The results of the CSMLS exam

I took the certification exam of the Canadian Society for Medical Laboratory Sciences on February 16 and have been worrying about it ever since, because some of the questions were... not quite what I expected. The last few days of waiting were the worst, because I started dreaming about the results, or lack thereof. I was also consumed with the utterly irrational fear that I had forgotten to sign the form that came with the exam, meaning the whole thing would have been invalidated.

We all knew that if a small envelope came in the mail, that was good news, because it would just contain a letter and another form. If a package arrived, though, that would be bad news, because it would be information on what you got wrong, details on how to reapply for the exam and so on. As a result, my heart was in my throat each time my landlady said there was a package for me. Those packages always turned out to be from Amazon.

But it's finally over. Today there was a small envelope with big news, and I passed!

*dances around*

robjvargas said:

Go get yourself a gift to celebrate.

Click to expand...

Thanks! Even better, I'm finally going to have a birthday party!

My birthday was two weeks ago, but I didn't feel like doing anything for it because I was waiting for the results. I figured if I passed, we could have a party then. So even the gifts my friends in the States sent me have remained unopened, but now I'm finally making preparations for some celebrating.

Susie said:

Wishing you a happy belated birthday, too.

Click to expand...

Thank you, Susie! My landlady is throwing me the party and she said it'll be after Easter, but that's not long to wait at all.

Pisarz said:

Excellent! Did they have a question about how one was supposed to hold one's breath while waiting? Glad you got good news.

Click to expand...

Thanks! Actually, what I was supposed to do while waiting was to get all my paperwork in order to apply for certification in the College of Medical Laboratory Technologists of Ontario. So that's what I spent most of today doing.

Spirochetes said:

Congratulation Queen!

What review materials/books did you use to prepare for the exam?

Click to expand...

Thanks very much (and that's a cute username)!

I used the Clinical Laboratory Science Review, but IMO it wasn't all that relevant to the actual exam. The book itself is extremely thorough and heavily theory-focused, but the exam tends to be practical-focused. Just bear in mind that a lot of the exam will relate to those areas of medical laboratory technology which can be found in even the smallest out-in-the-boondocks hospital (as opposed to in specialized labs).

If you can find previous exams or exam questions online, try to solve those. Sometimes those questions get repeated. Wish you all the best too!