlebotomist do?
Difficult venipuncture
A phlebotomist is drawing from an antecubital vein and the patient reports tingling and numbness in the hand. What is the MOST likely cause?
Premature centrifugation
An SST tube is centrifuged before complete clot formation has occurred. What artifact will appear in the resulting serum sample?
Transmission precautions
Which type of precaution requires a healthcare worker to wear a gown, gloves, mask, and eye protection when entering a patient's room?
Tube additives
What color top does a tube containing EDTA have?
Vein selection
Which vein is the preferred first-choice site for routine adult venipuncture?
Patient identification
How should a phlebotomist identify an inpatient before drawing blood?
Access devices
A patient wears a red "restricted extremity" band on the left arm after a mastectomy. The order is for routine labs. What should the phlebotomist do?
Practice by topic
Know the exam
NHA CPT exam content outline: what the test covers
Five areas, weighted by NHA’s test plan.
- Safety and compliance26%
- Patient preparation20%
- Routine blood collections28%
- Special collections12%
- Processing14%
- 120questions, 20 unscored
- 2 hto finish
- 30 daysbefore a retake; 12 months after a third
How the exam works
The NHA Certified Phlebotomy Technician exam has 120 multiple-choice questions. 100 are scored. The other 20 are unscored pretest items that look the same, so treat every question as if it counts. You have two hours. NHA reports a scaled score, and 390 out of 500 is a pass.
What to study first
Routine blood collections (28%) and safety and compliance (26%) make up more than half the scored items. Special collections are the smallest area at 12%.
Who can sit it
You need a high school diploma or GED. You also need a phlebotomy training program or one year of supervised work in the last three years, with at least 30 venipunctures and 10 capillary sticks on record (NHA requirements). The certification renews every two years with 10 continuing education credits.
Order of draw
Phlebotomy order of draw and tube colors
The cap color tells you the additive inside. Tap a tube to see what it holds and why it goes there.
1. Blood cultures Culture bottles (or yellow SPS tube)
- Additive
- Culture broth (SPS in yellow tubes)
- Invert
- 8–10 (SPS tube); bottles per maker
- Common tests
- Blood cultures for bacteria and fungi
Drawn first so the sterile sample is not contaminated by anything on the needle.
What color tube for which test
| Test | Usual tube |
|---|---|
| CBC, CBC with differential, hemoglobin A1c | Lavender (EDTA) |
| PT/INR, aPTT, D-dimer, fibrinogen | Light blue (sodium citrate) |
| CMP, BMP, lipid panel, TSH, CRP, magnesium | Gold SST or red (serum); some labs use green |
| STAT chemistry, electrolytes, ammonia (on ice), troponin at many labs | Green (lithium heparin) |
| Glucose that cannot be spun soon, lactate, blood alcohol | Gray (sodium fluoride) |
| Blood type and crossmatch | Pink (EDTA) |
| Blood cultures | Culture bottles, drawn first |
Why the order matters
The additive in one tube must never ride on the needle into the next. EDTA carried into a chemistry tube falsely raises potassium and lowers calcium. Clot activator carried into a citrate tube spoils coagulation results.
Capillary order is different
For finger and heel sticks, CLSI puts the EDTA tube first, then other additive tubes, then serum tubes. Platelets clump at the site within seconds, so the hematology sample is taken while blood flows freely.
Your lab’s test directory has the final say: some labs run chemistry on gold SST, others on green lithium heparin.
Printable order of draw chart · Tube colors and additives guide · Sources: CLSI PRE02 (venipuncture) and CLSI GP42 (capillary)
The draw
Venipuncture basics: veins, needle angle and gauge
Where to stick, how to angle the needle, and what to do when a draw goes wrong.
The three veins of the inner elbow
- Median cubital crosses the inner elbow. It is large, well anchored and away from major nerves, so it is the first choice.
- Cephalic runs up the thumb side. It is harder to feel but a safe second choice.
- Basilic runs up the little-finger side, close to the brachial artery and median nerve. Use it last.
Needle angle and gauge
Insert at 15 to 30 degrees with the bevel up. The higher the gauge number, the thinner the needle. A 21-gauge needle is the usual adult choice. 22 or 23 gauge suits small or fragile veins. A needle too thin for the vein can damage red cells.
What causes hemolysis
- A needle too thin for the vein
- Shaking tubes instead of inverting them gently
- Squeezing a finger or heel hard
- Drawing before the alcohol has dried
Where not to draw
- An arm with a dialysis fistula
- The side of a mastectomy, unless the provider approves
- An arm with an IV running: use the other arm
- A bruised or swollen site
If something goes wrong
- Shooting pain or tingling: remove the needle at once (nerve)
- Swelling at the site: release, remove, press (hematoma)
- Petechiae: the tourniquet is too tight or on too long
- Two misses: stop and ask a colleague
Time yourself
NHA phlebotomy mock exam, timed
Questions mixed by NHA's weights, a 100-minute clock, a score in each area.
The mock draws questions from all five areas in the same proportions as NHA’s test plan. It runs a clock and ends with a score for each area, so you know what to study next. The free mock is 40 questions. It is practice, not a copy of the real exam.
Pick your credential
NHA CPT vs ASCP PBT: which phlebotomy certification?
Both are national certifications. Your employer or state may prefer one.
Sources: NHA CPT test plan · NHA pass rates · ASCP BOC exam · ASCP PBT
Many employers accept either, so choose by what your school, employer or state asks for. ASCP’s Phlebotomy Technician (PBT) exam is adaptive: 80 questions in two hours, scored from 100 to 999 with 400 to pass. The application fee is $155.
NHA’s exam is a fixed form of 120 questions across five areas. Both expect hands-on experience before you test; check each body’s eligibility routes before you book.
NHA CPT vs ASCP PBT: full comparison with eligibility and fees
How every question is checked
- Written from the sourceNHA test plan and CLSI PRE02, never copied from a real exam
- Checked line by lineEach answer names the section it comes from
- Machine checkedNo duplicates, no missing explanations or sources
- Kept currentUpdated November 10, 2026
Written and checked by the QuizCram editorial team. Spot an error? [email protected] · Editorial policy · Not affiliated with NHA.
Start the free phlebotomy practice test
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Start 40 free questionsNHA phlebotomy exam FAQ
Eligibility, format, passing score, pass rate and retakes, with the source for each.
The exam consists of 120 multiple-choice questions (100 scored items and 20 unscored pretest items) with a 2-hour testing window.
NHA scores the exam on a scaled score, and the passing score is 390 out of 500 (source: NHA Annual Pass Rates report). A scaled score is not a percentage of questions right.
In 2022, 77.31% of the 47,313 NHA CPT exams given were passes, according to NHA's Annual Pass Rates report. Most candidates pass; about one in four does not.
Study by the weights in NHA's test plan: routine blood collections (28%) and safety and compliance (26%) are more than half the exam. Learn the CLSI order of draw and tube additives first, then patient identification, complications and specimen handling. Take timed practice tests and read the reason for every question you miss.
Five areas from NHA's 2025 test plan: safety and compliance (26%), patient preparation (20%), routine blood collections (28%), special collections (12%) and processing (14%) (source: NHA CPT test plan).
You need a high school diploma or GED, plus either a phlebotomy technician training program completed in the last five years or supervised work experience: one year within the last three, or two years within the last five. You also need proof of at least 30 venipunctures and 10 capillary or finger sticks on live people (source: NHA CPT eligibility).
No. They are separate certifications from separate boards. The NHA CPT is a fixed 120-question, two-hour exam with a passing scaled score of 390 out of 500 and a $134 application fee (source: NHA store). The ASCP Phlebotomy Technician (PBT) exam is computer-adaptive: 80 questions in two hours, scored 100 to 999, with 400 to pass and a $155 application fee (source: ASCP BOC). Many employers accept either, so check what your state or employer asks for.
The standard sequence is: 1) Blood Culture bottles, 2) Light Blue (Sodium Citrate), 3) Red/Gold/SST (Serum/Gel Separator), 4) Green (Heparin), 5) Lavender/Purple (EDTA), and 6) Gray (Sodium Fluoride / Potassium Oxalate).
After a first or second non-passing attempt you wait 30 days to retest. After a third non-passing attempt you wait 12 months. You pay for each attempt (source: NHA, What to do if you didn't pass your exam).
Yes. Open the exam simulator and sit a timed mock exam of 40 questions built from the free questions, once, with no signup. At the end you see where you stand in each exam area, so you know what to study next.
It splits the questions across the exam's areas using the weights NHA publishes, then picks questions inside each area, favouring ones you missed before and never repeating one within a run. A retake is a new draw, so you will meet different questions. It is a practice mock exam, not an official replica of the real exam.