This phlebotomy cheat sheet distills the certification exam into a printable rundown of the facts examiners test most — the CLSI order of draw, tube colors, and safe collection technique. It's a premium cheat sheet built by Capital Prep — the one premium prep we trust — and it's yours free. Reinforce it with the rest of your free phlebotomy toolkit: the practice test, study guide, and flashcards.
Phlebotomy exam at a glance
- Credential: Phlebotomy technician certification — NHA CPT, NCCT NCPT, ASCP PBT, or AMT RPT
- Questions: About 100 scored items (NHA CPT: 120 total; NCCT NCPT: 125 total, with unscored pretest)
- Time: Roughly 2–3 hours, computer-based (varies by certifying body)
- Passing score: NHA CPT: scaled 390 of 200–500; NCCT NCPT: scaled score of 70 (forms equated for difficulty)
- Cost: ≈ $117–$119 (a dated anchor — verify current fees with your certifying body)
- Eligibility: Approved program with required live venipunctures and capillary sticks, or a supervised-experience route
What’s on the Phlebotomy cheat sheet
- Routine Blood Collections (28%) — vein anatomy and site selection, needle gauges and equipment, the CLSI order of draw, the venipuncture steps, and complications — the largest domain.
- Safety & Compliance (26%) — OSHA's Bloodborne Pathogens Standard, standard precautions and PPE, HIPAA, scope of practice, and lab quality (QC/QA).
- Patient Preparation (20%) — requisitions and test orders, two-identifier patient ID, types of consent, and fasting and basal-state prep.
- Processing (14%) — centrifuging and aliquoting, specimen integrity and transport, chain of custody, and reporting critical values.
- Special Collections (12%) — blood cultures and line draws, capillary/dermal puncture and the reversed order of draw, infant heel sticks, and point-of-care testing.
How to use it in your final week
- Burn the CLSI order of draw into memory: blood culture → light blue → red/SST → green → lavender → gray. Recite it until it is automatic.
- Match every tube color to its additive and tests — light blue = citrate (coag/PT-INR), lavender = EDTA (CBC/HbA1c), green = heparin, gray = fluoride (glucose), red/gold = serum.
- Front-load Routine Blood Collections and Safety & Compliance — together they are over half the scored items, so master vein anatomy, the venipuncture steps, and OSHA bloodborne-pathogen rules first.
- Read the sheet the morning of the test for a final pass on the memory hooks — two-identifier ID, 9:1 citrate fill ratio, reversed capillary order (EDTA first), and hemolysis falsely raising potassium.
The cheat sheet is your review layer — your Phlebotomy practice test drives the exam-readiness ring at the top of this page. Download it, review, then take a full practice exam (or drill with the study guide and flashcards) to see where you stand.
Phlebotomy cheat sheet FAQ
Yes — the phlebotomy cheat sheet downloads as a PDF with no sign-up and no account. It sits alongside Career Employer's free phlebotomy practice test, study guide, and flashcards, so your whole cram kit is one click away.
It condenses the facts that move your score: the CLSI order of draw, every tube color with its additive and tests, needle gauges, complications like hemolysis and QNS, standard precautions, and the two-identifier rule — grouped by the five domains the exam is weighted around.
Yes. The clinical core — order of draw, tube additives, venipuncture technique, and safety — is identical across the NHA CPT, NCCT NCPT, ASCP PBT, and AMT RPT, so this sheet works no matter which certification you sit. The domain names are anchored to the NHA CPT test plan.
No — the sheet is a review and last-week memory aid, not a full course. Pair it with timed practice questions and hands-on venipuncture reps so the order of draw and tube colors are automatic before test day.
Click the download button or the preview card at the top of this page and the PDF opens instantly. Bookmark the page so you can pull it up again the morning of your exam.
References
- 1.National Healthcareer Association (NHA). “Certified Phlebotomy Technician (CPT) Detailed Test Plan & Candidate Handbook.” nhanow.com, 2026. ↑
- 2.National Center for Competency Testing (NCCT). “National Certified Phlebotomy Technician (NCPT) Detailed Test Plan.” ncctinc.com, 2026. ↑
- 3.Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI). “Collection of Diagnostic Venous Blood Specimens (PRE02-Ed8, formerly GP41) & Capillary Blood Specimens (GP42-Ed7).” clsi.org, 2026. ↑
- 4.Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). “Bloodborne Pathogens Standard (29 CFR 1910.1030).” osha.gov, 2026. ↑
- 5.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). “Standard Precautions for All Patient Care.” cdc.gov, 2026. ↑
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