How to Study with MCQs: 7 Methods That Actually Work for Lab Exams

MLT Globe · 2026-10-02

Students preparing for MLT, MLS and licensing exams often solve thousands of questions and still feel they forget everything. The problem is usually not the number of questions but the method. These seven habits make each question count.

1. Try first, then read the explanation

Answer before you look. Trying to recall an answer – even when you are wrong – strengthens memory far more than reading the answer straight away.

2. Read the explanation every time

If you guessed correctly, you have not learned anything yet. The explanation also teaches you why the other options are wrong, which covers several future questions at once.

3. Review on a spaced schedule

Revisit wrong answers after one day, then after a few days, then after a week or two. Spacing reviews out is one of the most reliable ways to move facts into long-term memory. The Smart Review feature in the MLT Globe app brings back your wrong questions automatically.

4. Keep an error notebook

Write one line for each fact you got wrong, in your own words. Before the exam, this notebook is the most valuable thing you will read.

5. Mix subjects

After you finish a topic, practise mixed sets. Real exams jump between hematology, chemistry and microbiology. Mixing trains you to recognise what a question is asking.

6. Practise under time pressure

Once a week, take a timed mock test. You will learn your pace, and exam-day stress will feel familiar.

7. Learn tables, not just questions

Some topics are easier as a picture in your head: the coagulation cascade, the order of draw, culture media and the reactions of common bacteria. Use the order of draw, lab tests and glossary pages as quick references.

A simple daily routine

30 new questions from today's topic.
20 mixed questions from earlier topics.
10 minutes on your error notebook.

Start with the MCQs by subject or practise in the free MLT Globe app.

📱 Practise with a timer, track your score and earn certificates in the free MLT Globe app – Google Play or practise online.